Death by Water, in a Sphere of Fire

[Kangleton]

There were many thoughts crossing many minds, but each had seemingly accomplished nothing. The sphere remained in place, untouchable, and a persistant mystery to those gathered around it.

The air rippled with divine and arcane energies of various strengths as the small group of adventurers proceeding to attempt to discern the nature of the artifact. For all their efforts though, the group managed to discover little else other than the scalding pain of having to tolerate the object's touch. With charred skin and frusterated minds, the adventurers quickly learned that the transpiring events were more than a painful inconvenience, and rather, of unforseen and profound danger.

"Watch ou-"

...Whoever had called out had been unable to finish their sentence before the entire cavern exploded in a burst of hellish flame and debris. Those that had remained outside fell to their knees with an inability to withstand the shockwave, while those inside were flung into the air and scattered out amongst the surrounding beach and sea. As the moments began to pass in confusing silence, several men finally found the strength to stand to their feet; but that is when things went from bad to worse.

Tellesian, being the first to stand, was also the first to make himself a target for that which had been conjured in the explosion, obscured by the debris. A flaming whip, several times the length of any man, thrashed out towards the unsuspecting woodsman as he did all that he could to safely avoid the offensive. In the minutes that followed, total chaos ensued.

Imps and fiends of numerous varities spewed forth from the place in which the artifact had erupted as the other-worldly fires began to spread and touch upon those that drew near. Hellish shreeking was heard from one side of the conflict whereas only confused and pained cries could be heard from the other - it seemed as though all was lost. It was at this point, though, that Lady Luck made an appearance.

If it was not Tymora's blessing, then it is unclear what it was that caused the fiends to suddenly depart from the chaotic battlefield. Had they not fled, it would have meant certain doom for all those that had been in the area. Instead, though, each man and woman appeared to have survived. All except for one.

Of the several people that had been blasted out into the seas, among them all, Karthus was the only one not to surface.

((OOC: This was DM'ed by Sean on the Sundren IRC channel))

[MKartMaster]

"Watch ou-"

...Whoever had called out had been unable to finish their sentence before the entire cavern exploded in a burst of hellish flame and debris. Looking up just quicky enough to register a bright flash in front of his eyes, Elith suddenly found himself flying through the air. As he tumbles through space, he only registered two things.

The first being that his favorite hat, which always wore, had come off and was fluttering down some 20 feet away from him in the water.

The second being that he had just been hit in the head with a stone of rather sizable heft, presumably propelled by the prior explosion.

Being an adventurer by trade, he was naturally more worried about the former, rather than the latter.

At last, Elith collided with the surface of the water. Fortunately, due to his angle of impact, the brunt of the impact was not imparted directly, but rather in small parts as he skipped across the water, like a pebble tossed by a child. He eventually sank, to his dismay and delight. He took a moment as he sank to make a few finger waggles and garbled incantation, attempting to bind the gash on his head. He succeeded, but it burned the red-hot flame of a thousand suns. That were on fire.

His head sealed up and bloodless stemmed, Elith began his swim to the surface. It only took a few moments, and, due to a fortunate set of currents, brought him up under his hat. What luck indeed. Elith surfaced just in time to see Tellesian be swung forcefully into a boulder on the sandy beach. Cringing at the cracking impact, he noted what had done the swinging- some sort of fiend. A devil? No, more likely a demon.

As Elith swam back to shore, he could think only one thing:

"I wonder if they'll blame us for any damage caused?"

[Jaeram]

Crawling on to the beach and then flopping in to the sand, wet and weary from the hellish experience, Akodo and his boar Nago spend a few moments lying and resting on the edge of the beach, still partially in the water. After a few moments the small gnome and the wiry boar take their feet momentarily to move up the beach. Nago proceeds to root and wallow in the sand, becoming caked in semi dry debris and moments later begins to nap. Akodo flops back down in to the sand, rolls on to his back and falls asleep from exhaustion.

[Lothoir]

Reaching the beach after an onerous swim, Richard coughs up some water and then briefly focuses; eldricht energies begin to lap at the wounds he suffered from the blast and with each passing second the warlock begins to regain his strength. Surveying the beach Richard notes that everyone is still alive and he turns his hellish eyes to the sky and watches the fell flight of fiends make their way to the mainland. He cups his chin with his hand and ponders the recent events, then notices he is sopping wet. Richard takes an unseen step and is rendered invisible; after scorching the sands with his brimstone blasts for several seconds Richard disrobes then wrings his clothes out and lays them on the hellishly hot sands to dry.

[The Ice Hag]

The sheer force of the blast sent the hag flying through the air, her serpentine form tumbling over and over until it crashed into the waters.

The guise of the snake had shielded her from any real damage, but she was bruised and sore from the explosion, slightly disoriented. Propelling herself through the water she reach the shoreline, remaining away from those regaining their feet, but close enough to watch the ensuing chaos that erupted.

