RAVENLOFT: Down the Dark Road

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Wolfglide of the Fraternity
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Re: RAVENLOFT: Down the Dark Road

Post by Wolfglide of the Fraternity »

And conserving my magic, thinks Klokulf, as he rubs the sleep from his eyes. At least noon will come in short order.

Then terrible thoughts strike him: What if that fog returns at just the wrong moment? What if this place in which we have found ourselves is beyond the Lawgiver's reach? What if I am held away from His order for all eternity?

Another idea occurs, and his eyes lose focus as he mulls it over. After a moment, he shakes his head, as though trying to empty it out.

Remembering his morning routines, he stuffs his bedroll into his pack, shoulders it, then shuffles a short distance from camp to find a privacy tree.
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Re: RAVENLOFT: Down the Dark Road

Post by ewancummins »

Welcome as the sight of the swamp may have been last evening, escaping from the Dark Road through the Mists, anyone not blinded by optimism can see how the wetland has taken on an especially dismal aspect with the dawn. It almost seems to have changed a bit, overnight...
In all directions, pale vapors of white, yellow, and green pool and eddy over the black waters.
The willow under which the party has taken rest appears healthy enough, but many of the other trees in view appear twisted and blighted, with shelf fungi hanging thick on their peeling trunks.

And the purple clouds in the lead-colored skies look ready to pour down rain at any moment.
Delight is to him- a far, far upward, and inward delight- who against the proud gods and commodores of this earth, ever stands forth his own inexorable self.

-from Moby Dick (Hermann Melville)
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Re: RAVENLOFT: Down the Dark Road

Post by Adam »

Bennedict is awakened by a bought of coughing. He wipes at his face, watching in irritation as his hand trembles. He looks around at the group's dismal surroundings and shakes his head, regretfully. "This seems to be a truly awful place. Let us hope we find some sign of civilization soon."

He spends the hour interlude muttering incantations to himself as he studies his prayer book, cursing in irritation at his shaking hands, until finally a flash of light fills the camp and he sighs, his discomfort obviously gone. He nods in satisfaction and closes the book, tucking it away carefully in his cloak. "Shall we be off, then?"
"Of course," Benn mutters, "It would be a damned shame if we ever knew what the hell was actually going on."
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Re: RAVENLOFT: Down the Dark Road

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The party cannot find the broken road section it followed out of the Mists and into this swamp.

It's as if the boggy ground has swallowed the pavement.

Benn tries following a sluggish current in hopes of finding a river that might lead to a settlement, but the course he takes only leads the party into a denser and foggier area of swamp, where blighted trees crowd in on every side, blocking the view of anything more than a dagger toss distant. No river in sight, much less a town.


Alwina gets stuck in quicksand, and it takes two men to pull the maiden free.

Chilly rain falls for two or more hours, forcing the party to shelter under trees or else to endure a thorough damping. And once wet, little short of stripping down before a campfire suffices to dry out clothing—the clammy vapors swirling over the swamp waters cling to cloth and crawl up skin.

A midday break in the cloud warms the air and brings swarms of mosquitoes and biting flies.
By now, despite the best efforts of Benn and his companions, the party appears to be totally lost. Not that they really knew where they were to begin with.

Frequent breaks prevent serious fatigue, but can’t stop creeping hunger and thirst—the party can drink rainwater, but even that tastes a bit stale and metallic.
(Alain seems okay as far as provisions, but the scant rations of the others have begun to spoil at an alarming rate)

Then Kat hears some faint commotion. Quieting down and remaining still, the others hear it too- a distant ring of metal, muffled shouts, a cry of pain or anger. It seems to be coming from someplace more or less to the south, beyond a thick patch of black willows.
Delight is to him- a far, far upward, and inward delight- who against the proud gods and commodores of this earth, ever stands forth his own inexorable self.

-from Moby Dick (Hermann Melville)
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Re: RAVENLOFT: Down the Dark Road

Post by Adam »

Bennedict crouches next to their path, readying his crossbow from his back. "Be cautious. We don't know what kind of a fight we're walking into."

He'll head in that direction, but he'll allow stealthier members of the group to move ahead first.
"Of course," Benn mutters, "It would be a damned shame if we ever knew what the hell was actually going on."
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Re: RAVENLOFT: Down the Dark Road

Post by ewancummins »

Three figures struggle in a soggy, misty glade circled by willows: two armed men against a hideous green monster half again as tall as a man.
Another man hangs back from the fray.

The monster rakes one of the embattled humans with its black claws, leaving him sprawled on his back in the mud with white ribs poking through the bloody mess of torn flesh, ripped padding, and broken mail.
It lurches forward, mouth gaping as if ready to gobble a tasty treat.

The second man swings his ax at the creature’s head— but the monster’s left arm shoots up like a striking snake and grabs the weapon by the haft just under the head.
The monster wrenches the battle-axe free with ease and tosses the stolen weapon over its shoulder to land in the water with a big splash.

