Spectrum's Comments: Upon reaching Gateway, the Seekers found the city under siege. They attacked the base camp of the army and then left when things got too hot. Using Zynara's Rod, they traveled to a pocket paradise to rest and recover. However, once back in the real world they found the Hextorites waiting for them...
The Frontier #62
Upon returning to the meeting spot in the forest, the remaining Seekers discover that the army has laid a trap for them. They find themselves surrounded by a squad of goblins backed by hill giants. The High Priest and a powerful warrior standby.
Words are exchanged and then the attack begins!
Claudius works his magic first, tagging the cleric with a Magic Missile.
Zynara casts Sleep upon the nearest goblins, causing 6 of them to fall to the ground.
Unexpectedly, the Seekers receive aid from above the trees! Finrod has returned. He also casts Sleep on the goblins between Validar, Stephanie and the enemy leaders. Five of the goblins drop.
Urging their mounts on, Validar and Stephanie ride over the goblins to reach the enemy leaders.
While that is going on, the goblins move in on the rest of the group.
Arocken, longsword and dagger flashing, disappears into a group of goblins. He quickly reappears as goblin after goblin hits the ground, lifeless.
The goblins make their presence felt, driving their spears into the Seekers. Bernice fights back, slaying one goblin. Blod looses grasp of his huge sword, sending it flying into a goblin, impaling the creature.
Validar reaches the cleric, wounding him with his blade. Stephanie fairs better, striking twice, but is hit back in return.
Claudius ignores the chaos around him, looking for the most advantageous path to let loose with a Lightning Bolt. There! For a split second, three of the giants stand in a line. Activating the wand, he hits the three giants. The bolt passes through five goblins en route, dropping them.
Zynara produces her own wand, points it at the stunned giants and activates it. The wand begins to vibrate, but produces no other visible effect. In rapid succession the wand points to the giants and all the goblins before Zynara. The wand doesn't appear to do anything to the enemy.
Suddenly, a large group of goblins and one giant are covered in Webs, courteously of Finrod.
Regaining his sword, Blod rushes the giants. Two swift strokes down two of the huge creatures. The remaining giant slaps Blod with the back of his hand, sending him flying.
A pair of goblins rush Claudius, but are intercepted by Bernice. The fierce halfling slays one of the goblins.
Elsewhere, Validar connects again, ruining the priests spell casting. Enraged, the priest whacks Validar with his battleaxe.
Stephanie and the warrior continue to slug it out, both sides taking heavy damage.
Arocken continues to slay goblins in rapid succession. Three more hit the ground.
With 75% of the goblins incapacitated in one way or the other, those still on their feet flee. A growl from Bernice sends the last one running!
Finrod, now down on ground level, ignites the Web with Burning Hands. The giant breaks free of the burning web, but runs smack in Blod. Once more Blod downs the creature.
Zynara hits the last giant with an Acid Arrow, killing it.
Seeing the goblins flee and the giants go down, your attention is drawn to the enemy leaders.
Claudius lets loose another Lightning Bolt, blasting the cleric and just narrowly missing Validar.
Arocken fires a pair of arrows at the unsuspecting warrior, further wounding him.
Validar draws blood two more times, but still the cleric stands. Again he answers with his battleaxe.
Finrod joins Stephanie in her battle against the warrior. She lands two powerful hits. A sword thrust from Finrod settles the issue.
Now all alone, the cleric dies, again, quickly.
GM Notes:
Now that wasn't too bad, was it? ;)
Party Status:
| Name | Hit Points |
|---|---|
| Arocken | 25 of 38 |
| Bernice | 25 of 34 |
| Blod | 13 of 31 |
| Claudius | 10 of 12 |
| Finrod | 23 of 28 |
| Stephanie | 10 of 55 |
| Validar | 17 of 53 |
| Zynara | 12 of 14 |
The cleric wore full plate armor dedicated to Hextor, carried a battleaxe and wears a ring.
The warrior had plate mail, a shield, a longsword and a ring.
Spectrum's Comments: As you might have guess, Blod put on Cursed Gauntlets of Fumbling. Zynara's Wand was a Wand of Enemy Detection.
SUBJ: Arocken FROM: Wildchilde 10/18/90 S#: 49871
"Well fought seekers!!! Those with the gift of healing attend to the most wounded first. Well now what, do we stay or should we go back to the land the rod creates and attempt to come up with a better plan??"
::I will eye the warriors long sword attempting to determine if it could be magical in nature::
SUBJ: Finishing up (R) FROM: Zynara 10/19/90 S#: 56264
As the fight comes to an end, I take one of the sharp weapons from a downed goblin and finish the sleeping ones I put down. Once that is done, I go and hunt up Blod.
