Author Topic: Part II: Rock, Hard Place, and You (a love triangle)  (Read 26930 times)

Offline sirpercival

  • Honorary Mod
  • *****
  • Posts: 10855
  • you can't escape the miles
    • View Profile
Part II: Rock, Hard Place, and You (a love triangle)
« on: April 05, 2012, 08:47:00 AM »
It's been 3 days since the final plans were put in place — three days of frantic and frenetic activity.  With no idea of when the enemies would be arriving, everyone rushed to implement their part of the preparations.  An enormous amount of magic has been laid down over the entire complex: the walls, floors, and ceilings are coated with glyphs and runes, magical alarms fill the area, and invisible fog permeates the tunnels.

Through Arkesh's eyes you saw Thrash spend more than an hour on the rocky floor of the Warrens, scribing 6 huge, incredibly detailed and intricate glyphs with colored chalks.  Then he concentrated briefly and the glyphs started to move, crawling across the floor at surprising speed like circular arcane inchworms.  Once the glyphs were mobile, Thrash reached into his pouch and produced a half dozen Marauders, which he spoke to in a harsh and grating language.  The crawling glyphs began herding the Marauders toward the walls, where they chewed through the dense rock with astonishing speed, leaving a cloud of dust and debris behind.  Once the tunnels were complete, Thrash wrangled the Marauders directly onto the glyphs, were they froze in place and vanished from sight.  Seemingly satisfied, Thrash waved his hands and the glyphs faded from view as well.



Midway through the three days, Lermo Stooth snuck away topside to poke around and came back with information.  He reports that the captain of the Drow ship insists that the Illithids invited them, but can't produce the invitation, claiming the documents (written in Illithid linescript) were stolen from her heavily locked and warded office; on the other hand, the Illithids definitely had no knowledge of the whole thing.  Arkesh grunts, and concludes that there's at least one more player in the game, one who would benefit from even worse relations between the Drow and Illithids.  The two races are already bitter enemies in Underdarks all over the multiverse, and worsening of already strained relations could lead to all-out war and chaos. 

While Arkesh mulls this over, sharing her thoughts on the telepathic link, she glares menacingly at Thrash behind his back.  Her hand twitches toward her sword, but she manages to restrain herself.

Stooth also reports that word has come in from contacts in Sigil, the inter-Planar nexus City of Doors, where Stooth has a number of useful contacts.  He reports that Dr. Feather, the leader of the opposition, is a junior partner of the MetroMagic Company, a pan-planar collection of specialists and merchants who deem themselves "purveyors of rarities"; in addition, only razorvine grows naturally in Sigil, and MetroMagic is the primary suppliers of food and drink to the city. 

Stooth has made a point of monitoring MetroMagic sites all over the planes, including in Sigil and at the Great Atlantean University in the Astral Plane (where Dr. Feather is in the Department of High-Energy Magic, and one of MetroMagic's senior partners is a professor of Chronomancy in the Department of Possibility Magic), especially since MetroMagic uses its economic power to sponsor the MetroMagic Scrying Team for most of the graduate students in the Department of Divination at the University and Library to do cross-Planar research in MetroMagic's interests.  Stooth reports that in addition to their huge warehouse on Sigil and wild rumors of a world-size main warehouse somewhere, they have a presence and warehouse on Bral as well, fronted by The Trading Company (a well-known local band of mercenaries).

Apparently there was quite a commotion on the broad brick plaza in front of the MetroMagic office in Sigil — a herd of two dozen huge white warhorses, covered with ice and snow and steaming in the warmth, trotted of their own free will through the Ice Gate and were herded by a group of halflings into the warehouse. No one's quite sure what it means, but combined with an increase in the traffic at the MetroMagic offices, including a Hand of Dumathoin (one of the Deity's handpicked agents) who went in earlier and has not come out, Stooth thinks it must be related. He reminds you that Bral used to be a Dwarven Forge (one of the dwarves' spelljamming ships) dedicated to that God of Secrets.

