[LP] DestinyQuest: The Legion of Shadow

Stories about games that you run and/or have played in.

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Omegonthesane
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Post by Omegonthesane »

I choose death.

ETA for clarity: by which I mean light side.
Last edited by Omegonthesane on Sat Sep 16, 2017 5:43 am, edited 1 time in total.
Kaelik wrote:Because powerful men get away with terrible shit, and even the public domain ones get ignored, and then, when the floodgates open, it turns out there was a goddam flood behind it.

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Darth Rabbitt
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Post by Darth Rabbitt »

Dark side.
Pseudo Stupidity wrote:This Applebees fucking sucks, much like all Applebees. I wanted to go to Femboy Hooters (communism).
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Post by SGamerz »

I don't think this this one of those books that offers alternative successful endings for both good and evil, so I pick the light.
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Post by Ikeren »

I vote light as well, but I sort of suspect it of being a false choice, and both paths would lead the same place rather swiftly.
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angelfromanotherpin
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Post by angelfromanotherpin »

Ikeren wrote:I vote light as well, but I sort of suspect it of being a false choice, and both paths would lead the same place rather swiftly.
It is and it isn't. The paths do reconverge swiftly, but there are consequences. I mean, the famous KOTOR LS/DS choice led you to the same final quest and boss fight, just with completely different contexts. This isn't that, but it's not nothing.
You shake your head in defiance. 'No! I will never join you!' As you advance on the monster, your shadow mark blazes angrily with dark fire. There is a bright flash as the shadow energies spark against Avian's white magic–then you feel a strong jolt of power race up your arm, turning the halo around your mark into a bright glittering shield.

You have gained the following special ability:
Bright shield: 1/combat, increase your armor by 4 for 1 combat round.
Though, it would have been nice if our most-special defense power wasn't boiled ass. It's actually less good than parry, except that it doesn't take up a gear slot.
Sharroth rears back, its shell-like armor crackling with magic. 'Then you have chosen death.' From the creature's mouth, a series of black drooling tentacles spew forth. One slams into Avian, knocking the mage to the ground. The rest attempt to wrap themselves around you, their lengths dripping with acidic venom.
SpeedMagicArmorHealth
Sharroth141412100
Tentacle--620
Tentacle--620
Tentacle--620
Tentacle--620

Special Abilities
- Oozing tentacles: At the end of every combat round, you automatically take 2 points of armor-ignoring damage from every tentacle that remains in battle.

If you win a combat round, you can choose to strike Sharroth or one of the tentacles. If you defeat Sharroth, all remaining tentacles are also defeated.
Ugh, tentacles bad. Definitely peeling those off first.
Round 1: (windblast'd) Us 3+16, It 4+14; 2+22-6 damage, tentacle's at 2. *Tentacles* We're at 42.
Round 2: Us 11+16, It 12+14; 2+22-6 damage (leech'd, we're at 44), tentacle 1 defeated! *Tentacles* We're at 38.
Round 3: Us 9+16, It 8+14; 5+22-6 damage (leech'd, we're at 40), tentacle 2 defeated! *Tentacles* We're at 36.
Round 4: Us 9+16, It 9+14; 2+22-6 damage (leech'd, we're at 38), tentacle's at 2. *Tentacles* we're at 34.
Round 5: Us 11+16, It 10+14; 6+22-6 damage (leech'd, we're at 36), tentacle 3 defeated! *Tentacle* We're at 34.
Round 6: Us 4+16, It 6+14; draw. *Tentacle* We're at 32.
Round 7: Us 3+16, It 11+14; parry'd. *Tentacle* We're at 30.
Round 8: Us 6+16, It 3+14; 4+22-6 damage (leech'd, we're at 32), tentacle 4 defeated!
Round 9: Us 7+16, It 11+14; 3+14-(shield)10 damage, we're at 25.
Round 10: Us 7+16, it 7+14; 1+22-12 damage (corrupt'd, leech'd, we're at 27), it's at 89.
Round 11: Us 8+16, It 10+14; draw.
Round 12: Us 2+16, It 4+14; draw.
Round 13: Us 6+16, it 7+14; 6+22-12 damage (leech'd, we're at 29), it's at 73.
Round 14: Us 11+16, it 8+14; 1+22-12 damage (leech'd, we're at 31), it's at 62.
Round 15: Us 8+16, It 6+14; 5+22-12 damage (leech'd, we're at 33), it's at 47.
Round 16: Us 5+16, It 5+14; 4+22-12 damage (leech'd, we're at 35), it's at 34.
Round 17: Us 10+16, It 5+14; 4+22-12 damage (leech'd, we're at 37), it's at 20.
Round 18: Us 7+16, It 12+14; 4+12-6 damage, we're at 27.
Round 19: Us 9+16, It 6+14; 3+22-12 damage (leech'd, we're at 29), it's at 7.
Round 20: Us 9+16, It 6+14; 2+22-12 damage (leech'd, we're at 31), hentai snail defeated!
Back to abridging.
Sharroth explodes into a maelstrom of shadow magic, and this seems to release the legion, who shriek as they rush at you. At your command, Avian raises a shield to hold them off while you raise your mark towards Sharroth's residue.

