Recent Posts For Tag: Vincent

Reiner quickly rushed into to meet the trolls head-on, and began slicing them to shreds. Since his blade was wreathed in fire, he ensured the trolls were dead, and stayed dead. Others did what damage they could to the creatures, but something was aiding them. Some mysterious, unseen force was empowering our heroes, but since this only was in benefit to them, they didn’t want to bother with it until after the trolls were handled.

The group spread out inside the room when the trolls lay dead on the ground to cover some ground, Yama sneaked away into a room during this, while the party was a little startled to see what stood before them.

A farmer with a garden hoe, standing among the carcasses of the trolls.

Valtyra, while a little startled, immediately feared for a peasant’s safety within the confines of an ogre and troll invested dam. The farmer, however, waved away all caution:

???: “There is no need to be concerned of my safety. I am well versed with magic, and have traveled far using that ability. I, however, need your assistance with my own endeavors, should we be able to aid each other. If you all help me discover the cure to the curse placed onto my village recently, I will aid you in your quests, wherever they may lead.”

VINCENT: “What curse was placed upon your village?”

???: “Petrification. My whole village turned into stone by riders wearing a purple cloth. There managed to be a scrap of it left behind, and it’s the only clue I’ve had this whole time. I’ve heard there is a underground library in Jorgenfist that might be able to tell me more, but I fear I would not survive the journey.”

VINCENT: “Well, there shouldn’t be any harm in helping, but pray tell, what is your name?”

PHILIP: “Philip Beeswort”

However, while the sense of surprise calmed now they knew the farmer’s purpose, Yama returned to the room to sneak over and bring his sickle to the farmer’s throat.

YAMA: “Who are you? Why are you here?”

The rest of the group quickly jumped to calm Yama.

GROUP: “He’s just a farmer! He has done nothing wrong, and will be helping us!”

YAMA: “I DON’T TRUST FARMERS.”

VINCENT: “You do so much as knick his skin with that blade, I’ll skewer your eyeball out with this here rapier.” He said while raising a rapier straight to Yama’s eye.

The situation defused after Yama was finally able to calm down, as the group continued on their current quest to figure out the dam. After exploring a bit further, they discovered blood smeared on a set of stone double doors. Vincent translated:
“HERE DWELLS WET PAPA GRAZUUL. ALL HAIL WET PAPA GRAZUUL!”

After the group managed to pull the door open, they proceed down a long flight of stairs 100 feet downward. After they came to another set of doors, they pulled these back with no problems, and this leaded them to a new room with a large pool in the middle. Standing on the other side of the pool was a large troll, who greeted them with a loud yell. This was Grazuul, chieftain of the Skulltaker tribes. Yama ran around the pool and launched an acid vial onto Grazuul. Nevik then swiftly leaped over the pool itself, and decapitated Grazuul with no effort at all. Reiner gladly took his unwieldy, large trident from Grazuul, while the group began exploring this room. A side room had a small pool, which what was discovered to be a large hole at the bottom of it. This led into a deep dark tunnel, but couldn’t be explored at the current moment.

The northern room held something quite unexpected: two circles, one with a crimson dust, and the other with a withered, powerless pit fiend. He greeted the party feebly, as he mustered himself to stand.

He begged the adventurers to let him free. He explained that he has been her for close to ten thousand years, summoned here to be used to power the dam. He explained that the power of the dam was fueled by his life energy, and there used to be another pit fiend held here too. He crumbled to dust 100 years back, leaving only the one pit fiend to fuel this entire dam.

Yama was eager to spin the winch and let the pit fiend free, and nearly reached for the device. Reiner stopped him from any sort of thing, while Valtyra and Philip began questioning the devil. The devil responded with a bargain, “Promise me you’ll release me from this cage, and I will tell you what I know of my captor.” They swiftly agreed, and continued questioning. Philip eventually presented his purple cloth and asked:

PHILIP: “This cloth, do you recognize it?”

<Pit Fiend>: (gasps, take a moment) “…Karzoug…”

He explained the very powerful wizard Karzoug was the one who trapped him here, and his forces usually wore that purple cloth. Satisfied with this information, and seeing the devil had none further, they promised they would find someone to replace him in this dam, and set him free. They continued to the final room, and as Valtyra creaked open the door, there stood before them a massive scorpion, created entirely of skulls.