Interestingly, the buzz around the University is that the MetroMagic Scrying Team has been given the challenge to catalog ways to break into The Trading Company's warehouse complex on Bral, with funding for personal visits on-site if necessary. Arkesh and Stooth exchange very satisfied glances on Stooth's report of that news.

(click to show/hide)

(click to show/hide)



Meanwhile, Arkesh has given you a crash course in combat coordination using the telepathic link.  You've practiced receiving and sending information between the party members — auditory and visual input, comments and notes, and coordinating maneuvers.  Now you move like a well-oiled machine, trained to respond to each others' senses and thoughts automatically: a single giant, deadly organism.

Finally, spells have been cast, weapons and armor have been oiled and polished, and now... you wait.

Arkesh had food brought in from somewhere, and you've taken a brief rest to eat and sleep, mentally prepare yourself for what is sure to be a grueling (and possibly fatal) experience.  The air is thick with tension and readiness, as if the whole asteroid is holding its breath.

Suddenly, you can feel the change in the air — it's something subtle and undefinable, but as everyone looks up and exchanges glances with each other, the unspoken words hang in the middle of the conference room: it's begun.



A moment later, alarms begin to trigger over and over, one after the other, tracing the path of the river.  At Stooth's suggestion, Bracken and the Margravine placed alarms in the body of the river itself, to warn against aquatic attack.  Now, hundreds of creatures are entering from the north and traveling down the river at a good clip.  Your heart skips a beat, and then you spring to action.

What do you do?

((To all: feel free to respond to Stooth's information, the prep, etc. in spoilers below.  I want to move on with the next part, but the background stuff is very important too ;)))
I am the assassin of productivity

(member in good standing of the troll-feeders guild)

It's begun — my things have overgrown the previous sig.

Offline phaedrusxy

  • DnD Handbook Writer
  • ****
  • Posts: 10708
  • The iconic spambot
    • View Profile
Re: Part II: Rock, Hard Place, and You (a love triangle)
« Reply #1 on: April 05, 2012, 02:12:17 PM »
Recalling all the different places he'd heard the name Star Feather now, Gabriel thinks to himself "Artist, planar cartographer, land lord, renowned mage, and merchant? Is there anything this elf doesn't do?"

Then... the alarms start going off, and he has more immediate things to worry about.

A wicked grin and a look of glee appear on the troll's face as the alarms begin to go off, and he says "It's about time! Let's go to the market area (7 on the map). We can head them off, and I'd like to do some recon..."

He looks to his team mates to make sure they have no objections, and assuming he sees none, he activates their Evacuation Rune to transport them.

(click to show/hide)
« Last Edit: April 06, 2012, 10:32:55 PM by phaedrusxy »
I don't pee messages into the snow often , but when I do , it's in Cyrillic with Fake Viagra.  Stay frosty my friends.

Offline sirpercival

  • Honorary Mod
  • *****
  • Posts: 10855
  • you can't escape the miles
    • View Profile
Re: Part II: Rock, Hard Place, and You (a love triangle)
« Reply #2 on: April 07, 2012, 12:45:55 PM »
Arkesh curses and says, "Hold a moment."

Then she pulls out three scrolls and reads them in quick succession, holding onto a rod which she then stows.

((That's Chained GMW at CL 20 for everyone's weapons [so a +5], and Chained Reach Greater Invisibility and Chained Reach Nondetection also at CL 20.))
I am the assassin of productivity

(member in good standing of the troll-feeders guild)

It's begun — my things have overgrown the previous sig.

Offline Harald

  • Hero Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 595
  • wielding a 30 Tons Tank as an improvised flail.
    • View Profile
Re: Part II: Rock, Hard Place, and You (a love triangle)
« Reply #3 on: April 07, 2012, 01:49:22 PM »
"Thanks." the Margraverin thought back to Arkesh. This invisibility spell was not of use on her, but should the ennemies try to dispel it on her, they are in for a nasty and deadly surprise.
"Oh, I almost forgot. Something to help us being not tracked. No one will leave a trace with that, nor a sent. She you loose this blessing, do not worry, I can channel it at will.With that, she waved her hands, concentrating on the magic flowing in her blood, and blessed the small troop of the ability of leaving no trace.
(click to show/hide)
"Master Stooth, Sir Bracken, let's hunt some elves and their lackeys. I suggest as well position n°7, unless you have better ideas.
She armed her rifle, ready to unleash hails of bullets.
« Last Edit: April 07, 2012, 02:02:12 PM by Harald »
"-Lady-Captain, we detect 20 hostile vessels against us,  and Erasmus Haarlock's Spear of Destiny ! What are your orders ?
-RAMMING SPEED !