'No!' gasps Avian.

'It's our only chance.' You flinch as the energy rushes into you like a torrent.

'That much will kill you!' Avian shouts, over the din of screeching monsters.

Mad laughter bubbles out of you, your whole body glowing with purple light, your senses overcome with an ecstacy of godlike power. Avian's shield falls as inhuman limbs hammer on it, but you are ready, and with a sweep of one arm send out a wave of shadow energy to send the closest ranks of the legion flying backwards as if carried by tornado winds. You do it again, and the next wave of enemy is thrown back as well.

In the respite, you pick up Avian and sprint for the portal. You push him through first, and then follow.
Back through the portal, on the infernal machine, you stagger and fall, the power that you absorbed burning like liquid fire beneath your skin. Tendrils of it push from your pores, seeking escape from a too-fragile vessel.

'The Nexus,' says Avian. 'The machine is indestructible, but–'

You follow his gesture to the stone cog, now able to see the coils of magic wound around it–and the tendrils of the trap that Jenlar warned you of. You struggle to your feet, tears of agony turning to steam on your cheeks. One by one, you tear the tendrils and coils away–with your hands or with spells, you cannot tell–and rip the Nexus from the machine, which shrieks and grates in response.

You place the Nexus in Avian's hands. 'Go,' you say.

'I can't leave you–'

'It will kill us both,' you say. 'Run.' He runs.

You beat your fists on the floor with pain. Every inch of your skin blisters outward under the pressure of dark power. You hold on for as long as you can, hoping it will be enough for Avian to get away. Then, you release the magic; more than release it, you throw it, every last shred of it, at the ceilig of the chamber. Half-shattered half-melted stone rains down around you, encasing you and the shadow gate in darkness.
Your eyes open to daylight and a bright blue sky. Your body is perfectly healed, as it has been on your previous 'deaths.' You clamber to your feet atop a vast mound of rubble, all that remains of the university. What's left of the machine is buried deep.

You spot a patrol of knights riding through the streets, and smile to see Nyms and Caeleb among them, pointing and waving at you. With the gate shut and their reinforcements cut off, it seems the king's army has prevailed.

• If you have the dark claw ability...
• If you have the bright shield ability...
You meet with the riders at the edge of the rubble-strewn gardens.

'You're alive!' Nyms laughs, jumping down from his saddle. 'Which life is it this time? I'm losing count.'

You stop and take a breath of the morning air. 'I feel truly alive for the very first time.'

'What happened to your arm?'

You look down at your mark, which now glows like veins of silver beneath your skin. 'Avian's power fused with it somehow,' you say.

'Does that mean you're no longer Nevarin? We'll say so anyway. Come, you're to be guest of honor at the royal feast.'

A formation of mages flies overhead, their magic carpets trailing rainbows, bright fireworks bursting from their staffs. The lights rain down across the liberated city, and distant horns sing of triumph.


Congratulations, hero! You have overcome the challenges set for you and earned the title The Champion of Light.

(Bonus: A special quest has been unlocked!)

• Help rid Talanost of the remaining shadow spawn?
How completionist do you all feel?
Name: Trellis
Path: Mage
Career: Necromancer
Speed: +16, Brawn: +1, Magic: +20, Armor: +6
Health: 50
SlotItemSpeedBrawnMagicArmorAbility
HeadThe Morgue+2+4Leech
NecklaceSilver Cross+1+1Heal
CloakSlipstream Silk+3+2Surge
Main HandTempest's Fury+2+5Windblast
Left HandGrasping Grimm+3+3Rake
GlovesVambraces+1+2Parry
ChestDeathgrip Robes+2+3Corruption
FeetRune-Forged Greaves+2+2
TalismanBone Fetish+1Necromancer
Ring 1Traveler's Ring+1+1Charm
Ring 2Duelist's Band+2Ensnare

BackpackItem
1Pot of Mending (+12 health)
2Elixir of Invisibility
3Pot of Mending (+12 health)
4Pot of Mending (+12 health)
5Oil Flask 2/2

Rune Key
Plain Gold Ring
Air superiority

Money Pouch: 1016 Crowns

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Omegonthesane
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Post by Omegonthesane »

EXPERIENCE ALL THE CONTENT
Kaelik wrote:Because powerful men get away with terrible shit, and even the public domain ones get ignored, and then, when the floodgates open, it turns out there was a goddam flood behind it.

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Post by SGamerz »

We earned that bonus, we gotta spend it!
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Post by Darth Rabbitt »

Unlock bonus reel.
Pseudo Stupidity wrote:This Applebees fucking sucks, much like all Applebees. I wanted to go to Femboy Hooters (communism).
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angelfromanotherpin
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Post by angelfromanotherpin »

Bonus quest: The betrayed

You crouch on the edge of a rooftop, looking over the formless wreckage that once was Talanost, your gaze fixed upon a distant mansion—its white-washed walls untouched by the devastation that surrounds it. Your shadow mark tingles, icy fingers crawling beneath your skin. Since you absorbed Sharroth's power, the mark has been a constant irritation. You know what it wants.

'I can't wait any longer,' you say. 'I can feel them.'