The third human, standing little distance back, curses aloud as he hastily strikes two small objects together over a piece of wood clamped awkwardly under one arm, against his side. Something flickers in the hazy air about his hands as he hits the objects together with a clicking rasp.
Delight is to him- a far, far upward, and inward delight- who against the proud gods and commodores of this earth, ever stands forth his own inexorable self.

-from Moby Dick (Hermann Melville)
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Re: RAVENLOFT: Down the Dark Road

Post by kintire »

Kat slips forwards between the willows, using the glade for cover, angling to come in behind the huge monster. She is not about to let it kill their only chance at directions out of this swamp.

Neither, however, does she fancy having her ribs torn out. As soon as her deft stab from behind has landed she will be bounding back...
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Re: RAVENLOFT: Down the Dark Road

Post by ewancummins »

kintire wrote:Kat slips forwards between the willows, using the glade for cover, angling to come in behind the huge monster. She is not about to let it kill their only chance at directions out of this swamp.

Neither, however, does she fancy having her ribs torn out. As soon as her deft stab from behind has landed she will be bounding back...


The creature howls in pain as it twists round to swipe at Kat--but the burglar has already leapt clear.

The man who just lost his axe puts both hands on his badly-hurt comrade and keeps dragging.

The monster wheels away from Kat with an angry hiss. It lurches at the downed man and grabs his feet it its long, rubbery fingers.
Burbling evilly, the creature jerks the injured man so hard that his comrade is left holding scraps of armor and cloth.

The third man lights his torch and splashes forward, lifting the fire high and waving it before him.
Delight is to him- a far, far upward, and inward delight- who against the proud gods and commodores of this earth, ever stands forth his own inexorable self.

-from Moby Dick (Hermann Melville)
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Re: RAVENLOFT: Down the Dark Road

Post by Adam »

Bennedict hurries forward, grabbing the wounded man's other hand and helping to pull while channeling healing energy to stabilize his wounds.
"Of course," Benn mutters, "It would be a damned shame if we ever knew what the hell was actually going on."
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Re: RAVENLOFT: Down the Dark Road

Post by Wolfglide of the Fraternity »

Klokulf, seeing the third man's use of a torch, gets an idea. He grabs his sleeve, which he had pulled back on the approach to the noise, and rolls it back down over his holy symbol. He speaks a short phrase--not in Vaasi--contorts his fingers, and jerks his hands toward the bog monster.
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Re: RAVENLOFT: Down the Dark Road

Post by ewancummins »

Swamp lights rise from the thin vapors swirling over the glade and form ghostly lanterns.
The conjured lights encircle the monster and begin spinning.


The magic trick distracts the monster for a moment, allowing Benn an opening to rush in and lay a healing hand on its dying victim.
The man Benn's just grabbed jerks hard, as if waking from a nightmare, and rises to his knees with a groan.
Delight is to him- a far, far upward, and inward delight- who against the proud gods and commodores of this earth, ever stands forth his own inexorable self.

-from Moby Dick (Hermann Melville)
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Re: RAVENLOFT: Down the Dark Road

Post by Adam »

"Come!" the Lamordian growls, "Get clear before it notices!"
"Of course," Benn mutters, "It would be a damned shame if we ever knew what the hell was actually going on."
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Re: RAVENLOFT: Down the Dark Road

Post by ewancummins »

Sir Clive leaps in, swinging his sword from the side opposite Benn and the strangers they party has decided to aid.

The green monster all but dodges the blow, twisting so that it takes only a shallow nick.


Benn, closer than he'd like to be, has had a good chance to look at the ugly, ropy-limbed thing.
It resembles the river-trolls of Lamordian fairy-tales.
VIEW CONTENT:
Those are supposed to be hard to kill without fire...
Delight is to him- a far, far upward, and inward delight- who against the proud gods and commodores of this earth, ever stands forth his own inexorable self.

-from Moby Dick (Hermann Melville)
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Re: RAVENLOFT: Down the Dark Road

Post by Adam »

"Fire!" Bennedict shouts, "We must burn it!"

He backpedals, continuing to pull the wounded man to safety.
"Of course," Benn mutters, "It would be a damned shame if we ever knew what the hell was actually going on."
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Re: RAVENLOFT: Down the Dark Road

Post by ewancummins »

The river troll lays into Sir Clive, driving the swordsman back with ferocious clawing and biting. Sparks fly when its claws grate against his swordblade.
Kat and Alain move in, she stabbing and he blasting caustic bolts at the beast's back.

Sir Clive chops into the thing's left shoulder so deep his sword sticks in bone.
The monster gurgles, slumping down in the muck.

The man who lost his axe and the one who had been gravely hurt keep backing away with Benn. They shout to the others,
"Run before it rises again! One torch isn't enough!"
The third man, the one with the lit torch, backs up, too, casting nervous looks at the seemingly dead swamp monster.

Alwina cowers behind a tree.

Klokulf moves in and touches Sir Clive's arm, channeling healing power into the knight.
Delight is to him- a far, far upward, and inward delight- who against the proud gods and commodores of this earth, ever stands forth his own inexorable self.

-from Moby Dick (Hermann Melville)
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