Thorntangle
First Post
You bastard! Harmless little bear transformed into an undead fiend! And this is the second time you've done this unspeakable thing.Rel said:
Good to see the story pick up again, Rel! Has work been dragging you down?
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Rel's Faded Glory II (Thanks Old One) Final Update 7/14
- Thread starter Rel
- Start date
Good to see the story pick up again, Rel! Has work been dragging you down?
Broccli_Head
Explorer
Hey Rel...good to see ya postin' again.
OK, how did you rule that Scrubs became an evil undead bear?
OK, how did you rule that Scrubs became an evil undead bear?
Malachai_rose
First Post
...
Poor Speaks... lost his bear buddy, you really are heartless Rel. heh, good story though
looking forward to more from my favorite RBDM.
Poor Speaks... lost his bear buddy, you really are heartless Rel. heh, good story though
looking forward to more from my favorite RBDM.Speaks With Stone
First Post
Yeah. After losing my second animal companion to the undead, I decided to forgo them until I could have awakened companions. It was too hard on the heart and soul to keep leading them to such a fate. This happened even after I had him stay outside of the temple in order to protect him. Dang.
Animal companions can be quite a liability in the mid-levels.
Animal companions can be quite a liability in the mid-levels.
Rel
Liquid Awesome
Thanks for the replies, guys. I have had a lot to do at my new job and my wife has also slightly increased her hours at the hospital so our schedules have been more hectic and we are really just settling into a routine. It's not that I haven't had any leisure time, but typing the Story Hour hasn't been my recreational activity of choice of late. But it felt really good to get back to it and you can expect that I'll keep posting updates.
To answer your question, Broc, one of the terrible secrets that the party has just discovered about the temple is that ANY creature that dies within a large radius is automatically and immediately raised as an undead. Total bummer, huh?
And I was not really gunning to kill Scrubs intentionally, but sometimes "crit happens". I roll right out on the table and so that was just the way the dice fell.
And, Malachai_Rose, of all the RBDMs at this site, I'm your favorite? That brings a little tear of joy to my eye.
To answer your question, Broc, one of the terrible secrets that the party has just discovered about the temple is that ANY creature that dies within a large radius is automatically and immediately raised as an undead. Total bummer, huh?
And I was not really gunning to kill Scrubs intentionally, but sometimes "crit happens". I roll right out on the table and so that was just the way the dice fell.
And, Malachai_Rose, of all the RBDMs at this site, I'm your favorite? That brings a little tear of joy to my eye.
Lazybones
Adventurer
Rel? Wasn't that bastard dead or something?
Nice to see you writing again, Rel. The "I'll write when I have some time to focus," thing is the classic trap of the writer. It is so easy to find reasons not to write, and the blank page is just as imposing on the computer screen as it is sitting in front of you on your desk. Every guide to writing I've ever read has suggested the same basic course: try and get something down on paper each day, even if it's only 5 minutes at work while you're waiting for your boss to get back to you on the assignment you turned in that morning (I've written more Travels updates that way ). Anne Lamont refers to "ty first drafts," and it's funny how much of what you think of as utter drivel when you are writing it turns into gems later with a little tweaking/revision.
And congrats on getting the new job. Good to know that I don't have to send those old dented cans of soup and lima beans that I was saving for you...
LB
Nice to see you writing again, Rel. The "I'll write when I have some time to focus," thing is the classic trap of the writer. It is so easy to find reasons not to write, and the blank page is just as imposing on the computer screen as it is sitting in front of you on your desk. Every guide to writing I've ever read has suggested the same basic course: try and get something down on paper each day, even if it's only 5 minutes at work while you're waiting for your boss to get back to you on the assignment you turned in that morning (I've written more Travels updates that way
). Anne Lamont refers to "ty first drafts," and it's funny how much of what you think of as utter drivel when you are writing it turns into gems later with a little tweaking/revision. And congrats on getting the new job. Good to know that I don't have to send those old dented cans of soup and lima beans that I was saving for you...
