Tuesday, March 13, 2012

Nine Months Later...Part Two...The End


Crom Critically Fumbles again (and then again, actually), followed by Gary's second Critical Fumble on the day.  Arnie, in desperation, makes his way to the feet of the beast and lays hands on him, casting Inflict Critical Wounds.  The entire party wonders what that feels like.  Ewwww...

There is more demon-slap damage, answered by a sweet fireball from Eva.  Gary the Ranger fumbles again and plugs an arrow into Arnie the Cleric.  Again.  At this point, several of the players notice the darkness is dissipating.  More punching, axeing, and chopping ensues.  Vanya's Heal check discloses that Hrunchuk is dead.  But...

the arrows are still flying.  WTF?  Gary, Eva, and Arnie continue attacking the archer off in the distance.  Everyone is in for the shock of their lives as the archer finally falls, and it is revealed the assassin is none other than...

POPORI!  Gary's Ranger friend!  Turncoat!  Traitor!

As Gary was the one who fired the fatal shot, he is quite overcome with disbelief.  Eva's attempt at solace goes like this: "So, who's the better ranger now?"

Gary Searches the body (of course) and finds a note on Popori's corpse.  Essentially, he and Nadima were in love and planning to run away together (after he'd killed her rescuers/protectors first, of course).  An interrogation of Nadima is pointless as she is stricken with grief at the loss of her soulmate.  Discussion then transpires about what to do.  Leave Nadima here?  Take her back to her father?  Take her to Campbell?

Eva comes in with the quote of the day: "We need to kill this bitch and get the hell out of Dodge!"  However, nobody else has quite the same level of enthusiasm, so no action is taken.  Until the group hears shouts - someone is calling their names.  Someone wearing the attire of the House of Campbell.  The messenger asks the company to bring Nadima to the General Assembly.  There is a general sense of incredulousness as the party wants to know: WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?!

In what Tordek describes as "continuing down the rabbit hole", the party finally opts to escort Nadima back to town - if only to see where this all ends up.  As the group crosses a large bridge, a group of green-tuniced soldiers make their way towards them.  The green tunics are of the House of Estercari, and the party suspects they will try to make off with the princess.  But, nothing could be farther from the truth.  One of the archers steps out of the group and fires an arrow at...

PRINCESS NADIMA?!  WHAT?  Her own father is trying to have her killed! It is Eva's dream come true!

But, before they can kill the princess, a troop of blue-tuniced guards arrive to take on the greenies.  The party, refusing to engage in the battle themselves, enjoys a little leisure time here as they watch the two groups kill each other.  

Within a few moments, the battle is over, and the Campbell messenger and the party make their way to the General Assemblage.  Four hundred and eighty of the city's most important personages...and it takes every ounce of self-restraint on Eva's part not to launch a Fireball into the throng.  Essentially, here's how the meeting shakes out:

1. Campbell addresses the Assembly.  Presents the Princess to the men.
2. The Codifex seems quite put out his supposed-to-be-dead daughter is alive.
3. Princess tells of her father's betrayal.
4. Assembly decides to execute current Codifex.
5. Assembly executes current Codifex.
6. Campbell crowned new Codifex.
7. Party is offered the job of: Chief City Wardens. 
8. They accept.  For the most part.

And with that, the adventure of Beneath Two Suns has now come to an end.  But...for motives unknown to only Gary the Ranger, the following conversation with Princess Nadima unfolds:

G: Hi.
PN: No response.
G: Sorry about your father.  (Who was executed JUST NOW!)
PN: I'm not!  That rabble!  That rast!
Gary pulls out his Ring of Swimming and offers it to the Princess.
G:  Will you marry me?
(DM has him roll a Charisma check.  Gary Critically Fumbles.)
PN: How dare you?  (She slaps him soundly)
G: Well, how about a coffee sometime?
(Another Charisma check.  Another Critical Fumble.)
PN: Ahhhhhhhhhhh!  (She flees, utterly repulsed)

Meanwhile, Tordek has gone off in search of Wanek, of the House of Eward, who happens to own the group money for a job done earlier in the week.

T: We've killed a lot of people today.  So pay up.
Wanek: Okay.

Because of the new job descriptions, Tordek is now finally able to purchase and wear metal armor.  And Vanya puts a sweet new monk's belt on layaway at the local monk belt store.

And with that - REALLY - the adventure ends:

Nine Months Later...Part One


Oh manmanmanmanman!  Can it finally be?  The finale of the Beneath Two Suns adventure? 

YES!

As your trusty scribe, I am finally able to report: this blog entry is the culmination of a nine-month long adventure.  Prepare yourselves.

Lest you've forgotten, this party contains: a dwarf fighter, a sorceress, ranger, monk, barbarian, and cleric (all human).

The task at hand involves escorting Princess Nadima to the Forbidden Gardens and the Temple of Hrunchuk.  After crossing the canal (of red, scummy water), the group takes a brief break before making a vital decision:

Two paths diverge into a wood...which one will make all the difference?

Not that any of this group will have heard of Robert Frost, but the message is crucial, nonetheless.  The path to the party's south is the closest, and thus, seems as good as any.  The players trek a windywindywindy trail into the forest.  Oddly, the rangers choose not to roll any kind of Track/Survival/Knowledge Nature, inducing Eva to observe, "I guess Rangers have to care."  The sorceress sends her hawk (Lady Hawke) ahead to scout the way, and soon, the party is rewarded with news of "horse-like creatures" up ahead.  Inquiring minds want to know: Do we proceed?  Are they armed?  Are they vicious?  They have horns?  How many?  Are they unicorns?

In a move that would make bra-burners everywhere proud, the women of the party go on a recon mission.  Eva casts Invisibility on herself and Vanya the monk, who then Critically Fumbles a Listen check...temporarily going deaf.