'Mathis told us to wait,' says your companion, his usual garb replaced by wraps of grey and black, turning him near-indistinguishable against the wreckage. 'He'll be disappointed.'

'The fool will only get in the way.'

Nyms sighs. 'Well, I've seen worse neighbourhoods. Shame the king didn't stick around to see the sights.'

A week has passed since the king's army broke camp and rode home, leaving yourself and Ravenwing's militia to pick up the pieces. 'Cleansing the city,' Mathis called it. Long days scrabbling across rubble, wading through miles of stinking sewers and dark catacombs, hunting for every last shadow spawn that survived the battle.

Not the great heroic ending that you had imagined. After closing the gate, you expected to be heralded a champion, given a seat at the king's side, showered in gold and glory, respected. Instead, the king never even acknowledged you, and you were treated with the same suspicion and contempt as ever. A Nevarin still, stained by the past...

You and Nyms approach the mansion, the lone survivor amid the shattered skeletons of neighbouring houses. You suppose that the thing that kept it standing—whatever that might be—is the same thing that made it the last hiding place and fortress of the shadow spawn. The spiked wall that surrounds the house is no obstacle; sparks writhe on your fingertips as you consider blasting your way through, or ripping it from its foundations, but you settle on following Nyms as he nimbly scales it and drops into the courtyard.

A set of stairs lead up to a pillared porch where a pair of doors offer an obvious route inside, but Nyms catches your arm and points to a half-open window on the second storey, overlooking a small balcony.

• Enter the mansion through the front door?
• Climb up to the balcony?
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Post by Omegonthesane »

Balcony.
Kaelik wrote:Because powerful men get away with terrible shit, and even the public domain ones get ignored, and then, when the floodgates open, it turns out there was a goddam flood behind it.

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Post by SGamerz »

Sure, balcony.
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Darth Rabbitt
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Post by Darth Rabbitt »

Balcony works for me.
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angelfromanotherpin
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Post by angelfromanotherpin »

You follow Nyms up to the balcony, making a running leap across the face of the building to grab the railing, then heaving yourself over the railing with a grunt.

"Blasting through the wall would have been easier," you say. Nyms rolls his eyes at you before ducking through the window. You go in after him, entering a library with dozens of crammed-full bookshelves.

Your mark swells with power and through it you feel for shadow magic: every stone stinks of it but, despite that, you easily sense three creatures in the adjacent corridor, one more powerful than the others—perhaps a Nevarin. You raise three fingers to Nyms and the two of you take cover on either side of the doorframe.

'Wait!' says a woman's voice from the corridor. 'Something's wrong.'

A probing arm reaches through the door, and you grab and pull it, dragging in a woman clad in dark robes that shimmer with purple glyphs. You execute her in her surprise but haven't the time to see to the glimmering energy that starts to gather around her body. An ugly shadow spawn with a face full of fangs, wielding twin axes, crashes into the room and grapples with Nyms. You move to aid him.

'Nevarin!'

Three black snakes wrap around you from behind, pinning your arms with their scaled bodies, and dragging you off your feet. You look around to see a grinning warrior, the snakes flowing from his shadow mark, pulling you within reach of his venom-dripping dagger. You must fight:
SpeedMagicArmorHealth
Viprus141310100
Snakes--850

Special Abilities
- Tight spot: You are entangled in shadowy coils that restrict your movement and sap your strength. Until the snakes are defeated, at the end of every round you must reduce your speed by 1 and take 5 armor-ignoring damage.
- Deadly venom: Once you have been damaged by Viprus, you automatically lose 3 health at the end of each round.
If you win a combat round, you can choose to strike either Viprus or his snakes. If you defeat Viprus, the combat is won.
Wow, those snakes are vicious.
Round 1: (windblast'd)Us 8+16, Him 2+14; 5+22-8 damage, snakes at 31. *Snakes* We're at 45 (and 15 speed).
Round 2: Us 6+15, Him 10+14; parry'd. *Snakes* We're at 40 (and 14 speed).
Round 3: Us 7+14, Him 5+14; 2+22-8 damage (leech'd, we're at 42), snakes at 15. *Snakes* We're at 37 (and 13 speed).
Round 4: Us 5+13 (charm'd, 8+13), Him 6+14; 5+22-8 damage (leech'd, we're at 39) snakes defeated!
Round 5: Us 4+13, Him 8+14; 5+13-6 damage, we're at 27. *Venom* We're at 24.
Round 6: Us 11+13, Him 8+14; 4+22-10 damage (leech'd, we're at 26, corrupt'd) he's at 84. *Venom* We're at 23.
Round 7: Us 12+13, Him 11+14; draw. *Venom* We're at 20.
Round 8: Us 8+13, Him 3+14; 3+22-10 damage (leech'd, we're at 22) he's at 69. *Venom* We're at 19.
Round 9: Us 9+13, Him 5+14; 5+22-10 damage (leech'd, we're at 21) he's at 52. *Venom* We're at 18.
Round 10: Us 5+13, Him 8+14; 2+11-6 damage, we're at 11. *Venom* We're at 8.
Round 11: Us 6+13, Him 7+14; 2+11-6 damage, we're at 1. (Heal+Mendpot, we're at 17.) *Venom* We're at 14.
Round 12: Us 9+13, Him 5+14; 6+22-10 damage (leech'd, we're at 16), he's at 34. *Venom* We're at 13.
Round 13: Us 9+13, Him 9+14; 3+11-6 damage, we're at 5. *Venom* We're at 2.
Round 14: Us 7+13, Him 2+14; 4+22-10 damage (leech'd, we're at 4), he's at 18. *Venom* We're at 1.
Round 15: Us 7+13, Him 6+14; draw. (Mendpot, we're at 13.) *Venom* We're at 10.
Round 16: Us 12+13, Him 11+14; draw. *Venom* We're at 7.
Round 17: Us 11+13, Him 4+14; 6+22-10 damage, he's defeated!
Hardest fight in a long while; cost us two Pots of Mending.
You expose your mark, dragging the Nevarin's shadowy remains towards the jaws of your own branded serpents. You have gained the following special ability:
Snakes alive! (sp): You may entangle your opponent in coils of dark magic, lowering their speed by 2 for one round.