LB
Rel
Liquid Awesome
Yep, I’m a bastard. No question about it.
Speaks felt his heart falter at the horror he witnessed. Another faithful animal companion struck down only to arise as an unspeakable abomination of undeath. It was almost more than he could bear, but he knew what must be done. His hands tightened on the haft of his spear.
Back at the Temple entrance, unaware of the grief of their companion, Scar and Raven closed with the remaining druid. For his part, the druid guided the ball of fire he had conjured into Raven once again and the dwarf faltered for a moment but pressed forward heedless of the pain.
In but a moment he and Scar had cut the druid off from escape and were bringing their mighty hammers to bear on the foe. The Dark Druid tried to use more of his magic to save himself but a hammer blow from Scar smote the manna from his grasp. The Druid drew his sickle and attempted to make a battle of it but the relentless assault of Scar and Raven quickly overcame him and in moments he was on the ground unconscious.
The pair of warriors stood panting for a moment at the Temple entrance, barely capable of standing after all they had been through within the evil walls of the place. They started to turn to go back inside to check on Speaks when the Druid emerged from the darkness, his face stained with sweat, grime and tears. He held his longspear limply in his hand, it’s point covered with the blood of a friend. “I need your help,” he said.
A short while later, a pyre had been built and the heavy body of Scrubs had been lifted atop it through the combined strength of the companions. Nearby lay the unconscious body of one of the elven druids they had battled. He would have much to answer for when he awoke.
A torch was lit and the black branches gathered from the dead forest around the temple reluctantly caught fire. A dense black smoke poured into the sky as the flames began to consume the remains of Scrubs the bear.
Raven broke the silence. “We have what we came for. Let us depart this accursed place and never come back!” Scar bent and without a hint of gentleness threw the body of the elf over his shoulder. Then, somberly and without further comment, the trio moved off into the black woods headed in the general direction of Greatroot. Anywhere but here.
Their travels soon took them beyond the edge of the dead area surrounding the Temple and to the man they all took a deep breath of relief. But their weary bodies could carry them little further that day. The group collapsed with exhaustion and ate a few fistfuls of rations before settling into their normal night-watch routine.
Scar was dutifully keeping watch several hours later, paying especially close attention to the bound and still unconscious form of the elf. Speaks had warned each of them that if he came to while unattended he could very likely alter his form and escape. Scar secretly hoped that the elf would awaken and try to escape. Better to end his useless existence now. After all, what knowledge was there to gain? He was the enemy and deserved only death and the same could be said for the rest of his kind.
Scar was snapped from his reverie of vengeance by the sound of something large moving through the woods toward them. He listened more closely – several somethings large. He moved quickly to rouse Raven and Speaks from their sleep. The pair groggily awakened as Scar informed them in hushed tones that something approached.
The group hastened to grab their weapons. There was no time to don their armor and the best they could do was to shove it into sacks in case they had to flee. A moment later, three skeletons the size of ogres crashed through the trees.
[I have to make a side comment here. You have to understand that since the last time the party had any rest they fought the Statues guarding the temple entrance, encountered many of the traps in the Sanctuary and the rooms extending from it, fought a half dozen skeletal archers, the entire Chamber of Bone thing including 11 lemures, the Osyluth and somewhere around 40 skeletons. After that they battled the undead creature that Macer had become before emerging from the depths of the temple only to encounter the pair of Elven Dark Druids and their skeletal wolves.
I have no idea what the CR’s of the various encounters tally up to, nor do I want to. But it will likely come as no surprise that when I announced that the Ogre Skeletons had smashed their way into their encampment, they looked like they were ready to kill me. And frankly I probably deserved it.]
NEXT: All Hope Is Lost
Speaks felt his heart falter at the horror he witnessed. Another faithful animal companion struck down only to arise as an unspeakable abomination of undeath. It was almost more than he could bear, but he knew what must be done. His hands tightened on the haft of his spear.
