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Chapter 2: A Blighted Land

Turn 49: Hell Here

Danton rubbed his eyes and shook himself to drive the lingering cobwebs from his mind.

“Well, that was a narrow victory, and make no mistake,” he said when Luger and Aseneth had explained all that had transpired during his incapacitation. “I can fully believe that the Nine Hells themselves hath opened their doors and belched out their awful bounty, for I hath never seen nor heard of the like of the foul, tentacular-mouthed thing that assailed us. 'Twas a demon for sure ... and, if not, 'twill certainly do until an actual demon arrives.”

The Velunese shook his head and added, “Which, judging from what I hath just been told, may not be long in the coming. In retrospect, our assault on the keep proved the wisest sort of nonsense imaginable. We're immensely lucky we're not all dead, and I'll certainly think twice before gainsaying the mental resiliency of our beautiful enchantress, pious cleric, wisecracking elf, or thick-skulled dwarf. Were it not for their mental strength, we'd all be fodder for worms.”

Danton threw a meaningful glance at Nanoc and the barbarian nodded ruefully.

”I daresay Syll wast right,” continued the scout, “our attack on the keep was so brazen and absurd that it hath the merit of falling beneath the consideration of rational beings. I doth not think we can count on the same when we sally forth to the Temple of Pelor, for such is surely our eventual destination.”

Danton then glanced across the room to where Luger was helping Baron Euphemes to sit up against the wall.

”Well, baron, you're a free man again, thanks to mine companions' valor. But free only for the moment. We wilt need your aid if this town is to be saved. Plainly, your voice commands the multitudes. They hath listened to you in fear, only hours past, and they wilt listen again. Unfortunately, there may not be an efficacious way to instantly raise the populace. But surely your militia and footsoldiers wilt follow you. Off the top of mine head, methinks that mine rump group wilt be forced to handle the situation at the Temple of Pelor. But the city is awash in foul brutes, and 'twould prove ill if they converged on the temple whilst we were inside, trapping us. Thus, mine initial thought is that you command what loyal soldiery are left to you and have them raise every able-bodied man…”

Danton paused, looked at Aseneth, and continued:

“... and woman, and have them provide determined resistance against the thugs in the town. Singular combat would avail them nothing -- they would be killed. Rather, have them bunch in hardened, defensible knots, soldier and citizen together, and provide bitter resistance. If this can draw strength and attention from the temple, we can then affect entry ... and put an end to this madness one way or another.”

With the noise and fighting passed, timid house servants could now be seen at the far end of the room peeking around the corner and Luger motioned for them to enter and attend to the badly injured baron.

“Do not doubt that we will aid your good town in this most dire of days,” said the cleric to the nobleman, “but know this: My associates and I are on a most important mission and had only stopped in Woodstock to rest and hire a guide through the Kron Hills. Since arriving we have gotten little rest and have been fighting for our lives daily. We have suffered great physical ills and our resources have been depleted fighting your battle. For this, we expect to be compensated and I will hold you responsible for rebuilding a safer and law-abiding Woodstock once we have put down this evil.”

”As Danton said,” added Luger, “we will need you to call upon your subjects to take arms and fight the evil walking your streets, If you have any of the good clergy of the church of Pelor or Heironeus in custody, you will need to release them immediately. I do not know if we can close this opening, but we will need to kill anything which steps out of it.”

“I will do what I can,” groaned the baron as one of his servants worked to remove his armor. “I don’t know what happened to the clerics and paladins at those two temples, but that…creature…that addled my mind ordered an attack on both places late last night. The clergy of Pelor and Heironeous are either dead or have been driven underground.”

“Huh,” grunted Nanoc. “I was thinkin’ if the Shrine o’ Heironeous was under attack right now, maybe we oughta send some militia there to help out Torea and Alein. But if they got attacked last night, it’s prob’ly too late. Still, mebee yer militia could look for ‘em an’ try ta give ‘em a message to come help us at the Temple o’ Pelor?”

“But besides that,” added the barbarian, “I think Danton’s right. We needs to get as many of the town people up in arms ‘gainst these fellahs as possible. If you speak out right now while there is still some people on the street, I bet the word will spread fast.”