Nyms has dispatched the shadow spawn, but is now fending off the attacks of the female mage. Another Nevarin, her mark has revived her. You rush at her back, she starts to turn, and Nyms drives both his blades through her dark robes, exploding her body into flickering clouds of shadow. You lift your mark to drink in her essence as well.

'I hate it when you do that.' Nyms shudders.

'Nevarin!'

You hear a distant voice, belonging to someone you once knew, in another life. Bodies shimmer like stars against the backdrop of night, other Nevarin. They slide past you, blurring into streaks of light. All except one... standing alone, burning brighter than the rest. His eyes widen with surprise as he turns to face you, and you see a scar upon his cheek and a crown upon his brow.

'Nevarin!'


Nyms shakes you back to your senses. 'What happened?' he asks. 'You just passed out cold.'

'I don't know,' you say. 'We need to move.'

'So much for stealth,' says Nyms, nodding at the shadow spawn's corpse.

'Agreed.' You stride into the corridor and vault a railing to drop into the hall below.
That ability is bonkers good, because it lacks the almost ubiquitous 1/combat. Basically, any turn we don't use another (sp) ability, our enemy is -2 speed. Bananas.
You pass through another hall into an opulent chamber, its walls lined with paintings and sculptures, nearly all of which feature grisly scenes of battle or nightmarish monsters engaged in gruesome acts of cruelty and destruction.

'Quite the collector,' comments Nyms.

'This was Zul's home,' you say, pointing to one of the larger paintings, a portrait of the dark sorcerer in stately robes. 'I can sense his taint everywhere.'

A side door catches your attention, and pushing it open you see a set of stairs winding down into a cold fetid darkness.

'They're down here,' you say.

'Oh good,' says Nyms. 'I just love plunging headlong into the dangerous unknown without backup. But I am willing to be disappoint—'

You start down the stairs, the glow of your mark lighting the way.
At the foot of the stairs waits a large, grotesque, hunchbacked humanoid, drool from its fanged maw dripping past the whetstone it is dragging across its black-bladed sword. It guards a door of black iron, and grunts at your approach.

You blast it through the door and step into the cavern beyond without slowing your stride.

Within, dark monstrous shapes are silhouetted by a golden light that pulses from a circular object resting on an ornate podium. Something in the object's design reminds you of the shadow gate. Between you and it is a horde of misshapen creatures, snarling, hissing, clutching makeshift weapons, and standing their ground. Behind them, standing close to the strange device, is a human-looking being clad in plates of black armor, a shadowy cowl concealing their face.

'You cannot stop us, betrayer!' The voice is a weak rasp, bracketed by short ragged breaths. 'The legion cannot be defeated, nor the black guard denied its revenge. Get him!'

The monsters rush you, and you kill and kill until the flat of a blade catches you across the back, knocking you down. You look up to see a four-armed assailant slashing down at you, and you are hard-pressed to fend it off while standing back up; it bloodies and batters you until it is run through from behind. Nyms has arrived.

'Get the hooded one,' he shouts. 'I'll hog the fun.' His swords leave blazing trails in the air as he slashes at the enemy.

You advance on the leader. His entire body is encased in shadow-forged armor, and even his face is masked by an iron plate carved with intricate runes.

'So it comes to this,' he wheezes. He uncrosses his arms, revealing a metal disc in his chest plate. He grips and turns the disc, and his body changes, shifting into a ghostly shadow of purple light. He laughs. 'The black guard will have its victory and all of Valeron will fall!' You must now fight this dark general:
SpeedMagicArmorHealth
Daarko15--140
Shadow form-1112-
Flame form-1610-
Rock form-1320-