Back at the Temple entrance, unaware of the grief of their companion, Scar and Raven closed with the remaining druid. For his part, the druid guided the ball of fire he had conjured into Raven once again and the dwarf faltered for a moment but pressed forward heedless of the pain.
In but a moment he and Scar had cut the druid off from escape and were bringing their mighty hammers to bear on the foe. The Dark Druid tried to use more of his magic to save himself but a hammer blow from Scar smote the manna from his grasp. The Druid drew his sickle and attempted to make a battle of it but the relentless assault of Scar and Raven quickly overcame him and in moments he was on the ground unconscious.
The pair of warriors stood panting for a moment at the Temple entrance, barely capable of standing after all they had been through within the evil walls of the place. They started to turn to go back inside to check on Speaks when the Druid emerged from the darkness, his face stained with sweat, grime and tears. He held his longspear limply in his hand, it’s point covered with the blood of a friend. “I need your help,” he said.
A short while later, a pyre had been built and the heavy body of Scrubs had been lifted atop it through the combined strength of the companions. Nearby lay the unconscious body of one of the elven druids they had battled. He would have much to answer for when he awoke.
A torch was lit and the black branches gathered from the dead forest around the temple reluctantly caught fire. A dense black smoke poured into the sky as the flames began to consume the remains of Scrubs the bear.
Raven broke the silence. “We have what we came for. Let us depart this accursed place and never come back!” Scar bent and without a hint of gentleness threw the body of the elf over his shoulder. Then, somberly and without further comment, the trio moved off into the black woods headed in the general direction of Greatroot. Anywhere but here.
Their travels soon took them beyond the edge of the dead area surrounding the Temple and to the man they all took a deep breath of relief. But their weary bodies could carry them little further that day. The group collapsed with exhaustion and ate a few fistfuls of rations before settling into their normal night-watch routine.
Scar was dutifully keeping watch several hours later, paying especially close attention to the bound and still unconscious form of the elf. Speaks had warned each of them that if he came to while unattended he could very likely alter his form and escape. Scar secretly hoped that the elf would awaken and try to escape. Better to end his useless existence now. After all, what knowledge was there to gain? He was the enemy and deserved only death and the same could be said for the rest of his kind.
Scar was snapped from his reverie of vengeance by the sound of something large moving through the woods toward them. He listened more closely – several somethings large. He moved quickly to rouse Raven and Speaks from their sleep. The pair groggily awakened as Scar informed them in hushed tones that something approached.
The group hastened to grab their weapons. There was no time to don their armor and the best they could do was to shove it into sacks in case they had to flee. A moment later, three skeletons the size of ogres crashed through the trees.
[I have to make a side comment here. You have to understand that since the last time the party had any rest they fought the Statues guarding the temple entrance, encountered many of the traps in the Sanctuary and the rooms extending from it, fought a half dozen skeletal archers, the entire Chamber of Bone thing including 11 lemures, the Osyluth and somewhere around 40 skeletons. After that they battled the undead creature that Macer had become before emerging from the depths of the temple only to encounter the pair of Elven Dark Druids and their skeletal wolves.
I have no idea what the CR’s of the various encounters tally up to, nor do I want to. But it will likely come as no surprise that when I announced that the Ogre Skeletons had smashed their way into their encampment, they looked like they were ready to kill me. And frankly I probably deserved it.]
NEXT: All Hope Is Lost
Thorntangle
First Post
You batter them with waves of undead to the point of an almost TPK, turn the Druid's cute little animal companion into an undead abomination for the second time (while he was trying to keep it safe), and then attack them when they are not wearing pants.
Hmm.....Yep! You're a bastard!
Hmm.....Yep! You're a bastard!
Thorntangle
First Post
BTW - I love the brutal honesty of your story hour segment titles.Rel said:
