A Tunnels and Trolls® play-by-post adventure run by khara_khang
Yes, titania, Fairies can turn invisible, but they use their own Fairy dust to do so. A maximum of six times per day, one hour duration each time, and it only works on yourself. Jay, you could not have done a TTYF mercy-kill on Demens because you could not see him. The shroud of fog covered everything. Once Demens left the ground, he was out of sight.
That Demens guy just got trussed up like a turkey dinner, or at least a dinner for turkeys....
"Anyone have a suggestion as to a quiet way to enter here?"
"Wow, this could be really bad."
"Well? We either go forward or go back. I don't think the latter is the safest of choices right now."
Jack's crude remarks about Demens causes him to give the skeleton a harsh glare, but he decides not to comment. Other worries trouble him even more. Krandor looks up at Felixia and says, "I expect it to get much worse before it gets better. And I do know a way to enter. We are not going back."
"So where are we now, what are we doing, and give a specific reason why?"
Krandor turns his head toward Jay and listens to his questions. "I know that we are looking for a great source of power. If it is here, then we must find it, and it will take guile, not force of arms, to win the day. I understand you, Jay, but some things can't be explained as easily as you might want. I don't want to lose anyone else, but let me tell you something very important...."
Jax opens the door, halting Krandor's words mid-sentence. Titania turns invisible as Jax opens the door and hovers near Krandor. The room behind the door is a thirty by thirty foot square typical guard room, with straw mats and a few tables. Jax and anyone within view sees fourteen armored creatures, each holding a black sword. Most of them stand around a table in the center of the room.
Among the group of magical creations stands a very odd looking spellcaster. Half of him is black; the bottom half is pale white. He is wearing a raven type hood and holds a strange looking staff, both of which are covered with runes. A gold medallion hangs around his neck. Felixia senses warping earth magic from the magical creation wizard. Jay's spell finds no magic in the foreroom, nor in the guard room except on the creatures. All of the creatures and their weapons glow magical.
For a tense moment, everyone on both sides stands motionless, sizing up the other group. Before anyone can say anything, Krandor speaks up. The magical creations start walking toward Jax, forcing him to backpedal.
Anyone fighting or fleeing, please state you are doing so now!
Sheathing his sword, Krandor says loudly, "We surrender!" holding up his hands.
Amroth-Esa is surrounded by several guards as he is escorted down a long hallway. His escort stops in front of a set of huge set of double doors. Earlier, Amroth approached the castle willingly and surrendered himself just as Grutoss told him to do. All Grutoss gave Amroth was a small sack full of beetles, but the Wizard told him nothing more than to "use them when the time is ripe."
"Yes, he said 'ripe,'" Amroth thinks. Amroth is surprised that these creatures have not taken his weapons nor his magic items, and neither do they seem to fear him, nor even show fear, for that matter.
What do you do?
"Surrender?" squeaks Felixia, confused. She throws a handful of Fairy dust over herself, and turns invisible as Titania did. She flutters up, watching the group nervously and not wanting to attack until Krandor gave the command. She is definitely nervous.
Amroth-Esa is surrounded by several guards....
Guess they like me.
[Amroth] surrendered himself just as Grutoss told him to do.
Crazy sack o' shizn*t....
All Grutoss gave Amroth was a small sack full of beetles, but the Wizard told him nothing more than to "use them when the time is ripe."
wonder when they will be; I'm hungry.
Amroth is surprised that these creatures have not taken his weapons nor his magic items...
It's probably because they are still covered with poisonous worm guts, which only he is immune to, or maybe because he smells like Fuzz? [c.f. Goblin Lake, Part Deux --ed.]
...and neither do they seem to fear him, nor even show fear, for that matter.
Then why was I surrounded in the first sentence?
Guess they like me.
Or maybe not. "Keep your friends close and your enemies closer."
...or maybe because he smells like Fuzz?
Hey! I resemble that remark!
Then why was I surrounded in the first sentence?
A very good question and who knows, maybe it even has some deep philosophical meaning, but more likely it's because they are magical constructs incapable of showing any emotion. Kind of like Ijax the Iron Golem, who's psychologically dependent on his teddy bear.
"I hate it when this happens." says Kahi as he puts his flail away, raises his hands in the air, and waits patiently for the monsters' next move.
"Krandor thinks that he has been wise by not telling us that this is a planned strategy," Titania thinks as she flies about the room, examining each entrance and exit, and looking for evidence of secret doors or any magic items that might be of use. "However, guile should only be used against the enemy, not your own."