“Just how did all this get started?” demanded Syll. “I mean, I’m supposed to be the guide around here, but I’ve already done way more than I bargained for on this trip and we ain’t even on the trip yet and I still ain’t been paid! But ‘fore we get in any deeper, I wanna know from the baron here what’s at the root of this!”

“I mean,” continued the elf, picking up speed as his tirade went on, “think about it: how exactly did a bunch of abyss delinquents end up in Woodstock? Who brought them here and why? Was somebody fooling around with gates, or did these yahoos just pick Woodstock as a good starting point for their whole world domination plan? Basically, did the Baron here biff some dippy spell? Was he trying to take total control and needed some added muscle, or do we have some dipstick spellcaster or cleric type over in the temple of Pelor to deal with?”

With the baron’s armor now removed, his servants began to dress the many wounds Geistblatt had carved into his flesh.

“The town had been troubled for some months,” began the nobleman, speaking slowly. “The local thieves were more and more aggressive, murder and disappearances became rampant, but we could not find the source of the problem. Then, four days ago, during a disturbance at the fair that drew the attention of most of the militia, that tentacled thing slipped inside the keep and did…something to me. It dulled my senses and I felt compelled to obey its every word. It made me order the militia to ignore the town’s troubles, even as it gathered more and more foul allies around it. Then last night, its associates attacked the temples and this morning it made me give that speech announcing the ‘New Order’. Now I fear that though you have driven the thing off, its infernal allies will still pour into Woodstock via this portal they have erected in the Temple of Pelor.”

“Closing said portal must be our top priority,” agreed Danton. “Mistress Asya, hath you any sense of how we might blockade or eliminate a portal betwixt the Oerth and the Nine Hells? Do you possess such powers? What, in your view, would be required?”

Before waiting for the sorceress to answer, Danton looked at Luger and added: “And, for that matter, doth Heironeous hath any specific powers to aid us in this regard? Somehow, methinks that, though Nanoc's great strength might help carve a path to this foul portal, 'twill not suffice to collapse it. Methinks only some kind of mystical power or divine boon wilt suffice, and I am dreadfully short on both.”

The cleric shook his head. “I fear I do not possess the power to close such a thing. If it is in fact a gate to another plane, I believe it will take a powerful mage or priest to close it. I have no knowledge on the subject, so I can offer little else.”

“Is possible I can doing something with this 'portal',” said Aseneth, “but first must seeing. Is hard being sure. I am knowing living dead better than these creatures in Woodstock.”

Although Karzak had remained stunned longer than Danton and Nanoc after the departure of the two strange creatures the group had fought, he had finally managed to get to his feet and now he stalked over to where the others stood in a semi-circle around the baron.

“Well, dinna ya know that would be the case! Cheated from victory 'gain by foul magick means! I be lookin' fer a fair fight so I kin feel the satisfactory thunk of me
axe in an enemy's chest! I winna had him if he not be sending spells ta make me gag! This be a foul town fer sure. I be wantin' me own axe to cut a swatch through these foul creatures!”

The dwarf placed his hands on his hips and scowled at Baron Euphemes. “Well, baron, we dun saved yer neck. What reward ye be offerin' us? I will be takin' a magic axe so I kin kill these magicked creatures. Gold an' jewels will be jus' fine too. Rouse the militia an' put these demon-spawn ta flight! Jus' let me clobber that green man 'fore ya load us with gold!”

While Karzak continued to rant at the baron regarding the wrongs he had suffered in Woodstock and the rewards he demanded, Danton motioned for the others to join him out of earshot of the nobleman.

”Assuming that the baron wilt raise his populace and commit his loyal soldiery to the fray, as he rightly should, that should give us a bit of comfort from attacks from the rear,” said the Velunese. “Unfortunately, there appears little time for much in the way of strategy regarding the Temple of Pelor. We'd best make sure we're hale before heading there, so methinks Luger and Karzak ought to be healed up properly. Let's use any curing scrolls for that, saving spells and potions for on-the-spot healing; if we don't have enough scrolls, methinks we should then use spells o'er potions, but I'll leave that judgment to our resident healer.

Beyond that, what else is there to do but go forward as best we can, arriving at the temple in the most stealthy manner and, if 'tis possible, entering it unseen or with minimal disruption? 'Tis as likely as anything that we may have to fight a running battle whilst we find this hellish portal, though hopefully if the citizenry and soldiers cause enough grief in the town, 'twill draw out some of the foul miscreants from the temple. Though I generally prefer stealth and subtlety to running battles and open confrontation, methinks that time is not on our side. The locals won't be able to long hold out against these villains, and the longer the portal stayeth open, the worse 'tis for all concerned.”

Across the room, Karzak could be heard to bellow at the baron: “Whaddya say there, baron? Ya git any healin' an' weapons in the armory an' magicks? What kin ya be tellin' us 'bout the people, or should I be sayin' the horrible monsters an' demons an' devils, who were controllin' ye?”

“So, for all these reasons,” mused Danton, “mine thought continues to be that we bring as few with us to the temple as possible. With the clergy of Pelor and Heironeous dead or scattered, hordes of citizenry and even militiamen are likely to be our only potential allies and they would be mere cannon fodder if exposed to the devilry within the temple.”

Luger nodded. “The townspeople are not fodder to be used as our shields. Sending them against demons and the like would be about as effective as me sending a serving wench to take Karzak’s axe away from him. It will be left to us alone to close this gate and purge the temple.”

“So, Baron,” bellowed Karzak, “How many men ye be havin' under arms? What kinna arms ye be havin' in yer arsenal? Let's not be a worrying 'bout how all this chaos dun come ta pass but rather on any solution ye might be thinkin' 'bout.
What say ye, laddie?”

“So, we are agreed?” asked Danton. “The baron raises his soldiery and militia to find strongpoints in the city and engage in insurrection, creating a distraction and drawing off enemies from the Temple of Pelor. Meanwhile, we noble heroes attempt to enter the temple, find the portal and shut it down by whatever means are at hand. Doth that about sum it up?”

“That done sound like a good plan to me,” said Nanoc excitedly. “Get this town militia to help us keep any o' them bad guys in the city off our backs, while we goes an’ handles the really nasties at that there temple. Yup, boys,” the barbarian added, winking at Aseneth, “looks like this will be a great day to show your strength, by Kord! Let’s go kick some bad guy butt at the Temple o’ Pelor!”

When the others rejoined Karzak and the beleaguered baron, the dwarf was finally running out of steam.

“This plan be soundin' like a good plan ta me,” he said, “all 'cept the part where the baron here lends us no kind a' aid whatsoever.”

“Let it go, Karzak,” said Nanoc firmly. “If the militia and the locals can cause chaos and distractions fer us, that’s enough.”

“They will do their part,” said the baron, visibly relieved by the end of Karzak’s verbal onslaught, “but only if you can drive off the demonic creatures guarding the barracks and tell Lieutenant Shella to come to me for new orders!”

***

After Luger quickly converted his lowest powered spells to healing for himself (Luger +5 HP) and used two of Danton’s healing scrolls on Karzak (+21 HP), the party collected its equipment and marched out of the baron’s residence, out of the keep, and the short distance down the street to the barracks. At least in this part of town, the streets were now utterly empty.

The barracks, a low stone building that jutted out from the southwest watch tower of the keep, was guarded by two creatures that, from a distance, might have passed for incredibly large dogs. But when the group drew closer, they could see that these were no dogs. They had spiky gray fur, were nearly six feet in length, had to weigh hundreds of pounds, and had ferocious, almost humanoid faces with orange-glowing eyes.

Although the creatures eyed the party carefully as it approached, they did not attack, and Nanoc, Luger, and Karzak were able to walk right up to the creatures—drawing so close that they could feel the unnatural heat the beasts emitted—while Syll, Danton, and Aseneth remained farther back.

[Initiative: Danton 18, Luger: 6, Aseneth: 7, Syll: 21, Karzak: 2, Nanoc: 17, creatures: 26]

As had been agreed beforehand, everyone followed Nanoc’s cue and when he spun and slammed his massive axe into one of the creatures (attack: 16+13=29, 4+8=12; one hit; 15 damage), the rest of the party launched their surprise attacks as well, all hoping to eliminate the two beasts before they knew what was happening.