The fiends emerged from within the smoking rubble of the shattered cave, bringing death in their wake. Braghuru remained out of sight, content to merely observe the destruction and remain apart from the conflict.

She watched the noble paladin as he attempted to secure his armor. Caught unaware by the explosion Hano now faced the fury of an enraged demon, its flaming whip trailing behind as it approached. The creature grabbed the paladin with one hand, easily lifting him from the ground and tossing him into the ocean waters. The creatures flaming sword slashed at the knights exposed armor, cutting deep creases into its plates, leaving it scorched and burned.

The hag cackled with glee as she watched the man slam into the waters.
"A pity he did not stay and face his doom, but I suppose that would not have suited the purpose of the witch."

Slinking off into the brush, she left the heroes alone to face the horde. Perhaps, if she was lucky, most would meet their fate this day.

[Kangleton]

As the chaos comes and passes, and the wounded and confused begin to regain their composure, there still remains no sign of Karthus. Not even a single ripple remains in the place that his limp body had collided with the ocean. Underneath the calmed surface of the water, though, much happened that remained unseen.

To save his life from what he had forseen as a certain lethal impact, Karthus drew from the deepest recesses of his bond with the natural world. The transition began as his body was flung from the explosion, and was completed an instant before smashing into the ocean surface - Karthus himself took on the form of the essence of water, merging harmlessly with that which would have been his death.

Although his life had been saved, Karthus remained at the mercy of the current and tide of the sea he had become a part of, and found himself unable to fight against it as the other adventurers, along with debris, collided into the previously calm body of water. It took the entire length of the hellish fight above before the shapeshifter could build enough momentum of his own to sway the current towards the shore, bringing himself nearer. When finally he managed to do so, his elemental figure glided along the surface of the newly formed wave, appearing a vaguely defined humanoid composed entirely of sea-water.

Those who were recovering from the devilish assault on the beach stood in surprise at the sight of an elemental approaching from the South. Preparing for the worst, the disorganized adventurers were even more surprised to see that the creature avoided them entirely, doing nothing more than crashing upon the shore and proceeding to sweep across the remaining flames and heated surfaces. Upon dousing and cooling the charred lands, and without even an acknowledgement of the men and women on the beach, the elemental turned back to the sea. Gliding on the surface once more, it allowed itself to be enveloped by the sea, vanishing from view and returning from where it had come from.

To the adventurers, there had still been no sign of Karthus.

[Kangleton]

"What now?" Karthus asked, looking at Hano for an answer.

"We find it, and kill the demon." He replied with conviction.

The two of them, along with Lauan and Omnigalas, while tailed by Tieray, stood within a local fishing village near the port of Avanthyr. In actuality, it would be more appropriate to say that they stood in what was left of the village, which in truth was little more than ash and cinders. It was a troubling scene, and was certainly a product of that which had been summoned from the hells themselves.

It had been a long time since the events on the beach - perhaps even a night had passed. Time was something difficult to keep track of in moments where one could feel the grip of demons and devils only inches away, with their eyes upon you. Sleeping that night would be difficult. Regardless, the greater demon had to be tracked and banished. If the monster could lay waste to an entire village within a day's time, it had to be stopped for the best interest's of everyone, and everything.

[Cade]

Arriving on the scene late, as usual, Cade tried his best to heal those in need on the beach. He and a comely Dwarf watched puzzled as what they could only describe as an elemental, quenched the flames and rocks around where they stood.

With short conversation, Cade and his newly met accomplice went on the only adventure worth having at that particular moment: Ale!

After a few minutes’ walk, Gael stopped in front of what use to be a doorway. Two charred sticks about knee high stood in front of him. One was a bit longer than the other, but that did not seem to matter much.

Gael, looking around carefully, took one large (for a Dwarf) step inside the razed tavern. Cade followed not really caring about who was watching.

“…my beard, there’s Ale in here…” forcefully piped the Dwarf.
“While I would normally take you up on that offer” replied Cade, “I don’t need a beard…”

Both looked fiercely at what use to be the tavern. Blown asunder by some unholy blast; mugs and barrels alike were strewn around. There was blood and beer as far as the eye could see. In fact, Cade, knowing the Dwarf was not watching closely; saw a tear in his eye at the sight of the lost Ale.

“Praise be t’Helm!” exclaimed Cade, running over to a pile of debris. Cade, flung a small portion of a burnt table away. Feeling behind him, he grabbed one of the many tankards lying about.

“What! Wha’ is I’” stammered Gael, shaking with anticipation.

There in front of Cade was at least half a barrel, FULL of Ale! The barrel was ripped in half, burnt on the one side but pristine on the side that mattered, the insdie. Cade meticulously dipped the steal cup into the golden liquid. Lifting the glass without a single drop rejoining the others, he handed it to the Dwarf.

Not a second later, the dwarf pulled the mug from his bearded lips. Smiling so wide his eyes grew shut, he let out a laugh his whole belly shook. Cade, at the sight of the happy Gael quickly filled two more glasses, and they drank, and laughed.