Special Abilities
- Elemental master: Daarko can change his form, granting him different abilities. At the start of each round, roll a die; on a 1 or 2, he assumes his shadow form; on a 3 or 4, he assumes his flame form; on a 5 or 6, he assumes his rock form. Daarko starts the first round in his shadow form.
- Shadow form: If you take damage from Daarko while he is in shadow form, you must lower the higher of your Brawn or Magic by 2 until the end of combat.
- Flame form: At the end of the round, if Daarko is in his flame form, you take 4 armor-ignoring damage.
- Rock form: If you take damage from Daarko while he is in rock form, your speed is reduced by 1 during the next round.
Oo, this is a pretty cool fight. Although that health number feels like padding.
Round 1: (windblast'd) Us 11+16, Him 1+15; 3+22-12 damage (corrupt'd), he's at 127.
Round 2: *rock* Us 6+16, Him 11+13; parry'd.
Round 3: *rock* Us 6+16, Him 6+13; 4+22-20 damage, he's at 121.
Round 4: *shadow* Us 6+16, Him 10+13; 3+11-6 damage, we're at 42.
Round 5: *shadow* Us 12+16, Him 12+13; 3+20-12 damage (leech'd, we're at 44), he's at 110.
Round 6: *flame* Us 6+16, Him 8+13; 5+20-10 damage (leech'd, we're at 46), he's at 95. *flame* We're at 42.
Round 7: *shadow* Us 9+16, Him 3+13; 6+20-12 damage (leech'd, we're at 44), he's at 81.
Round 8: *flame* Us 7+16, Him 8+13; 1+20-10 damage (leech'd, we're at 46), he's at 70. *flame* We're at 42.
Round 9: *flame* Us 3+16 (charm'd, 7+16), Him 7+13; 5+20-10 damage, he's at 55 (leech'd, we're at 44). *flame* We're at 40.
Round 10: *flame* Us 9+16, Him 7+13; 5+20-10 damage (leech'd, we're at 42), he's at 40. *flame* We're at 38.
Round 11: *shadow* Us 9+16, Him 5+13; 4+20-12 damage (leech'd, we're at 40), he's at 28.
Round 12: *rock* Us 7+16, Him 6+13; 3+20-20 damage (leech'd, we're at 42), he's at 25.
Round 13: *rock* Us 10+16, Him 10+13; 6+20-20 damage (leech'd, we're at 44), he's at 19.
Round 14: *flame* Us 7+16, Him 7+13; 1+20-10 damage (leech'd, we're at 46), he's at 8. *flame* We're at 42.
Round 15: *shadow* Us 6+16, Him 7+13; 2+20-12 damage (leech'd, we're at 44), he's defeated!
You batter the armored warrior to his knees. From behind his mask you hear a wheezing gasp as the energy surrounding him flickers and dies. 'I always knew it would be you,' he pants. 'You were the last. The finest. You held out until the end. The legion took everything, and that is what broke you, made you the vessel for their power. You cannot win this war, but I give to you my strength.' He pulls his mask away and a stream of magic floods out from beneath the hood, slamming into your shadow mark. You stumble back, gasping as the magic burns in your every vein.

You stand before an empty shell of a building. Flames lick its shattered walls and bodies lie sprawled against the sand. You knew them. Family. You look down at the mark that shimmers along your arm, and the bloodied blade in your hand. This is your work and the laughter of your new master rings in your ears.

Sharroth's immense shadow stretches across the sand. 'You want to feel something, don't you? We will remake you, Nevarin. Together we will accomplish great things.'[/i]

The memory fades.

• If you are a mage...
• If you are a warrior...
• If you are a rogue...
Searching Daarko's remains, you find a leather pouch containing 100 gold crowns. You may also help yourself to one of the following special rewards:
Veil of dark synergies (cloak) +2 speed, +3 magic, Ability: second wind (1/combat, refresh a speed ability that you or an ally has used so it can be used a second time)
Elemental greaves (feet) +2 speed, +2 armor, Ability: fire aura (all opponents take 1 armor-ignoring damage at the end of each round)
Conduit of shadow (ring) +3 magic, Ability: overload (1/combat, you roll +1 die for damage)
Pick a loot to proceed.
Name: Trellis
Path: Mage
Career: Necromancer
Speed: +16, Brawn: +1, Magic: +20, Armor: +6
Health: 50
SlotItemSpeedBrawnMagicArmorAbility
HeadThe Morgue+2+4Leech
NecklaceSilver Cross+1+1Heal
CloakSlipstream Silk+3+2Surge
Main HandTempest's Fury+2+5Windblast
Left HandGrasping Grimm+3+3Rake
GlovesVambraces+1+2Parry
ChestDeathgrip Robes+2+3Corruption
FeetRune-Forged Greaves+2+2
TalismanBone Fetish+1Necromancer
Ring 1Traveler's Ring+1+1Charm
Ring 2Duelist's Band+2Ensnare

BackpackItem
1
2Elixir of Invisibility
3
4Pot of Mending (+12 health)
5Oil Flask 2/2

Rune Key
Plain Gold Ring
Air superiority
Bright shield
Snakes alive!

Money Pouch: 1016 Crowns

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Last edited by angelfromanotherpin on Sat Sep 23, 2017 1:26 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Darth Rabbitt
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Post by Darth Rabbitt »

Trade out our greaves, so we don't lose any speed or abilities. I think the fire aura makes up for the magic loss. I could be convinced to take the ring instead for a magic boost.
Pseudo Stupidity wrote:This Applebees fucking sucks, much like all Applebees. I wanted to go to Femboy Hooters (communism).
Omegonthesane
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Post by Omegonthesane »

Agreed. We could do with an AoE the way the last few big fights have gone.
Kaelik wrote:Because powerful men get away with terrible shit, and even the public domain ones get ignored, and then, when the floodgates open, it turns out there was a goddam flood behind it.

