//OOC: As a Quick recap of the last session, after going through the portal we fought our way past some picket lines and to a large castle, once inside we heard a voice laughing at us and calling the whole fortress to attack, which they did. We fought off the immortal kings minions as as well as some of his lieutenants, then attempted to fight the king himself. Turns out he some kind of Lich-demon, and we barely scratched him whilst he ripped us up. We managed to retreat back out of the castle in good order to try and work out a way of getting out. While we were outside we were occasionally set upon by more minions (fortunately the king didn't seem willing to follow us).
Eventually we found a dryad that would talk to us, closed off in the smaller structure near the keep. She told us the king was busy summoning something, and that it was unnatural (either the thing he was summoning or the act of summoning, not sure). We had seen a light at one end of one of the corridors that seemed like it might be a portal, so we decided to bum-rush it and hope nobody died. We had to battle some more minions but the king didn't make a second appearance.
We made it through, and we were back in the caverns, but there were still more beastmen, and during a fight with a group of them, one of Eleni's fireballs went awry, and she was killed. The shade-like avatar of Thanatos showed up and clawed at her body (despite our best efforts to stop it) then vanished. We were carrying her back up through the temple when we heard an army approaching through the portal behind us, we ducked into the secret area of the temple, only to find Macreus there waiting. We cut a deal with him, he'd raise Eleni as long as we promised to honour a truce between us until the immortal king was defeated, he also explained that the Immortal king was a Demon Lich and that it would have secreted it soul in a phylactery somewhere, probably some sort of powerful magical item. At the end of the session we were resting inside the hidden temple.
IC:
Telemachus felt truly washed-out. He didn't think he'd been more exhausted ever in his life. An entire days worth of sprinting from one battle to the next and taking too many wounds to count had taken its toll, and he was glad of the chance to recuperate for a while, and doubly glad that they'd managed to get Eleni back into the land of the living without too much of a struggle. The best way forward now seemed to be to find a way down into the main complex, but with that impassable door, they'd likely have to find a key elsewhere. There were large areas of the caverns below that they had not explored , but they'd have to cross near the portal again to get there. Anyway, it could all wait until tomorrow, Tel thought, as he gratefully slipped into sleep.
Heroes of the Peloponnese Game Thread #2
Moderator:Lazybones
Re: Heroes of the Peloponnese Game Thread #2
Leonaidas didn't like demons and this lich demon he was sure he didn't like; though he wasn't really clear what a lich was exactly. They had barely scratched the giant lich demon in the first encounter, and they were lucky to get away from him intact. Their new ally had said something about some sort of magical artifact they would have to find and destroy to overcome this creature. Somehow he didn't expect that to be so easy to find or destroy; it was very likely secreted away in the part of the crypt they had not been able to penetrate due to a lack of a key, which very likely was guarded or close to the creature itself, so hardly an easily solvable chicken and the egg puzzle. A long quiet evening with that elusive dryad was sounding better and better.
Re: Heroes of the Peloponnese Game Thread #2
She'd died.
That was quite a difficult notion to come to terms with. She remembered pain, surprise - an overwhelming feeling of ohcrapno - then... nothing much. Cold. Dark. Alone - or rather, with only the spectre of death for company.
It was not an experience she was eager to repeat.
But she couldn't let that change anything. The path forward was at least a little bit clearer than it had seemed before, though the cost of victory seemed to be growing with each step forward.
That was quite a difficult notion to come to terms with. She remembered pain, surprise - an overwhelming feeling of ohcrapno - then... nothing much. Cold. Dark. Alone - or rather, with only the spectre of death for company.
It was not an experience she was eager to repeat.
But she couldn't let that change anything. The path forward was at least a little bit clearer than it had seemed before, though the cost of victory seemed to be growing with each step forward.
Re: Heroes of the Peloponnese Game Thread #2
Katamarene bit at her lower lip as she watched Eleni walk forward after the priest. Then shook her head a little and followed.
"This is a bad business," she murmured softly to others nearby. "The enemy of my enemy might be a friend for a while, but we can be sure they'll turn if they have the chance." Brown eyes fixed on the priest's back. "We gave our word, on the gods so we must keep it, but watch and if he even looks like he might be even beginning to think of possibly trying something, all bets are off."
"This is a bad business," she murmured softly to others nearby. "The enemy of my enemy might be a friend for a while, but we can be sure they'll turn if they have the chance." Brown eyes fixed on the priest's back. "We gave our word, on the gods so we must keep it, but watch and if he even looks like he might be even beginning to think of possibly trying something, all bets are off."
Re: Heroes of the Peloponnese Game Thread #2
+700xp to Damien, Telemachus, Leonidas, Eleni, Andreas, and Kataramene for IC posting.
Server is up at 108.211.35.121:5121
PWs are as usual.
LB
Server is up at 108.211.35.121:5121
PWs are as usual.