Seeing how badly he is injured, I rush over and start fretting over him, "Lay down and rest. You shouldn't be moving around, all it will do is aggravate the injuries." And anything else you can think a worried woman would come up with at this time. :D
Later....
"I wonder what this wand did to the giants and goblins? All it did is vibrate. Did any of you notice anything during the fray? Any of you have any idea on how we can go about testing the wand?"
SUBJ: VALIDAR (R) FROM: Panther13 10/19/90 S#: 410007
Validar is noticeably pleased when the last of the enemy falls. He keeps his sword and shield at the ready for a few moments, scanning the area, searching for any last indications of enemies in the area. Satisfied that the battlefield has been cleared, he turns his attention back to his companions.
"Well fought, my friends. That was easier than I had hoped."
Upon seeing Finrod rejoining us, Validar will approach with an outstretched hand.
"Welcome back, Finrod. We were worried about your disappearance. It appears that our concern was unfounded,... as I had hoped." This last bit was more directed at Bernice and the others than Finrod himself. "You have returned in time to assist in the attack on the goblin encampment. I trust you are ready for more battle."
If anyone seems skeptical that I am still thinking of continuing the attack, as I suspect there will be, Validar will address the Seekers again.
"We cannot afford the time it takes to return to our little world within worlds when it is an important time in the battle. The Hextorites are certainly without their leaders now." He motions to the deceased bodies on the ground. "If we allow them to recover, we are back to square one. We must press while the advantage is ours. We will continue with the present plan of attack: The scouts will determine the current situation in the enemy camps and find us a route to travel to the goblin camp. Then we will attack with the goal of routing the humanoid scum. We will do our scouting as quickly as possible and attack in the morning. That will give us the advantage against the goblins and also allow our spellcasters the opportunity to regain some spells."
"Zynara, you take the Wand of Fear. This way we can bring both offensive wands to bear on the enemy."
"Now that the leader of these forces is disposed of, our job should be that much easier."
Now speaking of the dead cleric, Validar turns his attention to his foe.
SUBJ: VALIDAR (R) FROM: Panther13 10/19/90 S#: 394265
Validar becomes lost in thought as he approaches the body of his fallen foe. He kneels near the body, knocking the battleaxe away. He studies the body for a few long moments, then in a swift motion slams his enchanted weapon down on the cleric's arm, severing it in mid-forearm.
Validar then grabs the detached limb and walks toward the mages, ignoring any looks of surprise, disgust, etc.
"I want one of you to determine if this ring is magical in nature. This man seemed to take far to long to down in battle, compared to the last battle. Even given the fiery explosion they were caught in, it took but one blow to fell him. This time,...."
"I remember a tale of enchanted items which give a man the same powers as a troll. Given the evidence in the battle here and the fact he is alive, when all of the Hextorite leaders were slain, points to some outside influence here. If there were any other clerics capable of resurrecting this man, they would have been with the leaders. Therefore, this man was brought back to life some other way. I believe it might be this ring, which is responsible."
Validar will then inspect all the other bodies for anything similar. Especially the ring on the dead fighter's hand. He will remove this bauble in much the same way, for later detection purposes.
"While we are at it, we might as well examine the fighter's weapons of war as well. We can use all the help we can get."
Validar will start a fire and light the bodies of both the cleric and fighter before we depart. If I am wrong about their return from the dead, then this should take care of them for good.
SUBJ: Blod (R) FROM: Blod 10/20/90 S#: 56864
When the battle is over, Blod will try to remove his gauntlets to wipe off sweat, pouring into his eyes. He will then try to find Zynara to make sure she is well. "O Zynny! You hurt too! You sit down here and rest. Me be ok. It is just a scratch."
"Oooo! Ooooo! Me have an idea!! Maybe if me put on the fighters armor, the goblins might think Me be him, when we attack them. They might think they was double crossed and decide to attack other army. Besides, me wanna clang like Sir Clang. :D"
SUBJ: FINROD (R) FROM: SGT STONEY 10/20/90 S#: 491881
Once the enemy has been slain or routed from the field, Fin joyously greets Stephanie. "Steph! I'm so glad that you survived the clash in the camp! I had hoped you were one of the survivors!"
If she allows, he will clasp her tight in a warm, rough hug.
He turns to the rest of the group. "Validar, I see you have led the fragment that escaped with you well! I am glad you were with them. I have much to tell you, and we need to counsel on our next move."