final result : 6 slaughts vessels, 4 imperial frigates, 2 imperial cruisers destroyed. Haarlock sent into the warp. 0 losses. Flawless Victory.

Offline DonQuixote

  • Epic Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 2946
  • What is sickness to the body of a knight errant?
    • View Profile
    • The Spellshaping Codices (Homebrew Board)
Re: Part II: Rock, Hard Place, and You (a love triangle)
« Reply #4 on: April 08, 2012, 03:17:24 PM »
Hoh-hoh!  And so the fun begins!

With a courteous bow towards all present, I crack my knuckles.

"Well, friends, shall we hunt some interlopers?  My girls and I are just itching for something to occupy ourselves with."
“Hast thou not felt in forest gloom, as gloaming falls on dark-some dells, when comes a whisper, hum and hiss; savage growling sounds a-near, dazzling flashes around thee flicker, whirring waxes and fills thine ears: has thou not felt then grisly horrors that grip thee and hold thee?”

Offline sirpercival

  • Honorary Mod
  • *****
  • Posts: 10855
  • you can't escape the miles
    • View Profile
Re: Part II: Rock, Hard Place, and You (a love triangle)
« Reply #5 on: April 10, 2012, 10:23:45 AM »
As you've prepared to move, the alarms in the river have continued to trigger (how many of them ARE there?).  Suddenly, more alarms trigger all around the complex.

((Spoilered here is a map showing the locations of the 9 new triggers as yellow stars.  The river stuff is all confined to the river.  Each of the other locations were triggered 6 times.  If you can't find all 9, let me know.))

(click to show/hide)

Arkesh jumps.  "Alright, let's move!  Thrash and I are going to the Warrens, there are 3 sets of enemies there.  I leave you all to your expertise."

She grabs the surprised orc by the arm and the two disappear.

((EDIT: We're not in initiative yet, things are too complicated, so just go ahead and post what you want to do.))
« Last Edit: April 10, 2012, 10:51:55 AM by sirpercival »
I am the assassin of productivity

(member in good standing of the troll-feeders guild)

It's begun — my things have overgrown the previous sig.

Offline sirpercival

  • Honorary Mod
  • *****
  • Posts: 10855
  • you can't escape the miles
    • View Profile
Re: Part II: Rock, Hard Place, and You (a love triangle)
« Reply #6 on: April 10, 2012, 01:48:01 PM »
No one senses anything with their various and sundry abilities, except Gabriel.

(click to show/hide)
I am the assassin of productivity

(member in good standing of the troll-feeders guild)

It's begun — my things have overgrown the previous sig.

Offline Tshern

  • The Clown Prince of Crime
  • DnD Handbook Writer
  • ****
  • Posts: 1245
    • View Profile
Re: Part II: Rock, Hard Place, and You (a love triangle)
« Reply #7 on: April 10, 2012, 08:08:05 PM »
With all the moving and yelling going about the area, Bane leaves his meditations, slowly standing up. After hours of meditating upon the possible attack, Bane still darted up with his keen senses fully operational turning to Gabriel, mentioning the Force for the first time "Shall we? If there are any more arcane trickery you can help me with? For you I can promise that my abilities on the battlefield will help you avoid our enemies and survive their attacks, for such is the power of the Force."