The party trekked towards the dam, coming up to it's massive wall. They saw the incredibly large dam before them, 5 skulls along it's side, one of them covered by a large spout of water. The likely cause of the flood was when that finally burst.

To the west, large stairs guided them up to the west side of the dam, but it was a trek. Some of the steps weren't exactly easy to get up either, especially the final ledge that guided them to a small cave near the dam. The group found and dispatched a group of ettin here with ease, and even found a small amount of loot as well.

Continuing to the dam, they moved closer to the building in the middle of the dam, that which likely had the dam controls. However, with the rain picking back up, the waters of the Storval Deep surged on the north wall. The floor of the dam was slick with not only water, but also mold and algae from the surging water. To the south, a wonderful view of the long drop the dam's face, 300ft below to the pond below.

However, before they could enter the building, some exausted ogres stood before them. Tired and with pickaxes in hand, they sluggishly fought against the party. Naolexa easily zapped 3 of them, while reiner cleaning up the other peon looking on. The larger one however, began using his weight to push the party members around, trying to shove them off the ledge. Valtyra almost got pushed off the ledge, but she luckily caught herself before getting thrown over to the drop below.

They fell this ogre, then two locked doors stood before them. Valtyra whipped out the mold-encrusted Chime of Opening from the Foxglove Manor, and used it to open one of the doors. They flung open with no problems, and left our heroes to it's interior. Reiner and Vincent at the ready, the peered inside the building to find them face to face with trolls, and quite a few of them.

The Black Magga towered over not only the our heroes, but also over the building of the town. It slowly progressed through the town, grabbing villagers, smashing buildings, and splattering the villagers against buildings here and there.

The group started a distance away from Black Magga, as Naolexa and Dov began shooting lightning bolts down towards the beast. They noticed that there was an issue, however, as sometimes the lightning didn't effect her at all. Yama and Nevik split up, climbing up on top of the buildings to try to get at eye level with the beast. Yama managed to cut through the beast's flesh, as it immediately snatched him up in a tentacle. Vincent began bolstering morale, as he attempted to shoot from a distance, as Shalelu did the same with her bow. Valtyra supported as best as she could, despite the fact that she could not see the beast.

The beast through Yama, and began to leave back for the lake, when Nevik leaped upon the creature's neck and drove his wakazashi into the demigod. Naolexa threw a fireball down towards the beast, putting Nevik at risk of being caught in the blast, but she brought the terror down to the ground. Nevik gouged deep in her chest to be sure, as the sudden roar of the villager's cheering came from all directions.

Seen as Heroes in this area, they received much praise. Maelin Shreed worked his way from the church to where they were, and offered his congratulations. He spoke solemnly, however, after looking north out of town.

MAELIN: "Well, we can rebuild that bridge no problem, barring no ogrekin interruptions, but something tells me there is a problem at the dam. Skull's Crossing was the only thing holding the Storval Deep from expanding over this town, and the Black Magga was known to inhabit there. I can't say if she is the cause of the flood, but either way, there must be something wrong at the dam. Can I ask you heroes to look into it? I will reward you as best as this village can."

YAMA: "Now now, we did just save your town from utter destruction. We could use the funds to stock up for a trip up to the dam, we don't know what might be up there."

MAELIN: He thinks to himself for a moment, and then speaks, "Fair enough, I believe we can spare 1000 gold pieces for each of you. We have a fair amount of material from the spoils you have brought from your adventures here, so trade may bolster for our supply."

VINCENT: "I'll take half, keep the 500g to help your village recover from this tragedy."

MAELIN: "That is well appreciated, good sir. Now, friends, shall you rest before or after looking into our dam?"

The party all decided rest would be the best idea for the group, and then they will head out tomorrow. What awaits them at Skull's Crossing?

Vincent, Nevik, and Naolexa too the lead, peering into the dark cave to see what they could find. They used lights and torches to guides their way, as Valtyra helped the two dwarves locate some clothing.

The gang ran into a small cluster of eggs. After observing them, Naolexa was able to determine them as shocker lizard eggs. Vincent decided perhaps it's not the best idea to light these a flame, as shocker lizards are very protective of their kin. As they continued forward, a few more clusters appeared here and there, but they finally saw two beady eyes in the distance, along with the occasional crack of lightning. They managed to find a live lizard, and it already knew the group was there. Nevik slowly approached the lizard, keep a steady eye on it to see if it was going to react to him. Luckily, the lizard only hissed and kept a sharp eye on Nevik as well, but did not attack. Nevik decided it would be best for him to scout ahead and see what might possibly be in this area.