"Blod, most well-fought, I must say! I was greatly impressed with how you fared against the Giants! Of course, one must wonder how much the lightning wand of our young Claudius contributed! Well done, all of you!"
Fin's usually radiant face falls, though, as if a cloud has passed in front of the sun. "Alas, I have sad tidings of two of our number who did not survive the clash at the tents..." Finrod quickly fills in the party on the deaths that he witnessed from hiding within the camp.
"And here I reach the important news of which I spoke, Validar. I am afraid that our worst fears are realized with regard to that foul new potion that the enemy has concocted. I discovered hundreds of vials of it, in chests in the camp. Unfortunately, I was prevented from destroying them, but I know where they are being stored, and I do not think that I left any sign that I had been there to alert them to guard it heavily. While ordinarily I would counsel against hitting the same camp again so soon, in this case I feel we must make the destruction of those vials our prime objective in this attack."
"If you agree, then I would further counsel that we hit them at dawn, since our last attack was made at dusk, I think they will expect us to hit in darkness again, and perhaps they will be relaxing their vigil with the coming of light. Our prime objective, rather than producing casualties, should be to destroy those vials."
"As far as the Items possessed by the cleric and fighter, I need time and security to analyze and detect on those type items and determine their use. I would be happy to Identify and research them, but I think it should wait until next we enter the pocket dimension. In the meantime, there is nothing to prevent our using the weapons and wearing the rings, in case their nature is automatic and needs no knowledge or command words to invoke. I would counsel against using the consecrated armor, though, until such time as I can further ID it."
"Since I have had no proper sword since my own magic longsword was destroyed in that lightning-bolt some time back, and I have received no Items since early in our trek, I would like to lay tentative claim to the fighter's sword, but if you
SUBJ: Finrod Continued FROM: SGT STONEY 10/20/90 S#: 501601
...But if you wish it to go to another, I can accept that. I do feel a decided lack of Items, though. Certainly any final decision on who gets what should wait until I have Identified everything, but we could still use the stuff temporarily."
"On the subject of items: Zynara, from what you describe of the functioning of that wand, I would conjecture that it is one which reveals the presence of enemies. I have heard of such. Again, once we are in a safe place, I can attempt to further ID it as well, if you wish."
--Verbose Finrod
OBTW: Perhaps we should hold a memorial service for our slain comrades?
Also: Perhaps it would be a good idea to thoroughly mutilate the bodies of the Giants, Cleric, and Fighter in case they were brought back by RAISE DEAD, so that they cannot again be brought back that way.
-Fin
SUBJ: Stephanie
When Fin rushes towards me, I take him in my arms, lift him into the air and give him a bear of a hug!
"I-- I mean we are all pleased to have you back, Fin!"
Tired and bloodied, Steph finally releases Fin and sits down to rest. She listens to the others talk.
"Oh, no! More of that evil water! If that is true, then the spellcasters must be like the cleric in the ruins! Someone should take that stuff and give it to the Hextor Priests!"
While the others make plans, I'll bind my wounds.
SUBJ: VALIDAR FROM: Panther13 10/20/90 S#: 410855
"I agree, Finrod, that the vials of foul liquid must be destroyed, but I think that can be accomplished without having to change our attack plans. If that carpet which radiates magic is indeed capable of flight, then while our attack is commencing, you and Claudius can fly over the camp and blast the storage area with a lightning bolt or two. Then you two can join in on the attack on the goblins. This will solve both our goals in one move."
Note to Finrod: I already toasted the cleric and fighter, but if you want to do anything with the slain giant's bodies, be my guest....
"As far as the items we have captured are concerned: I see no reason why Finrod and Blod cannot have the items they wish to acquire. They are yours. I am going to claim one of the rings as my own, while the other will go to Arocken, unless he chooses to decline."
"Everyone gather yourselves and your mounts. I think it would be safer if we were to remove ourselves to another place. There may well be Hextorite activity in this area again soon."
SUBJ: Claudius (R) FROM: GM Falcon 10/22/90 S#: 458977
Claudius sighs, and leans against a tree as he watches his comrades make sure the cleric, fighter, (and giants?) stay dead. He doesn't even react, still a bit numb by the level of brutality his own side is capable of, let alone the baddies.
When Validar mentions flying over the storage shed, Claudius takes interest, knowing a little of the potions' effect from his "stay" at the ruins.
"I agree.", he nods; 'sheathing' both wands in whatever spot seems convenient. "Those potions must be destroyed, or they won't even have to worry about seizing the city." He shudders then. "My god, what if they could get that into the river and/or city wells..."