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angelfromanotherpin
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Post by angelfromanotherpin »

You approach the strange podium, Warily, you inspect the glowing orb that rests atop it. Through the glass, you glimpse a ball of fleshy tissue beating like a heart. Metal hooks dig into its folds, anchoring it to a metal base where runes glimmer with magic.

'Looks pretty. What's it do?' asks Nyms.

'It reminds me of the shadow gate is what it does,' you reply.

'Looks... alive,' says Nyms.

There is the crunch of boots on the stairs, and Mathis marches in through the blasted hole. He is all in white armor and grips a mighty warhammer. Behind him, your recognize Lansbury and Avian Dale. Bringing up the rear is a group of nervous-looking guards wearing the black raven of Ravenwing's militia.

'What have you found?' Mathis snaps. 'Avian?'

Your teacher hurries forward to examine the podium. 'It's elven. I've seen something like it before, but this is new. Zul must have found it in the Dune Sea.' He moves around the glass, inspecting the beating organ within. 'This is a magic anomaly, pressed into service, but to what end I can't fathom.'

'Lansbury! Your thoughts, please.'

Lansbury gives you a tired smile. All the medics have been overworked in the days since the battle with the shadowspawn. 'The plinth itself is a corruption of druidic practice, anchoring the object to ley lines to tap into deep magic. The whole thing is acting as a font of power—but for what?'

Mathis raises his warhammer. 'I have heard enough. Any fool can see this is a thing of evil and must be destroyed.'

'No!' Avian tries to intercede, but he is too slow. The inquisitor strikes the device and there is a deafening boom. The force of the blast throws you back into a wall. The light winks out and there is darkness as the cavern starts to shake.

'We have to get out of here,' you shout. You help Lansbury to her feet, while the guards jostle one another in their haste to escape.

'You're a fool, Mathis,' says Avian. 'We needed to study it—that was a grave mistake.'
You race from the mansion, struggling to balance as the ground shakes beneath your feet. The booming sound has not abated, each thunderous bellow hinting at something impossibly large and powerful now loose in the city. Stumbling through a series of rubble-filled halls, you make it out into the courtyard... to discover that day has turned to night.

Above you, a gargantuan creature hangs suspended above Talanost. The orb is a moon-sized mass of bloated grey flesh, its underside swelling into a vast number of tubular protrusions, each pumping black smoke into the sky, enveloping the city in a veil of smog.

'That wasn't there before, right?' says Nyms.

'Judah, protect us!' Mathis grips his warhammer. 'Avian, speak to me.
What is that thing? Did the machine summon it here?'

'It is a doom orb,' says Avian. 'The most dangerous of the legion's creations. I believe the machine was keeping it anchored in the shroud. Destroying the machine severed the link, pulling it back to our world.' His gaze shifts to Mathis.

Before the inquisitor can replay, there is a deafening roar from above. The creature's tubes swell, then deflate, expelling a huge blast of black fire from their apertures. The column of flame slams down outside the city walls, sending up a cloud of ash and debris.

'The camp!' Lansbury cries. 'Ravenwing's men...'

The world explodes in white light. You find yourself flying through the air, broken masonry spiraling past you. You crash down on something hard, bones snapping beneath you. Your mark flares into life, knitting your body together again.

You hurry down the street. From somewhere ahead, you hear the clamor of battle—steel on steel, and bestial wails. The ground trembles as more explosions rip across the crumbling city, and you cannot see their source, but they are clearly not the work of the monstrous orb.

Your mark flashes once more, feeding off your adrenaline and Daarko's absorbed power. The world begins to blur as you race forward, your footfalls punching holes into the street, such is your speed. You see a ruined hall ahead and sprint up its side to alight upon its roof.

Below you stretches Talanost's famous market square. Once it must have been a joyous sight, a gaudy collision of color and noise, eager shoppers bustling down makeshift aisles to the accompaniment of buskers and the hawking calls of merchants. Today, it is teeming with shadow spawn.
You had been sure that the city was almost cleared—completely cleared after your foray into Zul's manor. Still, crammed into the market square is a horde of the vile creatures. They look different, more powerful and more demonic than any of the beings you have encountered already.

Through the chaotic mass of bodies, you see your companions struggling against the endless tide. Lansbury is pinned against a wall, Nyms lying at her feet. She has raised a shield to protect them, but it is being battered down by the creatures like rotting undead that surround her. Some distance away, Avian stands alone, encircled by a mound of enemies, but he has now resorted to a shield like Lansbury's, and scorpion-like monsters have him besieged.

In the center of the square, Mathis is standing on the platform of a ruined statue, surrounded by shadowy ghouls. The inquisitor is holding them off with his hammer while using a scavenged shield to deflect magical bolts from the far side of the square. There, rising above the spawn, is a black-armored knight astride a giant four-legged armored beast. In the knight's hands is a bone longbow from which the bolts fly.