While Danton followed Nanoc’s attack and slashed his rapier ineffectively at the beast the barbarian had wounded (attack: 5+7=12; miss), the rest of the party had at the second creature. Syll and Aseneth both peppered it with magic missiles. A half-dozen enchanted projectiles slammed into the thing’s fur, burning it badly from head to tail. While Luger slashed the thing with Geistblatt (attack: 17+7=24; hit; 8 damage), Karzak went straight for its head with his axe. Unfortunately, while the blade slammed into the beast’s cranium, there was no effect whatsoever (attack: 9+9=18; hit; 12 damage—but no effect).

“Dagnabbit!” screamed the dwarf. “I’m getting right tired of this crap! I wanna be off fightin’ an’ slaughterin’ the baddies, but can’t be doin’ nothin’ wit’ this lousy axe! Guess I’ll have ta try that silver sword Nanoc gave me!”

Although both of the beasts, particularly the one that had taken so much magic missile fire, were badly wounded, neither was down for the count, and once they overcame their initial surprise, they reacted with stunning speed. Yet strangely, rather than attack physically, one pointed its orange eyes at Nanoc and the other did the same with Luger (will saves: Nanoc: 4+3=7; failure, Luger: 19+12=31; success).

While Luger felt a foreign presence in his mind, he ignored it with ease and removed the wolf-like animal’s head with Geistblatt (attack: 16+8=24; hit; 6 damage) before Karzak even had a chance to bring Nanoc’s silver short sword to bear against it.

Unfortunately, the same could not be said of Nanoc, who turned on his heel after the dog-thing looked at him and shouted at the rest of the party:

“Don’t ya be hurtin’ my doggies! They ain’t bad! They’s jus’ misunderstood!”

Danton (attack: 8+7=15; miss), Aseneth, and Syll ignored the shouting barbarian and attacked the remaining creature, but not to great effect. While the scout’s rapier seemed to him to bounce away from the beast every time it drew near the thing, the two spellcasters were also clearly running low on their more powerful spells and having to switch to less effective means of attack. This did not prevent Syll from shouting, “Wahoo! Nice shootin’, princess!” when Aseneth blasted the wolf-creature with a magical acid arrow.

Danton was the next to feel an unwelcome presence in his mind, but, after the experience with the mental attacks of the tentacle-mouthed creature in the keep, he was better prepared for such an assault (will save: 14+2=16; success) and ignored the mental admonitions not to harm the unnatural beast in front of him. He swung at it again (attack: 4+7=11; miss), but did not even come close.

The next thing Danton knew, he heard Nanoc shout, “I said, leave my pooch alone!” and then the barbarian knocked Danton off his feet with a flying tackle (Nanoc grapple attack: 17+5=22).

“Lemme at that one!” yelled Karzak, trying to get to the remaining beast even as Nanoc knocked Danton away from it. "Clobbering time, lizard face, let's do it!"

Unfortunately for the dwarf, Luger’s longer legs brought him to the creature first and he ran it through (attack: 13+8=21; hit; 11 damage) before Karzak could close the distance.

“Hey! That one was mine!” complained the dwarf.

With the creature dead, Nanoc, who had been about to pin Danton to the cobblestones and was still ranting about leaving his dogs alone, suddenly froze in mid-shout. A sheepish look crossed his face.

“Uh, sorry, ‘bout that, Danton. I don’t knows right what came over me.”

“Just get thy heavy self off of me!” hissed Danton. “And get inside there and rouse the militia that we may get on to the temple and see the back of this town as soon as possible! I rue the day that I chose Woodstock over the Welkwood, let me tell you!”

Inside the barracks, Nanoc found Lieutenant Shella and a half-dozen startled militiamen. When the barbarian told her that the baron had been manipulated and now wanted the militia to lead an insurrection against the infernal forces rapidly taking control of the town, she dashed off to the keep to meet the nobleman and confirm Nanoc’s report.

With this task accomplished, the party moved quickly across Silver Hill towards the Temple of Pelor, unmistakable in the distance because of the column of fire that extended skyward through its ruined dome. Although the sun should have been nearing its apex, with the gathering clouds overhead, the sky only grew darker as the day progressed.

Once the party left the barracks, Karzak guzzled his potion of charisma (+2 charisma) and began shouting at the top of his lungs for the populace to rise up and throw off their new oppressors.

“Get out here an’ save yer town an’ yerselves!” he bellowed again and again. “Everybody who kin carry a sword needs ta be on the street ta fight off these devils an’ demons! Get out here an’ fight!”