LB
Re: Heroes of the Peloponnese Game Thread #2
Polytropos sat in the gloom, near the others, sharpening the star-metal sword on a piece of stone. Small sparks flickered from it with each draw, and a cold grey light was in his eyes. Before that, he had cleaned and oiled the Cretan leather he wore, he had inspected the heads of his arrows, he had strung and tested his bow, and he had polished the dented bronze of his shield, all as he had been taught. He nodded, smiled, and listened to each of the companions as they spoke, but with his silence, he spoke of battle.
Re: Heroes of the Peloponnese Game Thread #2
The plan was to go back with the help of the priest of Thanatos and so they did using passages not seen before and this time without being attacked by the undead guardians.
The priest stopped saying that he had done is part and would go no further. The group reluctantly proceeding hoping to get close enough to the King to ambush him. Easier said than done as it turned out they they were spotted by sentinels who had already triggered the alarm. Soon an army would be after them. For now, the choice was either to go forward or retreat and try another passage.
"I say we go back try that other passage" said Andreas.
"We sure have more more chance that way where they don't expect us, don't you think?"
Andreas posed a moment looking at his friends faces, he could not tell what they were thinking.
"If that can help, perhaps we send scouts in both direction and hold the ground here until they report about enemies movements."
The priest stopped saying that he had done is part and would go no further. The group reluctantly proceeding hoping to get close enough to the King to ambush him. Easier said than done as it turned out they they were spotted by sentinels who had already triggered the alarm. Soon an army would be after them. For now, the choice was either to go forward or retreat and try another passage.
"I say we go back try that other passage" said Andreas.
"We sure have more more chance that way where they don't expect us, don't you think?"
Andreas posed a moment looking at his friends faces, he could not tell what they were thinking.
"If that can help, perhaps we send scouts in both direction and hold the ground here until they report about enemies movements."
Re: Heroes of the Peloponnese Game Thread #2
"We don't have time for scouting," Kataramene said, and looked at the narrow doorway ahead through which the snorting yipping sounds of beastmen could be heard, then glanced back at the others. "They are upon us, and we'd face them here before we could learn what was behind."
"We've options," she said quickly. "There is that passage back there which leads somewhere we don't know. We could go through it, having left some indication we are going down to the crypts, and hope they follow the signs. We could then double back out this way. It might mean less of a force to face going back up to the temple, or whatever it was, but then again it might not, and even if it does we would have others at our back."
"Alternatively we could go through and hope it offers a way out," the young woman continued, "which is a large risk as we have no idea what we would have to face. Again, we could have a foe to face through there and these creatures behind us."
Her eyes returned to the opening ahead. "Another option is to go on through there," she said a little grimly, "which has the advantage of being a foe we have faced before, but with an unknown number of them. Perhaps we could make it as far as that secret door and hide, but who knows what their numbers are. If we get as far as the Immortal we would at least have thinned the numbers at his command."
"Another potential is to ..." she paused slightly. "To collapse this entrance if we go back to that other corridor. "It would stop them, but the risk ... well." She shook her head. "That's all I can think of quickly, so unless anyone can come up with a better idea, and the gods know I wouldn't mind if you can, I suggest we choose one quickly."
"We've options," she said quickly. "There is that passage back there which leads somewhere we don't know. We could go through it, having left some indication we are going down to the crypts, and hope they follow the signs. We could then double back out this way. It might mean less of a force to face going back up to the temple, or whatever it was, but then again it might not, and even if it does we would have others at our back."
"Alternatively we could go through and hope it offers a way out," the young woman continued, "which is a large risk as we have no idea what we would have to face. Again, we could have a foe to face through there and these creatures behind us."
Her eyes returned to the opening ahead. "Another option is to go on through there," she said a little grimly, "which has the advantage of being a foe we have faced before, but with an unknown number of them. Perhaps we could make it as far as that secret door and hide, but who knows what their numbers are. If we get as far as the Immortal we would at least have thinned the numbers at his command."
"Another potential is to ..." she paused slightly. "To collapse this entrance if we go back to that other corridor. "It would stop them, but the risk ... well." She shook her head. "That's all I can think of quickly, so unless anyone can come up with a better idea, and the gods know I wouldn't mind if you can, I suggest we choose one quickly."
Re: Heroes of the Peloponnese Game Thread #2
Damian shook his head. "I'm no tactician, so I cannot offer any advice aside from that we should avoid as many beastmen as possible. We would be best to not over tax ourselves if at all possible. That being said, I think misdirection might be in order." He paused and looked down the tunnel. "As you said, Kat, whatever we do, we had best do it soon."
((Just a reminder: I'll have my spells, but I won't have Aias until I can rest again. Also, I had to get up early to deal with the puppies, so I may be a bit slow on the uptake.))
((Just a reminder: I'll have my spells, but I won't have Aias until I can rest again. Also, I had to get up early to deal with the puppies, so I may be a bit slow on the uptake.))
Re: Heroes of the Peloponnese Game Thread #2
I say we take the other exit and hope they spend time searching the tombs. Maybe we can block that narrow area with something to slow them down a bit too, they'll take longer if they have to swim.