• Help Lansbury and Nyms?
• Help Avian Dale?
• Help Mathis?
Name: Trellis
Path: Mage
Career: Necromancer
Speed: +16, Brawn: +1, Magic: +20, Armor: +6
Health: 50
SlotItemSpeedBrawnMagicArmorAbility
HeadThe Morgue+2+4Leech
NecklaceSilver Cross+1+1Heal
CloakSlipstream Silk+3+2Surge
Main HandTempest's Fury+2+5Windblast
Left HandGrasping Grimm+3+3Rake
GlovesVambraces+1+2Parry
ChestDeathgrip Robes+2+3Corruption
FeetElemental Greaves+2+2Fire Aura
TalismanBone Fetish+1Necromancer
Ring 1Traveler's Ring+1+1Charm
Ring 2Duelist's Band+2Ensnare

BackpackItem
1
2Elixir of Invisibility
3
4Pot of Mending (+12 health)
5Oil Flask 2/2

Rune Key
Plain Gold Ring
Air superiority
Bright shield
Snakes alive!

Money Pouch: 1016 Crowns
Omegonthesane
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Post by Omegonthesane »

Full vote for Lansbury and Nyms; will break ties for Avian Dale; Mathis can go fuck himself.
Kaelik wrote:Because powerful men get away with terrible shit, and even the public domain ones get ignored, and then, when the floodgates open, it turns out there was a goddam flood behind it.

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Darth Rabbitt
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Post by Darth Rabbitt »

Help Lansbury and Nyms. Avian Dale can take care of himself and Mathis is an asshole.
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Post by SGamerz »

Lansbury and Nyms seem like they need help the most, so them.
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angelfromanotherpin
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Post by angelfromanotherpin »

You sprint to the end of the building, then kick off from its edge, soaring effortlessly over the glittering sea of bodies. You twist in mid-air, sending bolts of black fire into the ranks of shadow spawn, your dark magic ripping through their bodies and leaving charred craters in the earth.

As you level out into a dive, you draw your weapons, flipping over at the last moment to land in front of Lansbury's shield. Surrounding you are the decayers–giant-sized undead–their mummified bodies cloaked in a thick cloud of green noxious gas. From between the creatures' damp rotted bandages, you see worm-like parasites twisting and snaking around their diseased bodies, spewing forth an endless swarm of deadly spores into the foul-smelling air.

'The spores!' shouts Lansbury desperately. 'They explode on contact. Keep them away from the shield!'

With a snarl of fury, you charge into the pestilent undead, hoping to buy time for your companions until help arrives. You must fight:
SpeedBrawnArmorHealth
Decayers15137100
Spore cloud--440
Lansbury's Shield---25

- A swarm of spores: It takes three combat rounds for the spore cloud to reach the shield. At the end of the third combat round, the shield takes 1 damage for each health point the cloud has remaining. A new cloud is then released (with 40 health) taking three more rounds to reach the shield (and so on).
- Disease: Once you have taken health damage from the decayers, at the end of every combat round you must automatically lose 2 health.
- Natural immunity: The spore cloud is immune to all passive effects such as bleed, burn, and venom.

If you win a round of combat against the Decayers, you can choose to damage either the Decayers or the spore cloud.
We get a win if we manage to survive until the start of the seventh round, and a special achievement if we kill the decayers before then. What's not explicitly mentioned, but too implied to ignore, is that we count as defeated if the shield fails.

Which, hm. One thwack at the cloud would let the shield survive; but I don't think the math is on our side even if we then wail on the Decayers for five rounds straight. But screw it, I'm going for it. If something goes wrong it should be trivial to go on the defense and hold out until... help arrives? Wait, weren't we the cavalry? Who are we expecting will come save us? Everyone we're aware of in the area was either desperately in need of help or on fire.

Anyway...
Round 1: (windblast'd) Us 5+16, Them 4+15; 6+22-4 damage, spore cloud at 16. *Fire Aura* Decayers at 99.
Round 2: Us 6+16, Them 7+13; 6+22-7 damage (corrupt'd), Decayers at 78. *Fire Aura* Decayers at 77.
Round 3: Us 10+16, Them 7+13; 4+22-7 damage, Decayers at 58. *Fire Aura* Decayers at 57. Spore cloud reaches shield, shield at 9. New cloud spawned.
Round 4: Us 8+16, Them 5+13; 2+22-7 damage, Decayers at 40. *Fire Aura* Decayers at 39.
Ugh, gonna be close. If I'm gonna switch to defense, it's now. Going for glory!
Round 5: Us 8+16, Them 5+13; 2+22-7 (charm'd, 5+22-7) damage, Decayers at 19. *Fire Aura* Decayers at 18.
Round 6: Us 6+16, Them 8+13; 6+22-7 damage, Decayers defeated!
Woot! Achievement.
(Make a note of the word companion on your hero sheet.)
Congratulations! The decayers have been defeated. You may now help yourself to one of the following rewards:
Parasitic plate (left hand: shield) +2 speed, +4 armor, Ability: leech, Requirement: warrior.
Decayer's wraps (chest) +2 speed, +3 brawn, Ability: disease (Once you damage an enemy, they have a DOT 2 for the rest of the fight.)
Spore shoulders (cloak) +2 speed, +3 armor, Ability: spore cloud (1/combat, after your opponent's damage score damages you, deal 2d6 armor-ignoring damage to them), Requirement: mage
Pick a loot to continue...
Name: Trellis
Path: Mage
Career: Necromancer
Speed: +16, Brawn: +1, Magic: +20, Armor: +6
Health: 50
SlotItemSpeedBrawnMagicArmorAbility
HeadThe Morgue+2+4Leech
NecklaceSilver Cross+1+1Heal
CloakSlipstream Silk+3+2Surge
Main HandTempest's Fury+2+5Windblast
Left HandGrasping Grimm+3+3Rake
GlovesVambraces+1+2Parry
ChestDeathgrip Robes+2+3Corruption
FeetElemental Greaves+2+2Fire Aura
TalismanBone Fetish+1Necromancer
Ring 1Traveler's Ring+1+1Charm
Ring 2Duelist's Band+2Ensnare