What effect Karzak’s exhortations might have to draw out the locals was not immediately clear, as the party passed from street to street so quickly that there was no time to see whether anyone heeded the dwarf’s words, but his shouts clearly drew people to their windows as the party passed by.

Still, if nothing else, Karzak at least succeeded in stirring up one person. Not long after the dwarf began yelling, Syll joined him, shouting out at random things like:

“Shazzzzammmm!”

“Wahoo!”

“Boo-yahhhhh!”

“I love a spot of mayhem in the morning!”

As the party finally emerged onto Old Ford Road and had a direct view of the Temple of Pelor, Syll laughed and said:

“You folks sure get into strange messes! I’ve been visiting Woodstock for years and nothing like this ever happened until you lot showed up!”

“Yes,” said Danton bitterly, “we seem to have that effect wherever we go. Now, pipe down—that doth mean you as well, Karzak, and let us see if we may make our final approach with some modicum of stealth.”

Heeding Danton’s advice, the group slowed as it approached the huge stone temple. From somewhere far off to the west, a powerful explosion could be heard, and off to the south, the party members would have sworn they could hear the sounds of steel on steel, but this part of Old Ford Road was deserted. Abandoned carts and stands were everywhere, many of them overturned and looted.

The front doors of the Temple of Pelor were wide open, as usual, but what lay beyond them was far from ordinary. As the party slipped up the small flight of stairs to the doorway and gazed inside, they could see that a huge column of crackling fire, 20 feet in diameter, rose from the floor, licking the gaping hole in the top of the enormous domed roof. A thin layer of ash covered everything, smeared on the floor from the passage of many feet. The symbols and icons of Pelor that had been carved in the wall and etched in the floor were still present, but they all seemed scarred, blurred, or broken. In the center of the sanctuary, where the altar used to stand, a gaping pit now yawned, spewing unholy fire toward the sky, mocking the sun. Once a holy place, Pelor’s temple now reeked with the stench of evil.

Danton took one look at the massive column of fire, the heat of which was already making everyone in the group uncomfortably hot, even from a distance of forty feet away, and muttered, “Well, as they say in Veluna, ‘here goes nothing’.”

“I’ll drink ta that!” said Karzak with a laugh. He then raised a potion vial to his lips and drained it (potion of blur consumed). Within a matter of seconds, Karzak’s form began to shimmer and grow indistinct.

“Huh, you don’t see that every day,” commented Syll.

“It gives a good buzz, too!” said Karzak excitedly. “I feels like I’m tingling all over. Woo-eee! I ain’t felt this good since I was with those halfling lassies!”

“C’mon,” groused Nanoc. “Let’s get on with it!”

When the group first moved inside the cavernous main chamber of the temple, little of interest was visible, save for the column of fire, but seconds later, the gaunt, nine-foot tall, winged creature that had been perched atop the keep earlier in the morning emerged from behind the pillar of fire. It roared out what might have been laughter, and then launched itself through the air at the party.

[Initiative: Nanoc: 18, Danton: 6, Luger: 15, Karzak: 19, Aseneth: 17, Syll: 19, Baatezu: 21]

Standing at the front of the party as always, Nanoc absorbed the massive creature’s attack. He blocked one of its claws and its teeth with his axe, but was hit by its other clawed hand and its barbed tail (13 total damage; fortitude save: 8+7=15; success). Nanoc felt some kind of fluid from the barbed tail running down his abdomen, but, at least for the moment, it had no effect on him, and he paid it no further heed.

When the creature from the lower planes attacked Nanoc, it drew into close proximity not only with the barbarian, but also with Danton, Luger, and Karzak, all of whom had come forward to face it. In such proximity, waves of what could only be called pure hatred and evil poured out of the thing, assaulting the senses of all who were near (will saves: Nanoc: 12+3=15; success, Danton: 17+2=19; success, Luger: 4+12=16; success, Karzak; 10+3=13; failure). While most of the warriors shrugged off the feelings of dread that threatened to overwhelm them, Karzak’s nerve broke, and he turned and ran screaming from the temple, shimmering and indistinct all the way.