While this is occurring, it is noted that Gary's fervent desire to have a weird pet familiar does not extend to the cool-ass buffalo the party is about to encounter.  Also, Tordek is experiencing alignment difficulties as he contemplates what to do with the Princess in the event of a stampede.  He finally decides he will throw her into the oncoming herd, but pull her back just in time to prevent her death, thus satisfying his bipolar nature.

The company plans to creep, ever so quietly, around the herd of creatures (who are quietly grazing)...and it seems to be going well, until Popori Critically Fumbles a Move Silently check.  His subsequent crashing about cause panic in the horned animals, who begin charging at once.  There is much swinging and punching and shooting and flaming.  A buffalo descends upon Nadima, and it seems for one glorious moment that she may be gored to death.  But, alas, she is not...and there is much disappointment.  Crom, however, in his flamboyant metrosexual way, performs a dazzling "El Matador" move on one of the moving creatures.

Soon, though, the smell of singed buffalo fur hangs acridly in the air.   

The company continues on until they come to a T-intersection, and a huge statue of a scary-looking demon type thing.  Somebody whose identity escapes the scribe at present remembers that the Princess was to be taken to the room under the statue of Hrunchuk in the Forbidden Gardens.   However, nobody has taken ranks in Knowledge: Hrunchuk, and consequently, it's unclear if this is the correct statue.  The group also perceives a group of men sparring off in the distance...who then perceive them...and who then advance towards the pondering party. 

Vanya, on a low Spot check, notices the rushing horde appear to be wearing the same type of clothing as her.  Arnie notes that this "seems like a holy place."  And Eva notes that it "seems like a monk-y" place.  General battle preparation go as follows:

Eva casts mage Armor.
Crom begins to instantly Rage.
Arnie attempts to use his new wand of Magic Missile.  However, a low Use Magical Device roll causes one charge to fizzle right at his feet.

The monk force rushes headlong into melee combat with the party.  They wield halberds, and OOG, a wife triumphantly corrects her husband on his weaponry knowledge.

A larger monk appears near the back of the group of fighting monks, and as he is indicated by a yellow dice, Arnie the Cleric is prompted to ask, "Lemon?"

Between Crom's sword, Tordek's axe, Eva's Magic Missiles, and Gary's arrows, the monk armada dwindles to one: Lemon.  Tordek, engaged in melee combat with him, takes an amazing 30 points of punch damage to the face.  And from there...things kind of fall apart...

Vanya Critically Fumbles (her second one) on an attack, and falls to the ground, but not before stumbling into Tordek next to her.  Crom then Critically Fumbles and slices Vanya while she's down.  Eva suggests Lemon would do well to stand back and let these three finish each other off themselves before she seals Lemon's fate with a well-placed Magic Missile. 

Giddy about her restraint in not killing the Princess, Eva excitedly runs to tell Arnie about it.  However, the cleric, fresh from a three-way with two monk fighters, is lying on the ground in pain.  He can only respond to Eva's exuberance with a weak thumbs-up.

After the battle, the group continues to answer the riddle surrounding the statue and its hidden room.  A plaque instructs all statue viewers to "Bow to Hrunchuk".  The group then forces Nadima to incline to the statue...she cries, but does so.  As expected, nothing happens.  But it was well worth a try.

Eva soon discovers a latch that releases a trapdoor.  The party sees a ladder that into a room below.  Gary descends, and is able to act as a cushion for the falling Princess Nadima, who has been pushed into the hole by You-Know-Who.  After that, though, Gary and the others who've descended into the room are agoggedly distracted at the numerous shelves containing all kinds of fancy, expensive swag.  Crom is drawn to a shelf that holds crowns and tiaras, and Eva soon joins him in picking out the most prettiest, complimentariest one there.  Because there's time, several of the party members do a Take 20 on Search check, which turn up two secret rooms.

Room #1: A pantry of sorts.  Gary the Ranger bursts in, and begins eating grain from a burlap sack.  A failed Fortitude roll on his part reveals the grain was rancid.  So, why did Gary eat the spoiled food?  Because, as everyone now knows, that's what Gary does.

Room #2: A lovely, gardenesque room with a tinkling fountain. 

Frustration is mounting for a few members of the party because per Campbell's orders, Nadima is in the place she is supposed to be.  AND NOTHING IS HAPPENING.  Many minutes are spent Searching, pondering, and venting...in the meantime, darkness has fallen (a fact that is often mentioned by the DM - it must be important). 

Eva casts Invisibility on Vanya, who volunteers to take the first watch near the statue of Hrunchuk up above.  It is not long before Vanya notices that she is surrounded by an "unnatural darkness"...and so she summons Tordek, the dwarf who has darkvision.  He too is awed by his inability to perceive anything not right in front of his own face, causing him to announce, "It's really dark."  Vanya descends into the chamber to retrieve Eva, who might have a handy little light spell.  The minute the monk is out of sight, the dwarf is attacked by crazy laser-beams that appear to be coming from somewhere above him.  He takes damage before calling for help.  And that help is greatly needed, because...

IT'S HRUNCHUK!  THE DEMON!  HE'S ALIVE! 

The DM instructs Tordek, Vanya, and Crom to roll Will saves, and while the monk and barbarian succeed, the fighter and ranger spend one turn cowering in fear.  The other players slowly emerge from the secret chamber below to help slay the beast.  Crom takes two points of slap damage from the demon, prompting him to shout, "Oh, no, you didn't!"  Cowering in fear obviously weakened Tordek, who Critically Fumbled his next attack, and sliced Vanya in the back for 17 points.

As if that weren't bad enough, arrows come zinging out of the darkness, piercing the players.  The darkness is still hanging, making battle extremely difficult for the party.

Stay tuned for Part Two.