His eyes grow bleak, and he draws the lightning wand. "Ready, Finrod? I don't think we should wait."
SUBJ: Arocken FROM: Wildchilde 10/23/90 S#: 62839
Taking the ring offered from Validar. "Validar, an interesting point was raised. We could use these Items that we acquired and they could be quite useful to us, but the danger in using such items is great when we know not what they are. I suggest that a small band of us maybe 2 or 3 stay outside the pocket dimension while the other retire to it and heal and Identify the items in question. That way we can hit and run until we are ready for a full-scale attack. With my knowledge of the woodlands I would be willing to stay out side.!"
SUBJ: VALIDAR FROM: Panther13 10/23/90 S#: 468020
"There is no time to bother with trivialities, such as being fully healed or concerns of morality. We are at war here, my comrades. There is not one member of the enemy that would hesitate to strike us down and we must respond in kind."
"This is not a question of good versus evil or the morals of civilization versus barbarism. In a war, there are no longer any rules. And if we are to win this battle, we cannot sit idly by and let the enemy re-strengthen itself when we have a chance to turn the tide of this conflict. And this is also not the time to be concerned the 'niceness' of our actions."
"We must balance two factors in this conflict and no more. Kill or be killed. Ensure Gateway's survival. I see one way to accomplish this and that is to carry the attack to the enemy as soon as possible. Unfortunately, tomorrow morning is the earliest we can sensibly do that, but I shall wait no longer."
"You are all always welcome to do as you please. The Seekers is no tyranny, but I am knowledgeable in the art of war, and feel that I am correct. And whether or not any of you come with me, *I* am going to slay as many of those damn goblins as my arm is capable!"
Validar will then finish his preparations to ride out and mount his warhorse.
SUBJ: FINROD FROM: SGT STONEY 10/24/90 S#: 472964
For once, Finrod The Mercenary is in complete agreement with Validar The Nobleman.
"We must depart this immediate area immediately, leave as little trail as possible, and find a secure position for the night."
"We must spend the first half of the night scouting the enemy. (Ready for that, friend scouts?) We cannot attack without timely and accurate intelligence."
"We must strike now, not wait beyond dawn, so the only time to spare is the second half of this night, for the spellcasters to sleep and rememorize spells. There is no time for healing, Identification of magic items, or waiting to see what the enemy will do."
"We must destroy the vials of evil liquid."
"We must do as much damage to the goblin host as we can to demoralize them and make them unreliable allies of the Hextorites."
"Therefore let us be off!"
Finrod heaves a sigh at the loss of his trusty steed, but hefts his pack and sets off briskly along a route that will offer the best travel speed with the least chance of being tracked.
The Frontier #63
The ambushers have been dealt with and Finrod has returned to the Seekers.
A few items are 'borrowed' from the dead cleric and warrior and their bodies are burned to prevent resurrection. The giants follow onto the pyre.
Rounding the mounts up, the group moves to a new hiding place.
You ride southeast through the forest and locate a safe spot not to long afterwards.
Your current hiding place is south of the army, roughly between the army camp and the goblins. Either place is an equal distance away.
Two hours after the ambush, Arocken is amazed to find his wounds completely healed!
Likewise, Validar's wounds are gone in six hours.
Blod manages to don the new armor without being able to remove his gauntlets. He seems to be unable to hold on to items! ;)
Finrod inspects his new longsword, but finds it to featureless. However, when he is near to the giant bodies, the blade glows a soft blue.
Fin also learns of the second Chest of Security and the captured spellbook.
Much activity is viewed in the enemy camp. Those goblins that escaped the ambush run into camp reporting what happened.
A squad of men and several priests ride off into the forest in the direction of the old camp.
A few hours after that, a large group of goblins approach the priests' camp. Angry words are exchanged and both parties then retire to their camps.
Night begins to approach and many guards are seen.
GM Notes:
That takes us up to nightfall.
Let me know if there is any one particular area of the enemy you wish to keep an eye on.
Yes, Arocken, Validar, you have Rings of Regeneration!
Spellcasters, include your new spell lists.
Party Status:
| Name | Hit Points |
|---|---|
| Bernice | 25 of 34 |
| Blod | 13 of 31 |
| Claudius | 10 of 12 |
| Finrod | 23 of 28 |
| Stephanie | 10 of 55 |
| Zynara | 12 of 14 |
SUBJ: Claudius: (R) FROM: GM Falcon 10/27/90 S#: 498122
"I don't like this...", is all the mage says. "We should attack now. Maybe the timing is bad, but it'll be a lot worse if that junk gets into the food or drinking water." He paces around the camp, probably distracting everyone in sight.