“I’m getting pretty tired o’ things messin’ with my head!” yelled Nanoc, slashing his axe into the wings of the huge thing that had attacked him (attack: 5+13=18; hit; 20 damage), all but shredding them with the mighty swing. “It’s given me an awful headache an’ I jus’ want it ta stop, ya hear me?” The barbarian swung again, and this time his axe slammed into the huge monster’s chest (attack: 20+8=28; potential critical hit—2^nd roll: 16+8=24; hit—thus critical hit: 35 damage).

When Nanoc struck the hellish creature the second time, there was an explosion of fire and light and then the body of the beast seemed to collapse in on itself until it imploded into nothingness, screaming in pain and anger as it disappeared.

“Whooaaaaah!” exulted Syll. “The flowers are still standing! Wow, that was great! Boom—and he’s gone!”

“Shhh!” hissed Danton. “Fine work, Nanoc, but there is more to be done here. Someone go and collect Karzak while we examine this pillar of fire. Syll—this means you.”

“I believe this may be the very gate that we seek,” said Luger. “I can feel its presence desecrating this entire temple. If we can, we should shut it before additional devils arrive. Once again, we may have caught our enemies off guard by bringing the fight directly to them with such speed. We should use that advantage before it is lost.”

While Syll was dispatched outside to collect Karzak, Danton and Nanoc took up watch on each of the two sets of doors at either side of the great round cathedral. Luger and Aseneth approached as close to the column of fire as they could without being burned. Neither could draw any nearer than ten feet to the roaring flames.

“My power can doing nothing!” shouted Aseneth. “Only your god can closing this! You must using his power!”

“I fear I lack the strength,” muttered the cleric with a shake of his head, “but we shall see.”

Luger hefted his lightning bolt holy symbol, gripping it so tightly his hand ached, and called on Heironeous to close the portal (Turn Portal attempt: 5+0-3=2; failure). Luger strained and concentrated for a full minute, but the flames did not so much as flicker.

“Calming and trying again,” counseled Aseneth.

Luger willed himself to relax. He cleared his mind of everything save the column of fire in front of him and the need for it to return from whence it came (Turn Portal attempt: 15+0-3=12; failure). This time the flames did fade and weaken for several seconds, but the mental and physical effort this required of Luger caused him to collapse to the ground. When that happened, the fire burst back to full strength once again.

Before the cleric could get to his feet for a third try, the door at the eastern end of the cathedral burst open and out came two large, snarling black dogs, a hooded figure, and a two-foot tall red-skinned humanoid propelled through the air by small leathery wings.

“We got company!” yelled Nanoc when he spied the newcomers.

“They’re trying to protect the portal!” screamed Danton. “This is taking too long!”

[Initiative: Nanoc: 16, Danton: 17, Luger: 4, Karzak: 19, Aseneth: 12, Syll: 21 Enemies’ base initiative: 4 ]

While Luger got to his feet and Syll rushed back into the temple with a confused, but still shouting (and shimmering), Karzak at his side, Aseneth launched a ball of fire into the midst of the newcomers. The spell exploded with such force that it shook the entire building, but the hooded figure leapt away from the worst of the blast and the two black dogs seemed entirely immune to her pyrotechnics. The tiny figure might have been incinerated, for when the smoke cleared, there was no sign of it.

"Ye ain't ginna be shedding crocodile tears this day, plug-ugly!" yelled Karzak as he planted himself in front of one of the dogs and smashed his axe into it (attack: 19+9=28; hit; 12 damage). When his waraxe actually sank into the dog’s flesh and it yelped in pain, Karzak was almost surprised, so often had the weapon failed him in recent days.

“Finally! It’s ‘bout time somthin’ felt the sting of me axe!”

Trying to keep the animals away from Luger, Nanoc blocked the path of the second dog and slashed his own axe into it (attack: 8+13=21, 5+8=13; one hit; 14 damage). The blow was a devastating one, but not lethal. Danton, slipping up alongside Nanoc, tried to finish the animal, but his blade missed the mark (attack: 1+7=8; miss).

Protected by the other party members, Luger again concentrated all his efforts against the portal (Turn Portal attempt: 6+0-3=3; failure), but the gate to the lower planes again resisted his best efforts.

