Kiri-Jolith's Temple Continued, Agnes' Info Dump and Getting the Elves to Safety

07 Newkolt 349 AC

Note: The Temple of Kiri-Jolith is based on "The Ghost Blade" from the 3rd edition Dragonlance Campaign Setting Sourcebook, modified for level and to fit the plot of our current campaign.

AT THE ABANDONED TEMPLE OF KIRI-JOLITH


Grotto realizes his peril. Before continuing further he back tracks to the entrance to find Lorraine. He tells his fellow healer to find his friends to let then know where he is. "I will mark the path I take in the temple so they can meet me. "

Grotto then returns to the temple. He pulls his chalk from his gear to mark the walls with the direction he travels.

Grotto goes to investigate the false wall he found to make sure it is also not trapped. After investigating, he knocks the wall down to see what secrets it hides.

The dirt collapses with a simple stroke of the axe, revealing a 30'-long steep and narrow stairway opens into a small room that clearly seems to be a shrine of some form. A small altar sits against the far wall. The slightly curved horn of some sort of animal sits atop the altar.

EN ROUTE TO THE DRAGON ISLES

Arthur holds her hand "Can you tell me more about what I may need to know where we are going? And more about your lineage?" He listens giving her all of his attention.

"My people are noble warriors and diplomats, we sought to advise and guide the younger races, hoping they would avoid the mistakes of their forebears. Time and again, this was not to be as many were too...short-sighted to heed our words of warning. They fought, they killed each other, and they fell into darkness." Agnes stares off into the distance for awhile, lost in thought. "Of course, this was nearly 1,500 years before my hatching. Some humans, elves, dwarves, and even minotaurs embraced honorable paths and the precepts of self-sacrifice, becoming heroes along the way. I used to wish that I had been alive back then. But, now..." she stops and looks directly into Arthur’s eyes  "Now, i have you and I am glad that I wasn't."

After a few more minutes of eating, Arthur and Agnes are rejoined by Saria who comes bearing a sack filled with bread, nuts, berries, and smoked fish. "I got all of this from the quartermaster. He wasn't going to let me have it but I told him that it was for Sir Arthur and suddenly, I had almost more than I could carry."

IN COUNCILOR SUMMERWALKER'S WAREHOUSE ~ NOW SERVING AS RA'ZIIR/SHADOW/KYSEK'S COMMAND CENTER

Shadow sees that the Elves have arrived safely and says to Cedron “I’ll be right back with the others.” The dark elf places a hand on Ra'ziir's shoulder and vanishes.

With his companions' departure being as abrupt as their arrival and nearly forty elves all suffering from hypothermia and frostbite, Cedron begins to triage the wounded. He calls out to get their attention and starts humming a ballad to calm the rescued prisoners as he works.

“Soft kitty, warm kitty,
Little ball of fur.
Happy kitty, sleepy kitty,
Purr, purr, purr."

While many of his patients only need something warm to eat and drink, there are two who show signs of more severe injuries, their feet gray and waxy. The priest begins pours warm water into a pair of large basins and instructs them to begin soaking their extremities.

AND, LASTLY, IN KURINOST...

The fire elemental streaks toward the approaching dragon. The mighty wyrm lashes out with its powerful talons, raking the flaming body, scattering flames with each swipe just before its jaws snap shut on the summoned creature. The fiery humanoid fights back, flailing with both of its arms. It manages to blacken a couple of scales but the dragon barely seems to notice.

Kysek reaches into his cloak. He pulls forth his wand of lighting and unleashes it upon the dragon before its arrival. The bolt strikes the dragon in the chest and dissipates into a harmless shower of sparks.

Raven stops running and begins shouting at the dragon to get its attention. He raises his bow and fires four arrows at the beast, while yelling "COME GET ME, YOU UGLY WYRM!" The missiles streak through the air and pierce the dragon's belly. The first arrow sinks in up to the fletching, eliciting a cry of pain and rage from the wyrm.

Shadow and Ra'ziir suddenly reappear. The bladesinger orders the freed prisoners to join hands. His hands flash through a rapid series of arcane gestures before hurling a lightning bolt of his own at the dragon. The verdant serpent twists aside, avoiding the brunt of the attack but the black-robed Elfemental leaves a nasty scorch along its left wing. With a shout of, "Missa lanuae," he teleports away with the final eleven prisoners, arriving in the warehouse less than a moment later.

Shadow, Kysek, and Raven stand ready on the ice as the dragon continues to close in on them.