Pian unohtuu aika ja tila
Ja nahkapeitto ja syyllisyys
Ja rauenneilla kasvoilla
Viipyy muiston pysyvyys

Offline phaedrusxy

  • DnD Handbook Writer
  • ****
  • Posts: 10708
  • The iconic spambot
    • View Profile
Re: Part II: Rock, Hard Place, and You (a love triangle)
« Reply #8 on: April 10, 2012, 09:31:06 PM »
Taken aback by the close proximity of the enemies, Gleron/Gabriel only takes the time required to nod in acknowledgment to Darth Bane's apparent camaraderie. As he does so, he tensely relays mentally to the group <There are 6 enemies on the other side of that wall> he points. <Their minds are shielded, so they must be well defended magically. Their souls are detectable, though... One is odd, somehow both living and dead, but the others are alive.>
« Last Edit: April 12, 2012, 09:43:43 PM by phaedrusxy »
I don't pee messages into the snow often , but when I do , it's in Cyrillic with Fake Viagra.  Stay frosty my friends.

Offline Harald

  • Hero Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 595
  • wielding a 30 Tons Tank as an improvised flail.
    • View Profile
Re: Part II: Rock, Hard Place, and You (a love triangle)
« Reply #9 on: April 12, 2012, 11:38:07 AM »
"I do not feel anything through the ground. They might be flying, or at least incorporeal. I'm ready to go ahead to get a visual." she thought through the telepathic bracers, flying herself as well.
"-Lady-Captain, we detect 20 hostile vessels against us,  and Erasmus Haarlock's Spear of Destiny ! What are your orders ?
-RAMMING SPEED !

final result : 6 slaughts vessels, 4 imperial frigates, 2 imperial cruisers destroyed. Haarlock sent into the warp. 0 losses. Flawless Victory.

Offline sirpercival

  • Honorary Mod
  • *****
  • Posts: 10855
  • you can't escape the miles
    • View Profile
Re: Part II: Rock, Hard Place, and You (a love triangle)
« Reply #10 on: April 13, 2012, 07:55:44 AM »
One of the 3 alarms in the Warrens triggers, moving North about 30 feet through the tunnels.

Arkesh says over the link, <I'm going to try and find out what we're up against.  I'll send some Umber Hulk crews against the interlopers in here, just as a probe, and observe what happens.  We don't want to give away our hand with the Marauders, yet, so I'm keeping them in reserve.  Why don't you guys see what you can figure out about the enemies near you?  Try to take them out quickly and quietly...

...and can someone please figure out what in the 9 Hells is happening to the river up north?  I'd rather not be swarmed by a gazillion aquatic eladrin or something stupid like that.>
I am the assassin of productivity

(member in good standing of the troll-feeders guild)

It's begun — my things have overgrown the previous sig.

Offline phaedrusxy

  • DnD Handbook Writer
  • ****
  • Posts: 10708
  • The iconic spambot
    • View Profile
Re: Part II: Rock, Hard Place, and You (a love triangle)
« Reply #11 on: April 13, 2012, 09:58:14 AM »
Gleron relays <I can check on that, with my new toy...> and as he finishes, a glowing humanoid figure appears, and then almost as quickly as it appeared, it vanishes again.

(click to show/hide)
I don't pee messages into the snow often , but when I do , it's in Cyrillic with Fake Viagra.  Stay frosty my friends.

Offline sirpercival

  • Honorary Mod
  • *****
  • Posts: 10855
  • you can't escape the miles
    • View Profile
Re: Part II: Rock, Hard Place, and You (a love triangle)
« Reply #12 on: April 13, 2012, 11:00:36 AM »
((While G is doing that, what is everyone else doing about the nearby enemies?  I'm assuming you're going to go out of the building to get visuals.  The building is triangular, and there's a door in each wall.  What door are you exiting, and which direction are you approaching from?))

(click to show/hide)
I am the assassin of productivity

(member in good standing of the troll-feeders guild)

It's begun — my things have overgrown the previous sig.

Offline phaedrusxy

  • DnD Handbook Writer
  • ****
  • Posts: 10708
  • The iconic spambot
    • View Profile
Re: Part II: Rock, Hard Place, and You (a love triangle)
« Reply #13 on: April 13, 2012, 05:01:51 PM »
Gabriel mutters "You have got to be kidding me." and shakes his big, green head. Then relays <The river is full of very large sharks. Yes, that's right, sharks.>
I don't pee messages into the snow often , but when I do , it's in Cyrillic with Fake Viagra.  Stay frosty my friends.