Blocked from reaching Luger, the two injured dogs bit at Karzak and Nanoc, striking the former (hit for 6 points), but missing the latter. Then, to the astonishment of the entire party, each of the animals breathed out a long cone of fire, the first one taking in Nanoc and Danton, and the second covering Karzak, Aseneth, and Luger (reflex saves: Nanoc: 19+6=21; success, Danton: 3+7=10; failure, Karzak: 14+2=16; success, Luger 15+5=20; success. Damage taken: Nanoc: 2, Danton: 5, Karzak: 2, Luger: 2).

“Damned dog!” screamed Danton, disemboweling the animal with his rapier even as the last of the magical fire washed over him (attack: 17+7=24; hit; 7 damage).

“Fer once, laddie,” said Karzak, as he cut the other dog in half with his axe (attack: 15+9=24; hit; 14 damage), “yer talkin’ sense. Normally I likes me a good domesticated animal as much as the next dwarf, but these ‘uns, well, they jus’ ain’t right.”

Although the hooded man who had been blasted by Aseneth’s fireball had managed to get to his feet and tried to respond with spells of his own, Syll had kept the man off balance by regular magic missile blasts from a wand he now held and fired from across the chamber. Aseneth had used this distraction to draw close to him and, as the others watched, she thrust her right hand into the man’s hood. When her hand made contact with his face, he screamed in agony for several moments and then collapsed to the ground.

“Is he alive?” asked Danton. “Perhaps he might be compelled to tell us how to close this portal. I know ways of loosening a man’s tongue that I hath learned in Veluna. Though I would normally be loathe to commit such acts, these circumstances would seem to warrant it.”

“I am sorry,” replied Aseneth, walking back towards Danton and the others. “He is dead.”

Shocked that the woman could kill with a mere touch, Danton could not help but notice (spot: 9+6=15) that while he had seen Aseneth caught full by one of the dogs’ fiery blasts and while the other party members were burned and smoldering from the same experience, Aseneth appeared entirely untouched.

As the fight ended, Luger gathered his strength for yet another attempt to shut down the portal (Turn Portal attempt: 15+0-3=12; failure), but although he again managed to weaken the flames for a few seconds, they again flickered back to full strength as soon as his efforts faltered.

“This looks…bad,” said Nanoc lamely as he watched Luger’s latest failure.

“I’m a little fuzzy on the whole good-bad thing,” said Syll. “Are we talking ‘bad’ like, ‘gee, I’m having a bad cleric day and it could take me a few more tries to do this’ or bad like, ‘this is impossible and we’re all toast’?”

“The latter, of course,” came a deep, sibilant voice from across the cathedral. As the party members looked across the chamber in alarm, they saw another group of people and creatures emerging from the door on the west side of the huge room. There was another of the large black dogs, followed by two more figures in black hooded cloaks, and a man and a woman, each of the last two wearing a red cloak with the hood thrown back. The man and woman were both tall and thin and each had striking features, white-blond hair, and piercing blue eyes.

“Luger has failed—just as he always has—the last member of a misbegotten family that will soon trouble the Brotherhood no more,” said the blond man, his voice carrying across the cathedral.

At these words, Luger’s eyes flared and he turned away from the pillar of fire to regard the newcomers.

“Who the heck is that?” asked Nanoc, looking at Danton, “and how does he know Luger?”

“Your little insurrection is at an end,” said the man. “More devils will pour through that portal than you could ever possibly destroy. You might as well throw yourselves into the flames now and spare yourselves further agony at our hands. Either way, this is the end for all of you.”

________________________________________________________________

Notes for turn 50:

Please send postings for Turn 50 by the end of Friday, April 6^th.

Danton and Nanoc have received enough XP for 7^th level and Karzak has earned enough for 4^th. Please make the level-up improvements and send me both the changes and new versions of their character sheets either with your postings or in advance.

Current date/time/location: 14 Srpanj; approximately 1200; Woodstock

Items gained this turn: none

Undivided Loot previously gained: none

Items used/lost/destroyed/sold this turn: two of Danton’s cure light wounds scrolls, Karzak’s potions of charisma and blur

FOES DEFEATED:

Active party members listed in green.

This Chapter:

Entire Campaign:

Current Status of the Party:

Note: known magic items listed in bold.