After passing by a few more lizards, he came upon their den. Eight lizards were before him, but also someone he didn't expect to see; Kaven Windstrike. He quickly shushed Nevik, and scurried over to him. He explained that after not hearing from them for a while, he thought it would have been best to try and sneak in via the cavern behind the waterfall. Nevik called him a fool for coming out this way, and the two of them hurried back to the others.

After meeting up with everyone, they worked their way back to the cart, and headed back out to Turtleback Ferry to rest, sell, and figure out the next plan of action. They said their goodbyes to Kaven, Jubrayl, Jakradros, and Kipp as the gang headed on their way.

It, however, was still down-pouring outside, and it seem even heavier than usual. The roads were a bit muddy, and a little hard to traverse on. On the road, the party encountered an Ettin, which they dispatched with no problems. Continuing to Turtleback Ferry, they could tell the water level was rising in Skull River, and in it's lake as well. Vincent and Naolexa immediately got out of the rain to a warm food and warm bed. Valtyra went with the dwarves and Shalelu to sell the load of equipment, and Nevik decided to wander around the town for a bit.

Nevik, while wandering, noticed a man lifting crates out of the rain into the general store. Every time the man reached down to pick up the crate, Nevik noticed a tattoo on the man; the Sihedron. He staked out for two hours, watching this man enter and exit the building numerous times. After all of the crates were done, the man didn't exit the building. Nevik decide to confront this man about this, so he entered the store. The man and his wife were there, as they owned the establishment. Nevik made small talk, then got down to business. He asked if the man knew of the purpose behind the tattoo on his back, and where he got it. He explained it was a member's mark for Paradise, which sank recently.

Nevik explained that the symbol on him was linked to foul magics, and that he basically sold his soul to a sinister cause. Of course, this frightened the man, and he stated he would go see the priest first thing in the morning. With that, Nevik decided to turn in for the evening.


The next morning, Vincent woke up to get some food from the innkeeper. Nevik and Naolexa still snoozed, so Vincent went downstairs. However, the innkeeper was no where to be found. There then was a scream from outside of the house. Waking Nevik, he peered out the window to see what the commotion was about. Vincent and Naolexa rushed outside to see what the problem was.

Turtleback Ferry was drowning. The rain was still continuing, but there seemed to be a sudden increase in the water level around the town. The church was 3ft deep in water, and our heroes could see a few people scurrying on the second floor to protect what they could. Closest to them, a boat was on the verge of capsizing from a boa who was unintentionally landbound. In the boat was a large number of school children, along with their teacher. Naolexa, scared of snakes, decided to stay way from the ordeal, while Vincent rushed ahead to help the school children. Nevik instead rushed towards the building next to them to try to get on top of the roof.

Vincent attempted to throw a rope and pull the boat away, but the moment that the rope connected with folks on the boat, the boa turned his attention to Vincent. Nevik has made it to the roof by this point, and set up a rope to try and get the children to safety. As Vincent weaved into the snake with his rapier, it eventually turned it's attention towards the children again. This time, it managed to get a child in it's maw. Vincent and Nevik heard the bones of the little girl crunch underneath it's teeth, as the little girl screamed. Vincent furiously slashed at the beast, while Nevik began firing bolts at it. The boa eventually had to release the girl from the pain, and it scurried off back towards the lake. Two of the school children made to the roof, while the teacher ran with the girl in her arms. Passing by Naolexa, Naolexa offered the potion of cure serious wounds found earlier. The teacher gratefully took the potion, and continuing fleeing from the town.

However, at this time, the bridge that crossed over the skull river was destroyed, as a large surge off water came crashing through, along with a large, shadowed figured. It slunk down into the lake, and then burst through the water, turning it's gaze on the town. There was a a sense of dread coming over the party, as the Black Magga was ready to wreck havoc over the town.