She is frustrated. She does not like being misled, nor does she enjoy having her life placed in the hands of big ugly magical creations. She wonders if she is really invisible to these creatures, or if they can see her and are just choosing to ignore her. "One never knows with magical beings, mother always said," she thinks.
"We surrender!"
Jax laughs at the surreal moment, then realizes that Krandor does not jest. The thought that the captain may have ulterior motives---or priviledged information---that might explain his capitulation surfaces above the background noise of his Haroouugh-charged brain, and he stands down.
Belligerence at this point would in all likelihood lead only to catastrophe, as nearly happened after he and some other delvers emerged from the Goblin infested sewers beneath Khazan a year ago. His rashness then nearly cost his brother's life, and it was only through the help of the Fairy Lilac and her firewand that they escaped the ambush more or less intact.
Nevertheless, surrender never comes easy to an Orc. "That's our boss, defiant to the end," he growls, sheathing his EverSharp™ blade.
Jax's brother watches the scene unfold with squinted eyes and a furrowed brow. As he watches Krandor surrender, his gaping maw lets flow Orc saliva down his tusks and canines, only to drip on the floor with barely audible splashes. When Jax sheathes his sword in surrender, he finally snaps out of his shock.
"Outnumbered, ughn nughn," is all he manages to say as he painfully raises his arms, mimicking Krandor. He has not had much practice in surrendering. If it looks like these goons are going to attack them despite their surrender, he isn't going to go down easy. He remains on edge, waiting for Krandor to say something.
Tactics are not his forte, so he doesn't understand why Krandor led them all this way just to surrender, however, it's confusing enough that he knows it has to be, once again, all part of a bigger plan.
He scans the rest of the delvers with his beady eyes, wondering if they will surrender, too.
Jay, you could not have done a TTYF mercy-kill on Demens because you could not see him. The shroud of fog covered everything. Once Demens left the ground, he was out of sight.
But we could hear him screaming all the way over at the castle, so he was pretty loud. I would've fired, targeting the noise, and trusting on a combination of luck and IQ to guide me in the right direction. Even if it failed, it would have been an attempt.
...[Krandor] decides not to comment. Other worries trouble him even more.
Not that he'll confide them in the rest of us.
"I expect it to get much worse before it gets better."
"Thanks for sharing that with us now. Now tell me what we would have done if the 'birds' had taken you instead of Demens?"
"I know that we are looking for a great source of power. If it is here, then we must find it, and it will take guile, not force of arms, to win the day. I understand you, Jay, but some things can't be explained as easily as you might want. I don't want to lose anyone else, but let me tell you something very important...."
I'm actually somewhat mollified by this. Somewhat. Although it might not be easily explained, it's worthwhile to do so. At least he listened.
Among the group of magical creations stands a very odd looking spellcaster. [...] A gold medallion hangs around his neck. Felixia senses warping earth magic from the magical creation wizard. Jay's spell finds no magic in the foreroom, nor in the guard room except on the creatures. All of the creatures and their weapons glow magical.
This includes the gold medallion?
"We surrender!"
"However, guile should only be used against the enemy, not your own."
Captain Krandor would be wise to look up the definition of "fragged."
...it was only through the help of the Fairy Lilac....
Rhinonapper.
Sigh. Yet another mysterious twist Krandor sees fit to spring upon us suddenly. For all the information and aid he's providing, he should have not bothered bringing us. He should've just hired a bunch of louts from the nearest bar. Never mind. Jay looks at the others. Krandor, the Orcs and Kahi have surrendered.
Hmm. Far be it from me to rock the boat.
Leaning on his staff, Jay says, "I'm with them. We surrender."
Earlier, Amroth approached the castle willingly and surrendered himself just as Grutoss told him to do.
Perhaps we should have done the same and Demens would be alive. The result seems identical.
Brienna glances up at Krandor, studying his face for a moment. Does she see fear in it?
If not, she lowers her axe, quietly dispels the light on her sword, hoping the uglies in the (supposedly) lit room don't notice it, and then tries to slip her dagger discreetly up her sleeve.
If she does see fear in Krandor's face, she keeps the dagger ready to throw and waits to see how the others react. If anyone from either side attacks, her dagger goes flying at the caster.
Yes eickeric, the gold medallion shows up as magical.