Comments

Post a Comment

Recent Posts

Silvanost War Council

Image
07 Newkolt 349 AC Note: The Temple of Kiri-Jolith is based on "The Ghost Blade" from the 3rd edition Dragonlance Campaign Setting Sourcebook, modified for level and to fit the plot of our current campaign. AT THE ABANDONED TEMPLE OF KIRI-JOLITH Grotto searches for clues in the kindling. "A map, a key, something to let me know the way to go." Grotto then looks around the room to see if he can find a way to move forward. He begins tapping the walls, listening for the faint echo that would tell him the passage continues. The dwarf's fingers trace along the tiles of the mosaic and the elven warrior at its center. Then, he finds it. A "crack" inside of a larger tile that is too perfectly geometric to be damage due to age. Several similar buttons radiate outward from the first. He shrugs, spreads his fingers and pushes them all in at once. With an audible "CLICK" the entire wall swings back about two inches like a giant door. Grotto readies hi...
Read more

Grotto’s Test, Arthur & Agnes, the Politicians Start Showing Up, and the End of the Battle

Image
07 Newkolt 349 AC Note: The Temple of Kiri-Jolith is based on "The Ghost Blade" from the 3rd edition Dragonlance Campaign Setting Sourcebook, modified for level and to fit the plot of our current campaign.  AT THE ABANDONED TEMPLE OF KIRI-JOLITH Seeing the statues animate, Grotto backs toward a wall to keep from being surrounded. He raises his throwing axe, gripping it in both of his gnarled, calloused hands and gives it a mighty heave at the nearest statue. The weapon tumbles end over end and slams into the wooden warrior. The powerful blow shatters the dry wood and sends a shower of splinters across the floor. Grotto holds out one hand to catch the weapon as it returns to him. The remaining carved guardians continue to stalk toward the scarred dwarf. He can hear the creaking and cracking of the wood as they close in on him. Grotto swings his axe at the nearest. The blow crushes the left side of the warrior's body. That fighter and its two wooden brothers all swipe ...
Read more

Grotto and the Elf Prince, Arthur and Agnes in Flight, Leaving for Faerie, and Griffon Riders

Image
  07 Newkolt 349 AC Note: The Temple of Kiri-Jolith is based on "The Ghost Blade" from the 3rd edition Dragonlance Campaign Setting Sourcebook, modified for level and to fit the plot of our current campaign. AT THE ABANDONED TEMPLE OF KIRI-JOLITH Grotto is surprised to see such a well preserved body. "Looks a lot like the elf in the murals" Grotto thinks. "Surely he could not have been in this temple for this long and be so well preserved!" Grotto thinks the elf is in some sort of suspended animation. He examined the elf with his knowledge of healing to see if he can find any signs of life. After confirming that the elf is indeed dead, Grotto says a prayer to Hanseath to the fallen warrior. He then searches the body for anything of value. EN ROUTE TO THE DRAGON ISLES "How are you holding up Lady Agnes? Do you require a break?" He speaks in a caring yet worried voice. "I will be good for several more hours, My Knight. I hope to be in P...
Read more

Beldam (Other Mother from Coraline)

Image
I watched the movie “ Coraline ” for the first time this weekend.   Don’t get me wrong, I’ve seen snippets of the film here and there over the years and I recognized the character when the movie started but I have never sat down and Watched the movie (or read the book).   By the time the show was over, I have to admit that I was fascinated by the entire thing.   The animation and pacing were incredibly well done and the main antagonist was delightfully wicked.   This is who I want to focus on today – Beldam, a.k.a. the Other Mother.   Some viewers may think that she was some sort of demon, offering children their heart’s desire in exchange for their souls, much like a crossroads demon but I feel like she more closely resembles a faerie, a member of the Unseelie Court who is allowed a great deal of independence in her operations.   I also think that since the protagonist, Coraline, was just a child that Beldam wouldn’t necessarily have been overly power...
Read more

Kiri-Jolith's Temple, a Brief Respite and a Rescue in Progress

Image
07 Newkolt 349 AC Note: The Temple of Kiri-Jolith is based on "The Ghost Blade" from the 3rd edition Dragonlance Campaign Setting Sourcebook, modified for level and to fit the plot of our current campaign. AT THE ABANDONED TEMPLE OF KIRI-JOLITH The smell of the stale dank air fills Grotto's nose. He let's his eyes better adjust to the darkness. Grotto looks for anything unusual in the stone that may indicate a trap on the door. After searching, he enters the door. Grotto also investigates the chamber before proceeding thru the door. At the bottom of the steep stairway, the  tomb opens up into a plain room, approximately fifteen feet on a side. The ceiling here, as in most of the tomb, is about 10 feet high. A circular stone door stands opposite the stairway, apparently leading farther back into the tomb. The dwarf proceeds forward carefully, eyes scanning the ground and walls in a constant pattern. He crouches down, his Dwarven senses noting an instability in the...
Read more

Meld Magic Item

Image
Players can get attached to the magical items that their characters acquire.   But, as those characters increase in level, sometimes they “outgrow” their favorite sword, staff, or armor.   One of my players developed this spell in 2 nd edition so he could take the abilities from new items he discovered and transfer them to his older gear.   When we converted to 3 rd and then 3.5, he wanted to make sure that the spell carried over as well so we sat down and worked out a “ritual” version based on rules in Unearthed Arcana. Meld Magic Item Transmutation Effective Level: 8 th Skill Check: Knowledge (Arcana) DC25 (1 success per item to be melded), Spellcraft DC25 (2 successes per spell used or enhancement bonus transferred from one item to the other) Failure: Disenchantment of both items Components: V, S, M, Xp, Backlash Casting Time: 1 hour/transferred enchantment Range: Touch Duration: Permanent Saving Throw: None Spell Resistance: No Th...
Read more