Posts
- Deanda, Elf Druid
- Kiikii, Human Conjurer/Malconvoker
- Nakor, Human Transmuter/Knight Phantom
- Jaime, Human Cleric of Iomedae
- Kraca, Dwarf Monk/Ninja
- Slavla, Half Elf Barbarian/Fighter/Frenzied Berserker
You awaken to the smell of brimstone.
After a night of rest in Lucrecia's chambers - the lamia matriarch defeated - they were greeted by an unfriendly visitor at dawn. The two ravens chirped lightheartedly in the corner, the signals that Malfeshnakor was there. Instantly, swords were drawn and Jaime called out a challenge to the demon that had slain his father those many years ago. They all had their predictions about who this mysteriously cloaked infernal creature was, but for now, he was simply a voice in the darkness.
Malfeshnakor laughed at their conquests, stating that he could really care less whether or not they retook the keep. He did offer them a warning however. "If you start stepping on the toes of Stone Giants, then... you will have to be dealt with." With a chilling laugh, the voice was gone.
Making their way topside, our heroes carved through the giant's resistance at Fort Rannick. Heading to the top floor, they slew Jaagrath Kreeg - the pappy of the Kreeg Ogres. With Jaagrath defeated, and his magical human-slaying ogre-hook in hand, the heroes seiged the rest of the fort. They made quick work of Dorella Kreeg, one of the ogre casters, and swept their way through the rest of the keep - killing a twisted ogre painter in the process.
In their travels, they came upon a hidden compartment in the room of the former Black Arrow captain, Lamatar. The secret catche contained several love letters and poems, as well as a lock of what Deanda identified as nymph hair. Putting the pieces together, Jakardros determined that Lamatar must have had a nymph mistress, which would explain the occasional retreats he would take away from the fort proper. Most likely over to Whisperwillow, the nearby forest which was said to house many fae creatures.
The adventurers came upon one room where a group of ogres were fighting over a horse skull. Using some magical trickery, Nakor was able to mage hand the skull into one of the ogre's sacks which brought forth a quick and angry battle, leaving all of the ogres quite pathetically incapacitated.
Their assault was expected however, and when they made their way into the Keep's courtyard, they were met with an army of ogres. The brutes numbered over ten in total, their leader waving a large ladle in anger. With a warcry, both sides charged, and battle was joined beneath the pounding rain.
Spells were cast, creatures were summoned, arrows were fired, and blows were exchanged. Vale fell in the fight, as some of our heroes threatened to do as well. However, finally the battle was won, and Fort Rannick was free.
Riding back to Turtleback Ferry, the group brought good tidings. Though the Black Arrows were dead, Fort Rannick had been reclaimed. In return for this great deed, Mayor Shreed announced that from hereforth, the keep would belong to them, and if they wished, they would become Lords and Ladies of Magnimar.
Finally, our heroes had earned a rest.
1 comment:
After having defeated Lucretia we came into a surprise encounter with Malfeshnakor. We awoke to the smell of brimstone and the presence of ravens for Malfeshnakor had entered our barricaded room. However, rather than slaying our party as I suspect he could, he chose to speak with us instead. He let us know that our actions in Fort Rannick were of little import and simply warned us that we must stay clear of the stone giants else he take action. While I do not doubt his threat, he merely revealed more of our foes' plans rather than deter us from our path. It is clear now that the Mokmerian that Lucretia had spoke of is only another pawn along our path and not the leader that she had made him out to be. There is someone still who is pulling all the strings, and a powerful one to be certain when Malfeshnakor is one having his strings pulled. Until then, we know that a noticeable part of their plans involves the stone giants, giving us our next course of action.
After Malfeshnakor left us, we proceeded to systematically purge the fort of all ogres within. Some were formidable warriors, but our party was incensed by their atrocities and left them little hope for survival. All held their worth, especially Kiikii who crippled an ogre caster by trapping her in a room of swirling sand.
I must be sure that all conflicts within the party are addressed and dealt with, as I saw first hand how easy it is to manipulate those disagreements against a groups favor. A room of ogres were arguing over who was going to take a human skull. I simply used mage hand to move the skull into one of the ogres hands and prevent him from putting it down. The ensuing brawl left a room of easy kills for our party.
Finally, we stormed the court yard to face the remaining battalion of ogres left in the keep. All did their part. I hasted our party and enlarged Slavla to allow him to reek havoc with a twenty foot long ranseur. Jaime charged into battle with holy fervor while Kiikii, though blinded, summoned forth various creatures to engage and distract our foes. Kraca used his natural abilities against giants to his advantage and engaged our enormous enemies head on. Deanda let loose natures fury, enhanced with the storm. Jekardros let loose his arrows upon their line and I stomped into battle, virtually indestructable to even their most formidable warrior's blows.
We were outnumbered nonetheless and the battle was fierce. Vale fell and perished beneath the crushing blows of the powerful ogres. Jaime collapsed while air walking, left prone and above our reach. The ogre lieutenant I was squaring off against even caught me with a critical blow, felling me in my weakened state. However, my magics are not a trivial matter. Even in my collapsed state the ogre could not break past my defenses. And fortunately, Deanda was able to take to the skies as a bird and recover both Jaime and myself. When I awoke, I saw that Slavla was still prepared for battle even though no enemies stood. Fortunately Jaime recognized the problem and held the man with a spell, for when Slavla enters a frenzy he may keep fighting even when the battle stops. While his strength in combat is always welcome, if it means harming the party it must be addressed.
Post a Comment