No one seems to notice or care about the invisible Fairies. The magical creations move out and surround the group and then force everyone up the stairs. Either they don't fear your weapons and the items you carry, or they aren't smart enough to take them. In either case, nothing is taken from you as your group is marched up the stairs.
The castle is huge and filled with creatures of many very different types. Ten or more minutes pass as you march down corridor after corridor, and yet more stairs after more stairs. Eventually you arrive in front of a huge set of double doors. Amroth-Esa is standing in front of the doors surrounded by several guards. The corridors in all directions are filled will hundreds of creatures, each grunting and chanting in languages you don't understand. Only Krandor, Blodwydd and Felixia recognize Amroth, who is pushed into your group as the double doors are opened.
"You don't understand, Jay, we are not dealing with armies or just creatures. We're dealing with gods," Krandor whispers.
All of you are led into the very large room beyond the double doors. Near the back seated on a throne is a very strange looking green creature that is not from this realm. Two human adventurers are standing beside it, examining a black sword the creature has given them. Purple vapors drift off the sword. An archway off to one side of the creature opens up into a swirling green mist. The creatures push you into the room and then slowly back away, eventually closing the double doors behind you.
What do you do?
"Don't you just hate it when it turns out we're not fighting monsters but gods, Taran?" says Kahi as he's led into the throne room. "Especially insect ones with 8 arms, two legs and a kind of rotted chitinous flesh?" He adds with a grimace as he sees Urish.
"You don't understand, Jay, we are not dealing with armies or just creatures. We're dealing with gods."
Jay gives Krandor a good, swift kick to the posterior, while shouting, "WOW, THANKS FOR LETTING US IN ON THAT INSIGNIFICANT DETAIL!"
He adds in a normal voice, "I would have warned you about the kick, but I didn't think it was prudent for you to know about it until it was too late for you to do anything about it."
"And what would you have done if you had known earlier?" Brienna asks Jay simply. "We would have still run from those creatures, we would have still run through the tunnels, and most likely we would have still gone through that door. The only question is how many of us would be here, and how many of us would have fled like cowards, most likely to be eaten by those winged beasts."
Felixia shivers as her companions are led away, "Titania, this is bad. This is very bad. We should follow to see where they take them," she says, fluttering after them and hoping Titania follows.
Reaching the other room, she simply watches what is going on. She doesn't want to go near the god. That could be bad. She stays back, trying to see if there is anything she can notice or detect.
Jay responds to Brienna, "You ask, 'How many of us would still be here?' The answer might very well be one more than we have at present. If he had bothered to tell us what he knew beforehand, we wouldn't have stood there in the trees debating about where to go next, scouting ineffectively, and waiting to be surprised by the bird things. We would have run to the castle immediately and kept an eye out for an attack from above. Only one came down---we could have blasted it from the sky had we known about it.
"Perhaps you like being kept ignorant---that's fine. I don't. If there's a shred of information that might keep us alive and help complete our task successfully, we have a need to know. He's already shown he's kept far too much from us already---how much more is being kept from us? We may be faced with gods, but he's certainly not one, and shouldn't be playing one. He obviously doesn't have all the answers, or we wouldn't be short one life. Perhaps if we knew what he does, we could puzzle out a better or more effective strategy than blindly following him? I was more than willing to give him the benefit of the doubt eartlier, but his capacity to lead died when our compatriot died needlessly, and his judgment is now questionable.
"That is the issue here."
"Well then, fine Wizard of great power, answer me this: if a great and holy Paladin dies honorably, where does he go? To the gods above, of course. These blighters back here ain't no threat to the gods, but then again they are a threat to us, which is bad; but we could fix that if we had a Toad. I once knew a Toad---bad friend---but then I died. As you and the rest of us shall. But consider this, if you keep talking, you'll suck in even more of this green mist; who knows, then you could suffocate just as I did."
"...where does he go? To the gods above, of course."
"If you say so. Who are you?"
"I once knew a Toad---bad friend---but then I died. As you and the rest of us shall."
"Never mind, I'm not really interested in who you are."
"...if you keep talking, you'll suck in even more of this green mist; who knows, then you could suffocate just as I did."
"What color is the sky in your world? Just wondering."
How many exits does Titania see in this room? Does the god seem to be aware of her presence?
"If you say so. Who are you?"
"Ah, a question which no soul has heard answered for some time. Hi fellow, uh, friends. I probably shoulda been more introductive of myself. Well hiya now. My name is Amroth. Of the clan Esa. (Blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah)" He tells about himself.