The Heroes searched the room for any other items on interest in the Captain's quarters, and they noticed the nearby wine cabinet. Naolexa quickly snatched up the one bottle of wine that was intact, and Dov noticed it was quite the find. However, the group all noticed that some of the wood of this cabinet was warped, and revealed a small compartment. They peeled off the wood to find three things: a wooden coffer, a pair of olive green boots, and a silver locket. Naolexa, finding a pair of shoes in her favorite color, immediately took the boots and put them on. Vincent inspected the locket, and by opening it found a lock of golden hair. This was identified as nymph hair. The coffer, however, revealed the most interesting information, as it contained numerous parchments that contained sonnets to a Myriana, and detailed the Whisperwood. Luckily, Dov recognized the name of Whisperwood, knowing it was close to the Shimmerglens, both southwest of Turtleback Ferry.

Jakradros and Jubrayl never knew of their commander, Lamatar, to have a creative side. As they thought for a while, they remembered that Lamatar would take 2-3 days journey every month as "communion" walks. It was possible that this was cover up to go see this Myriana, but it just so hapened to be that the ogres attacked Fort Rannick while Lamatar was away. Eager to find out the status of their commander, they noted that perhaps it would be worth it to head in that direction to find this Myriana, and perhaps Lamatar.

However, they need to wrap things up here at the Fort. They moved along to the lower floor, and ran into a sight they never expected to see: pillows, fine fabric rugs, and exotic incense filled this small room found down here. Near the back of the room, a beautiful woman stood, wine glass in hand.

???: "So good of you to join me, I take it you were the ones causing the ruckus upstairs. Who might you be?"

Valtyra, at the front of the group who waited patiently in the hallway , spoke with this woman. She described herself as the leader of these ogres, her name being Lucrecia. She stated that "Mokmurian would love to meet you." as Valtyra scoffed.

VALTYRA: "Do you have anything to do with the Sihedron?"
LUCRECIA: "Indeed, what do you know of it?"
VALTYRA: "We ended it's operations in Magnimar. Some bitch by the Xanesha ran the organization of it all, but now she lies in the dirt."
LUCRECIA: "Ah, sister is dead, is she? Well, that's unfortunate to hear. I will just have to put a stop to you myself!"

With that, she transformed into a large creature with a snake like bottom and human torso, as she whipped two daggers into her hands to attack. The group ran into little issue from her, as she was only able to fail at casting a spell on Valtyra before being pounded into the floor. Jakradros riddled her with arrows along with Shalelu, while Dov cast a spell to start climbing the walls. Jubrayl and Vincent laid into her with their rapiers, sliving into her with deep cuts. Naolexa hexed her into lowering her defenses, as Dov managed to color spray her. She dropped her daggers, hands over her eyes, as the final blows were administered. With all of the cuts and slices and arrows into her, Dov finished it off with a blast of searing heat, countering the smell of the incense with burning snake skin. Lucrecia collapsed to the floor, dead, as Vincent riddled her with more holes just to be certain.

They found numerous things upon her, but one in particular was of note: a scroll with numerous names upon it. One in particular was circled however; "Kaven Windstrike". This document also had an intriguing header: "Those who have agreed to grant their greed to the master's need." Puzzled by this, Dov studied it while Vincent and Valtyra looked through the nearby door.

Prison cells lined the walls here, but Valtyra could hear the faint sounds of a light whimper. In the farthest cell from the door, Valtyra came upon the sights of two dwarves: one older, and one younger. The younger of the two was passed out on the floor, while the older one whimpered to himself. Valtyra took pity upon them, and bathed the area in holy light. After getting themselves to their feet, the older dwarf thanked them.

???: "Had you not come, we'd likely would have been the next ogre dinner. I still don't know why were weren't eaten right away..."

The dwarves were traveling merchants, Binwyn and Mardos, who had been all over Varisia in their traveling caravan. Unfortunately, their trip to Fort Rannick ended up sour, as their whole caravan was destroyed, their body guards killed, and for some reason, these two locked up and thrown in the cells. While they are dressed in rags, they offered their services to buy and trade on behalf of the group, and also his son possessed magical capabilities, and might be of some use to the group as well. Valtyra warmly welcomed them, but advised that we should maybe find them some new clothes as soon as we could.

Meanwhile, Naolexa and Dov noticed a small door handle made to be concealed within the stone wall to the south. They pulled it open, and before them was a dark cave before them. Valtyra and Vincent rejoined the group, introduced the dwarves, and prepared themselves to enter the caves...