Offline sirpercival

  • Honorary Mod
  • *****
  • Posts: 10855
  • you can't escape the miles
    • View Profile
Re: Part II: Rock, Hard Place, and You (a love triangle)
« Reply #14 on: April 14, 2012, 08:39:53 AM »
The sharks are fast approaching the area of the river where the Vodyanoi are stationed.
I am the assassin of productivity

(member in good standing of the troll-feeders guild)

It's begun — my things have overgrown the previous sig.

Offline phaedrusxy

  • DnD Handbook Writer
  • ****
  • Posts: 10708
  • The iconic spambot
    • View Profile
Re: Part II: Rock, Hard Place, and You (a love triangle)
« Reply #15 on: April 14, 2012, 09:44:21 PM »
(click to show/hide)
I don't pee messages into the snow often , but when I do , it's in Cyrillic with Fake Viagra.  Stay frosty my friends.

Offline Harald

  • Hero Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 595
  • wielding a 30 Tons Tank as an improvised flail.
    • View Profile
Re: Part II: Rock, Hard Place, and You (a love triangle)
« Reply #16 on: April 15, 2012, 09:08:39 AM »
As soon we do have the intruders near us under control, we will go fishing.
Flying, the Margravine went throught the southern door, the hypotenuse side of the triangular building. She flew ahead, and approached with discretion from above the place where the intruders were detected.
"-Lady-Captain, we detect 20 hostile vessels against us,  and Erasmus Haarlock's Spear of Destiny ! What are your orders ?
-RAMMING SPEED !

final result : 6 slaughts vessels, 4 imperial frigates, 2 imperial cruisers destroyed. Haarlock sent into the warp. 0 losses. Flawless Victory.

Offline sirpercival

  • Honorary Mod
  • *****
  • Posts: 10855
  • you can't escape the miles
    • View Profile
Re: Part II: Rock, Hard Place, and You (a love triangle)
« Reply #17 on: April 15, 2012, 05:02:37 PM »
(click to show/hide)

The puppet teleports to area 6 and drops a couple barred Forcecages, then waits but a moment for the sharks to arrive.  They do, and begin milling around, pressed against the bars by the strong current. Then suddenly, several of them shrink down into tiny red fish, flit quickly between the bars and through the Forcecage, then balloon back out into huge sharks and continue on their way.  The rest of the sharks begin to follow suit, and soon the stream of hundreds passes by through the cages at full speed.

As soon we do have the intruders near us under control, we will go fishing.
Flying, the Margravine went throught the southern door, the hypotenuse side of the triangular building. She flew ahead, and approached with discretion from above the place where the intruders were detected.

((Harald, can you make a Lucid Dreaming check, please?))
I am the assassin of productivity

(member in good standing of the troll-feeders guild)

It's begun — my things have overgrown the previous sig.

Offline phaedrusxy

  • DnD Handbook Writer
  • ****
  • Posts: 10708
  • The iconic spambot
    • View Profile
Re: Part II: Rock, Hard Place, and You (a love triangle)
« Reply #18 on: April 15, 2012, 11:53:54 PM »
Gabriel thinks to himself "Now that's odd...." as he relays what he saw, and also heads out of the door.
I don't pee messages into the snow often , but when I do , it's in Cyrillic with Fake Viagra.  Stay frosty my friends.

Offline Harald

  • Hero Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 595
  • wielding a 30 Tons Tank as an improvised flail.
    • View Profile
Re: Part II: Rock, Hard Place, and You (a love triangle)
« Reply #19 on: April 16, 2012, 06:51:39 AM »
(click to show/hide)
"-Lady-Captain, we detect 20 hostile vessels against us,  and Erasmus Haarlock's Spear of Destiny ! What are your orders ?
-RAMMING SPEED !

final result : 6 slaughts vessels, 4 imperial frigates, 2 imperial cruisers destroyed. Haarlock sent into the warp. 0 losses. Flawless Victory.