"Never mind, I'm not really interested in who you are."
Too bad I couldn't hear you say that over myself speaking.
"What color is the sky in your world? Just wondering."
"Depends on the colors of the leaves on the trees.... Lone Wolf! There you are! Grutoss spoke of you, but I couldn't concentrate, with his glowing eyes and everything. But remember where I told you that you would survive? That still applies.
Another thing: Krandor, Blodwydd and Felixia need to remember that if we find a ring that helps with extra Mystic, I called dibs on it [back in Goblin Lake, Part Deux --ed.]. Heh-heh. I should probably tell everyone else that.
"(Blah blah <22> blah)"
Jax ignores the loon spouting off nonsense, as well as the intra-party bickering that flares up. "Nusuth," he mutters in Yithian: it doesn't matter. What does matter is what this offworlder bug and the two hu-manns do next, and he stands his ground until that time.
The uglier (remember, uglier to Orcs is actually prettier) Orc brother follows up his brother's sentiment with his own Yithian grumbles as he gazes in awe at the black sword: "That ain't your daddy's sword, bro!" [translated from Yithian --ed.]
What can Taran do but watch the scene unfold before him? The swirling mist-filled archway bothers him. It reminds him too much of a portal he stepped through long ago, back when he was a young Orc trying to make a name for himself as an agent in the service of Arahk Gnahk himself.
Shaking off the memories of his first---and almost his last---adventure, Taran returns his thoughts to the present. What strange twists of circumstance are about to be thrust upon them? "Please, no more time travel!" Taran thinks.
Another thing: Krandor, Blodwydd and Felixia need to remember that if we find a ring that helps with extra Mystic, I called dibs on it. Heh-heh. I should probably tell everyone else that.
That was in the last adventure. Johnny-Come-Lately Amroth can get in line behind the mages who started this adventure. ;P
Jax ignores the loon spouting off nonsense....
For once, this doesn't seem to apply to me. I'm now officially happy to have Amroth-Esa in the group.
... as well as the intra-party bickering that flares up.
There's no intraparty bickering. Krandor apparently does not trust the rest of us enough to truly call this a cohesive partty. (And Jay was more than willing to give him the benefit of the doubt when we started. When we started to die needlessly, and he has made no effort to correct that---that speaks volumes.)
The uglier (remember, uglier to Orcs is actually prettier)....
This means you're falling madly in love with the pseudogod on the throne, eh?
What can Taran do but watch the scene unfold before him?
If you want to give Krandor a kick in the pants, I won't complain.
Just for the record eickeric, your character's compatriot didn't die needlessly. No matter what Jay could have done, Demens would have still died. It's not like anyone knew they would swoop down and grab him. Titania doesn't see any other exits save the doors behind you, the archway into the swirling mist and twenty-seven very large paintings.
All of you are led into a very large room. The floors are cracked and the castle seems to be showing its age. Near the back seated on a throne is a very strange looking green creature that is not from this realm. Valuables can been seen scattered on the floor around it. Two human adventurers are standing beside it and examining a black sword the creature has apparently given them. Purple vapors drift off the sword. An archway off to one side of the creature opens up into a swirling green mist. The walls of the room are covered with twenty-seven very large paintings, some ten feet square and almost touching the floor. Their frames are of hideous design, with skulls, and eyes which blink, and tormented beings which twist and move. The scenes in them are shadowy and blurred. With a buglike noise from the creature seated on the throne, the two human adventurers fade and disappear.
Dexterously, Krandor avoids Jay's kick and grabs him by the shirt, pulling him in close. His fist is clenched and his voice hard, "Listen to me, you sniveling little twit. Any other time I would pound you into a grease ball, but I need you. I need everyone. You think I know more than I do, but I don't. I wish the hell I did. You want to be in charge? OK then, you're the leader now. I hope your judgment is better than mine. Now use this before it kills me." Krandor forces his gold medallion secretly into Jay's hand and then pushes Jay away, turns and approaches the creature.
Instead of going up to the throne, Krandor turns to his right and runs into one of the paintings. The surface of the painting shimmers as Krandor enters it. A wizard standing there, unseen in the shadows, stiffarms Krandor and knocks him to the ground inside the painting. As the painting itself focuses, you can see that it is a portal to another world or dimension. It is likely that each of the paintings is such a portal.
Urish stands up in front of his throne. "Who dares to enter my chambers without first bowing and praying to me!" His voice sounds odd, humming like a bee.
What do you do?
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