"I don't like this..", he repeats quietly.
Memorized spells: Color Spray, Magic Missile (2)
SUBJ: FINROD (R) FROM: SGT STONEY 10/27/90 S#: 427651
In the midst of the gleeful reunion with Steph:
"Steph, you are deeply wounded! Is there nothing that you Clerics can do for her? Surely she cannot go into combat like this?"
Later, in the camp, as the goings-on in the enemy camps are being observed: "Bernice, I have finally gained a weapon that best suits me, in the form of this Longsword. This and the longbow are the traditional weapons of my people, and I can wield them better than any other weapon. In fact, if only I could get a Longbow to replace the one I lost in the lightning-bolt with my longsword, I would be complete. Alas, we have found naught but shortbows since then... But I wander in my speech... This magic shortsword has served me well in the past few weeks. I would be honored if you would accept it as a gift from me, in honor of your brave conduct since you joined our band."
He offers her the blade hilt-first.
"Validar, I think that the increased guard-forces around the camp preclude any CLOSE investigation by us thei...er...SCOUTS. I think that the best to be done is to creep a little closer under cover of the dark and get an Idea of the layout of the camps. I am sure that the main camp no longer looks just as it did when we attacked it before-after all, there are some tents missing if nothing else." :)
"I feel that you should send two scouts in to get a better look at the Goblin camp, then return with a report so you can make a plan of attack. In the meantime, Claudius and I will rest up, and memorize spells. We should be done by midnight or so. About that time your own scouts should return, and you can get their report, then let them sleep while you formulate a plan of attack against the goblin camp. You can then move in and attack at dawn."
"Meanwhile, Claudius and I will have left at Midnight to try to sneak SLOWLY and CAREFULLY into the leaders' camp, where we will attempt deliberate and effective destruction of the vials. If all goes well, we will then wait to hear and see your group begin your dawn attack. We will hurl a little spell-confusion in the Leader-camp, then hop the carpet to join you as fast as it will fly, whereupon we will aid in the slaughter and the escape. "However, if all does not go well, and we cannot get within the tent to destroy the Vials, then we will hop the carpet, make a flyby and hit the vial-tent with lightning and hope for the best result, then get outta there with the carpet."
"In this way, we MAY be able to assure success with the poison, or we MAY only be able to use the less-reliable method, but either way, we do something, and also create some slight diversion while Y'all slaughter some Goblins. Whadda ya think?"
SUBJ: Fin's spells FROM: SGT STONEY 10/27/90 S#: 427692
Memorizing:
Color spray, Sleep, Burning hands,
Web, Flaming Sphere
SUBJ: Stephanie FROM: Schar 10/28/90 S#: 411219
After listening to Validar speak, Steph is unsure what to do. But, seeing Finrod side with Val that must be the right thing to do then.
"If Fin thinks it's okay, then I guess I'll go along with you. Plans and tactics were never my strong point. I've never been in a war before, so forgive me for not knowing how to act. What shall we do know, Val?"
If we should attack the goblins I'll attack to the best of my ability.
"You're right Fin, I do feel kinda hurt. Sure bloodied my clothes. But without Cereld or Dar around, I'm kinda stuck. Unless someone would care to lend their healing ring?"
::Hopeful smile::
SUBJ: FINROD (R) FROM: SGT STONEY 10/28/90 S#: 431331
"No Clerics?" Mutters Fin. "No Clerics? Well, I must make a note to steal one as soon as possible. I cannot have my poor Steph walking about injured!"
At least, that is what it SOUNDS like he muttered under his breath...Hard to be sure. :)
SUBJ: Arocken FROM: Wildchilde 10/28/90 S#: 436324
Removing ring and flipping it through the air to steph. "It has healed me let it do the same for you. You can give it back when gateway is free!!" :)
SUBJ: Stephanie FROM: Schar 10/29/90 S#: 809969
Steph catches the ring and gives Arocken a big hug. [[]]
"Thank you. Thank you very much!"
I'll put the ring on. Once I am fully recovered I will be sure to return to its proper owner.
SUBJ: Studying Mage FROM: Zynara 10/30/90 S#: 455738
Zynara will sit back and rest and study until orders or given. She will study: Mount, Chill Touch, Sleep (*2), and Melf's Acid Arrow (*3).
She will also spend some time looking at the gauntlets Blod has on. I will be trying to figure out what type of magic is involved so I can figure out what type of magic it would take to remove the mitts. If nothing becomes of this action, at least I will be close to Blod. :)