Nanoc

AC: 17

Hit points: 47/66

New XP: 1200

XP total: 22,981

XP needed: 21,000

Equipment: masterwork great axe, great axe +1, masterwork studded leather armor, 69 arrows, 2 quivers, backpack, waterskin, 24 days trail rations, bedroll, 2 sacks, 2 flint & steel, bearskin, tent, 50’ rope, 1 sap, masterwork mighty composite shortbow, masterwork shortsword, 6 iron triangles with inverted ‘Y’, three black cones made of some unknown substance, a black scepter decorated with a half dozen violet gems, a bead of force, metal scroll tube, a black cloak, two inverted ziggurat pendants; potion of bull’s strength, potion of cure light wounds(X2), potion of cure moderate wounds, potion of water breathing, potion of spider climbing, Aseneth’s House Torquann dragon ring, heavy riding horse and riding equipment, spare light riding horse and equipment, pack mule (mule carries: 3 tents, most of party’s rations and water, ‘peace offerings’ for gnomes), ring of jumping (+30 to jumping checks), potions of cat’s grace, cure moderate wounds, invisibility, silver brooch

Gold: 1960

Silver: 1420

Danton

AC: 16 (17 vs. one opponent)

Hit points: 20/26

New XP: 1200

XP total: 21,031

XP needed: 21,000

Equipment: rapier, 6 daggers, light crossbow, studded leather armor, quiver with 33 bolts, bedroll, backpack, flint & steel, thieves picks, waterskin, 24 days trail rations, hooded lantern, gold ring engraved with the name Karakas, 1 sap, 1 metal key from Yusdrayl, Everburning Torch, scrolls with pyrotechnics and melf’s acid arrow, old journal, 8 iron triangles with upside down ‘Y’ inside, 1 protection from fire scroll, 1 scroll of cure light wounds, 2 scrolls of cure moderate wounds, new journal, notebook, pen, ink, parchment in sealed waterproof box, pipe, tobacco, metal box, whetstone, six packets of tinder for lighting fires, gold inlaid dagger, Journal of Geynor Ton, a folded piece of parchment with a note addressed to someone named Festrath, spider pendant, a wand, tattered black cloak with burning eye emblazoned on it, disguise kit, letter to Master Dunrat, ochre-colored robe, potion of cure light wounds (X2), cure moderate wounds (X2), scrolls of animal messenger and stone shape, potion of love, light riding horse and equipment, potion of spider climb, a dozen vials of lantern oil, masterwork thieves’ tools, scroll with summon monster II, potion of cat’s grace, Rat’s Tail (Rapier +1), scroll with change self, enlarge, and two sleep spells, silver brooch, bracers of armor +1

Gold: 1667

Silver: 1200

Luger

AC: 20

Hit Points: 45/53

New XP: 1200

XP total: 16,481

XP needed: 21,000

Equipment: longsword, heavy mace, light x-bow, dagger, 20 bolts, chainmail +1, large steel shield, 3 belt pouches, large bag, 50’ rope, 5 torches, hooded lantern, 3 oil flasks, flint & steel, 24 days rations, silver holy symbol of Heironeus, 3 flasks holy water, 3 healer’s kits, backpack, cleric’s vestment, traveler’s clothing, waterskin, bedroll, iron triangle with upside down ‘Y’ inside, eight cockatrice feathers, scrolls of cure light wounds (2), cure disease, neutralize poison, potion of cure moderate wounds; Geistblatt (ghost touch longsword +1), light riding horse and equipment, 5 vials of Furyondian Fire, cloak of resistance +1 (+1 to all saves), potions of enlarge, reduce, nondetection, silver brooch

Spell Selection:

Level 0(5):
Level 1(5+1): Domain: Protection from Evil

Level 2 (4+1): Domain: Aid

Level 3 (3+1): Domain: Magic Circle Against Evil

Level 4: (2+1): Domain:

Turn Undead attempts left on current day: 3 of 7

Gold: 297

Silver: 1200

Karzak

AC: 19

Hit Points: 30/38

New XP: 1200

XP total: 6,150

XP needed: 6,000

Equipment: backpack, water skin, 7 days rations, aleskin, flint & steel, heavy crossbow, 4 cases with 40 bolts, 2 daggers, masterwork dwarven waraxe, large steel shield, banded mail, short sword, silver brooch, bedroll, sack, Nanoc’s silver-plated short sword

Gold: 620

Silver: 1200