BackpackItem
1
2Elixir of Invisibility
3
4Pot of Mending (+12 health)
5Oil Flask 2/2

Rune Key
Plain Gold Ring
Air superiority
Bright shield
Snakes alive!
Companion

Money Pouch: 1016 Crowns
Omegonthesane
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Posts: 3680
Joined: Sat Sep 26, 2009 3:55 pm

Post by Omegonthesane »

The book continues its tradition of deeply questionable loot.

Spore shoulders, the DPS for armour tradeoff is understandable and Spore Cloud is an actual ability we might actually use.
Kaelik wrote:Because powerful men get away with terrible shit, and even the public domain ones get ignored, and then, when the floodgates open, it turns out there was a goddam flood behind it.

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Darth Rabbitt
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Post by Darth Rabbitt »

I'd take none of them. That ability isn't worth the Speed hit.
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Omegonthesane
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Post by Omegonthesane »

...Actually I'm with Darth on reflection - I legit didn't see the speed hit on first viewing.
Kaelik wrote:Because powerful men get away with terrible shit, and even the public domain ones get ignored, and then, when the floodgates open, it turns out there was a goddam flood behind it.

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angelfromanotherpin
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Post by angelfromanotherpin »

A flash of light draws your attention skywards. Out of the smoke, white shapes swoop down over the city, their vapor trails comet-bright. A series of explosions bloom beneath them, cutting a swathe through the tight-packed ranks of shadow spawn.

'The airborne regulars!'

From the far side of the square comes the sound of a horn. It is difficult to see through the massed enemy, but then a standard bearing the black raven unfurls. It looks like a battalion of Ravenwing's militia have made it across the city.
Nyms groans as Lansbury's magic knits his flesh together again, and she slumps with fatigue.

'I'll soon have as many lives as you,' says Nyms.

One of the flying carpets approaches, and you see that the rider is Avian. You call out to him, and he breaks formation to hover beside you.

'We're heading for the Doom Orb,' he calls. 'If your magic is strong, I could use the help.'

• If your magic score is 24 or more you can join the airborne assault.
• Otherwise you decline and focus on the ground battle
Ugh, we're somehow not mage enough.
The shadow spawn surge forward. Above, the dark moon of flesh is unleashing a torrent of black fire. You assume it is destroying the last of Ravenwing's camp. You hurl them back with weapon and spell, but must go on the defensive when a hail of arrows falls around you, seemingly launched by the dark general on their armored steed. On the flank, Ravenwing's men fight bravely, with Caeleb and Ravenwing himself in the front rank, but that rank is scattered by a thrown boulder, launched by a huge ogre-like monster that closes in to finish the job. Caeleb and Ravenwing are cut off from the militia by more shadow spawn.

• Go after the general?
• Try to stop the ogre?
Name: Trellis
Path: Mage
Career: Necromancer
Speed: +16, Brawn: +1, Magic: +20, Armor: +6
Health: 50
SlotItemSpeedBrawnMagicArmorAbility
HeadThe Morgue+2+4Leech
NecklaceSilver Cross+1+1Heal
CloakSlipstream Silk+3+2Surge
Main HandTempest's Fury+2+5Windblast
Left HandGrasping Grimm+3+3Rake
GlovesVambraces+1+2Parry
ChestDeathgrip Robes+2+3Corruption
FeetElemental Greaves+2+2Fire Aura
TalismanBone Fetish+1Necromancer
Ring 1Traveler's Ring+1+1Charm
Ring 2Duelist's Band+2Ensnare

BackpackItem
1
2Elixir of Invisibility
3
4Pot of Mending (+12 health)
5Oil Flask 2/2

Rune Key
Plain Gold Ring
Air superiority
Bright shield
Snakes alive!
Companion

Money Pouch: 1016 Crowns
Omegonthesane
Prince
Posts: 3680
Joined: Sat Sep 26, 2009 3:55 pm

Post by Omegonthesane »

Deal with the ogre.
Kaelik wrote:Because powerful men get away with terrible shit, and even the public domain ones get ignored, and then, when the floodgates open, it turns out there was a goddam flood behind it.

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