[ThePaganKing]

Tellesian stood hidden by a massive oak tree as he surveyed the still smoldering remains of the small human village. He waited patiently, looking and listening for any sign of life or the creatures that had destroyed this village. After about 20 minutes, Tellesian emerged from the shadows of the tree and started to piece together what had happened to this village.

"Orc iron shod boots, it seems a large Orc party came through here and killed and looted, putting the village to the torch before they left....damn beasts!"

Tellesian begins to paint a picture in his mind, using his tracking skills, of the chaos that ensued during the attack. Tellesian sighs, "they didn't have a chance, but, they will be avenged."

With that, Tellesian picks up the trail of the Orcs and runs off through the forest. The trail runs straight, then zig zags, then turns towards the coast. Tellesian picks up his pace because he knows there are more villages along the coast and wants to stop the Orcs before they could do further damage.

"There the beasts are," Tellesian murmurs as he walks parallel to their path, deep in shadows, his boots making no sound on the hard packed earth. "It is time for them to meet their God."

Tellesian stands tall, breathing hard, yet eyes shining beneath his tangled hair. He gulps a large mouth full of air and then shouts aloud, nay, screams in triumph as he looks about the scattered remnants of the Orc band. "These 12 Orcs will never bother another soul again," Tellesian grunts as he wipes his blades on the shaggy shirt of the Orc leader.

Suddenly, Tellesian hears others talking. He slips quitely into the shadows and tries to pinpoint the noise. It is drifting on the wind and seems to be a bit up the path and possibly on the sandy coast. Curiosity getting the better of him, Tellesian starts up the path and after about 300 yards, comes upon a small cove with a cliff at the edge of the water. He discerns that the voices are coming from the top of the cliff and he does recognize one voice, that of Hano. Tellesian smiles and moves swiftly up the cliff edge.

When Tellesian reaches the top, he sees a very funny sight. Hano seems to be stuck in the crack of the cliff face and cannot get out. Another human and a....boar are trying to get him out. The only person he recognizes is Hano.

"Do you need help Hano," Tellesian says as he moves out of the shadows behind him. Hano only grunts as he struggles to get out of the crack. The human suddenly runs past him and hits Hano in the shoulder, only making him stuck fast.

"Here, let me help," Tellesian says as he pulls some meat out of his pack and spreads the fat from the meat along Hano's stuck limbs. He then tries to rock him back and forth, but to no avail. Tellesian then pulls out a rope, ties it to Hano's left arm, then slings the rope around a boulder for leverage and then pulls with all his strength. With a pop, Hano is catapulted backwards and out of the crack.

As Hano stands, as a bird alights on Tellesian's shoulder. Tellesian recognizes the bird and smiles. Hano then runs at the bird and tries to hit it. The bird flies up and then shits on Hano's not so shiny armor. Tellesian laughs out loud and then surveys the group to see what they are doing atop this cliff.

Tellesian finds out that the group had found a metal sphere about the size of a grapefruit and were trying to find out what it did. The group all handled the sphere and were burnt, all except for a mage named Richard. The group then tried different spells on the sphere, all to no avail.

Tellesian then looks at the crack and sees there is a small 10 by 10 cave. "Have you explored the cave yet?" Tellesian asks. The group states that they have not explored it thoroughtly, so they all, except for Hano, move into the cave. Tellesian, to the consternation of Richard, then uses a light spell so that the group could see all the details of the cave.

Richard says, "look, there is something here on the cave floor, clear the sand." The group clears the sand to see a incomplete circle and a groove in the center. "Place the sphere in the groove Richard," Tellesian says as he backs away from the groove and places himself near the cave entrance.

When Richard places the sphere in the groove, the light from Tellesian's spell fades and the air becomes thick, everyone freezes except for Tellesian, who quickly dives out of the cave, rolling and coming to his feet as the world explodes.

"What the hell," Tellesian states as he sees his comrades bodies rise in the air and then come crashing down into the water. Tellesian then looks at an increasing cloud and smells sulpher. All of a sudden, a towering fiend emerges from the cloud.

"Oh shit," Tellesian stays as he quickly jumps back, but too late as a flaming whip encompasses his waste and flings him toward a large boulder. Tellesian rolls with the blow, landing on his feet and quickly pulls his short swords out of their scabbards.

Hano looks to his armor and sighs, then rises from his knees and advances on the fiend. The fiend laughs and grabs Hano with one massive hand and throws him into the water, more than 200 feet away. The fiend then pulls a massive two handed sword from its back and cleaves Hano's armor.

The fiend then looks deeply into Tellesian's eyes, then smiles, winks, then takes off in a flurry of massive wings, followed by imps. The fiend quickly fades from sight.

Tellesian looks at the sky and says, "Oh shit!" yet again.

[Kangleton]

The extention to this story can be seen here:

http://www.sundren.org/forum/showthread.php?t=7828