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Entry tags:
Dawn of Magic
Tonight's GURPS crowd was Bonnie ("Leif"), Marc ("Mushamee"), Martin ("Kaeso"), Mike ("Rufus"), and most of Stéphane ("Vinz") -- the parts that made it back from Paris!
Time: Wee hours, Odin 16, 1002 Imperial Reckoning.
Place: The Maker's arena, somewhere under the ruins of Kapital.
Last Event: The group had just defeated two fell foes -- a huge acid-drooling spider and a truly gigantic worm with a stunning aura -- one after the next, and steeled themselves to face their next challenger.
There is little pause before the next challenge enters the arena: eight bandage-wrapped undead. These have bits of metal glinting under their wrappings. Each wields a wicked spear, with another slung over its back in easy reach. Rufus detects an active aura of unlife around these beings, and fears that any contact with them would be unhealthy for the living.
These new foes prove to be skilled . . . and have the advantage of numbers. Both sides maneuver cannily for position, carefully maintaining tactical formations and looking for openings. Any mistake by either group would surely prove fatal, in every sense. The early fight favors the new challengers, but then the heroes hit upon a winning strategy: Mushamee, Rufus, and Vinz lock shields and skillfully pin down the enemy's weapons, while Leif uses his giant sword to rain down killing blows from behind and above his allies, and the levitating Kaeso delivers harassing fire-bolts from above. Only Leif is struck -- and only by bludgeoning blows. The adventurers' victory, while not quick, is total.
Again there is a pause, and again The Maker's voice rings out. The Maker seems impressed, and encourages the heroes to claim their prize and leave. Kaeso tries to answer for the group by flashing a hastily penned sign, since the god of assassins seems so fond of preempting their spoken responses, but it doesn't matter. The sign is corrupted into evil-looking runes, and then the mysterious god's voice rings out: "No! Having overcome the customary three challenges, my slaves will face you, the god, as is their right!"
Realizing that this situation is careening inevitably toward its sticky end, driven by some dark destiny, the team prepares to fight once again. Kaeso gives Leif the last of the healing essences, and hands Vinz a more typical healing potion. Thus braced, the heroes move into formation for a fourth time and await a new foe.
The Maker is not one to waste time. Moments later, a being -- presumably The Maker -- appears in the arena. It's a twisting, man-sized mass of tentacles, with bulbous eyes. Rufus directs his unique sight onto it to discern its true nature, but just as when he attempted to scry the assassin god, this proves unwise. Instantly, his abilities falter and dissipate.
Kaeso opens the hostilities by shooting a fire-bolt at the thing, but the flame dissipates ineffectually against an invisible shield. In response, The Maker projects a withering psychic force. The entire group is left reeling, as if struck by a crushing blow to the very soul. Only the Sun Armor of Ré, worn by Mushamee, appears to have any real mitigating effect on the strike, although Vinz's Braces of Su protect somewhat.
Realizing that he might be able to withstand a few such blows where his allies cannot, Leif decides to charge the thing, if only to distract it. He runs at it and delivers a massive blow with Necros' Spirit Reaper. The Maker tries to deflect it psychically . . . but fails. Its invisible shield almost stops the blow . . . but doesn't. And then Necros' dark blade strikes home. Leif invokes the weapon's deadly bargain -- blood for blood -- and bets his own life force against The Maker's. Miraculously, Leif prevails, and destroys The Maker in one blow!
Immediately, the arena shakes and starts to crumble. Kaeso restores Leif's life energy with magical elixirs, and then promptly collapses from his own wounds. Mushamee sees The Maker's creations -- his "gladiators" -- emerging from the chambers beneath the arena in a daze. He orders them to follow, which they do. With their help, the gold idol and the wounded Kaeso are hefted onto shoulders and carried to the edge of the arena, away from the worst of the falling masonry.
Vinz works a quick charm to reveal the shortest path to the surface, and is led to a blank wall. His keen eyes spot the outline of a secret exit there. Realizing that it's firmly sealed, he calls for Leif. The barbarian conjures his inner strength and demolishes the barrier with a thundering blow, revealing a passage that slopes sharply upward. Leading the fleeing gladiators, and hauling Kaeso and the icon, the party hastens out of the collapsing arena.
The passage ends in a blind wall, which Vinz realizes is yet another trick door. Feeling around, he finds and releases a catch. Then he summons his chi and pushes the heavy gate aside. He emerges under the night sky, in a back alley somewhere in the ruins of Kapital. From outside, it's apparent that the secret exit was concealed under the very road bed.
Mushamee then leads the way to the palace, with the 12 surviving gladiators -- obviously grateful for the rescue -- in tow, still carrying the gold statue and Kaeso. By blind luck he spots his man Oleg on patrol, along with Ilya, Josef, and Vladimir, and a small contingent of legionaries. As greetings are exchanged, The Maker's arena collapses in earnest, leaving a huge crater in the ruins. The group decides to hid the idol from sight under cloaks and head to the newly liberated Imperial palace.
At the palace, they heroes are immediately escorted to Emperor Nicolai. Nicolai recognizes the rescued gladiators as magical creations, and has many questions for Mushamee concerning what was found under his ruined former capital. He mostly nods knowingly as he listens to the answers, until Mushamee reaches the part about The Maker. When Rufus describes The Maker to the Emperor, Nicolai looks most unhappy. Pressed for an answer, he responds that The Maker bears an uncanny resemblance to a god invented by gladiators centuries ago. He claims that the Empire has always suppressed this heresy, but that it kept emerging in tales and graffiti. By all accounts, The Maker is a dark and spontaneously manifested demigod.
After the Imperial audience ends, the group takes some time to rest. Wounds are bandaged, stomachs are filled, dust and blood are washed away, and everyone grabs some sleep.
Much later in the morning, with the sun in the sky, the adventurers take their leave of Nicolai's camp at the palace and embark upon Kaeso's amazing floating disc. With their gold idol as cargo, they fly through the swirling portal to the subterranean Tenosia. Mushamee orders Ilya, Josef, Oleg, and Vlad to escort the gladiators back on foot.
Upon reaching Queen Hippolyte's palace in Tenosia, the group immediately smuggles the gold statue to Kaeso's workshop, where the alchemist sets to work cutting it apart and melting it down into coins, bars, and ingots. Diandra, Helena, and Loclá greet their husbands, and hear about their latest adventures under Kapital. Helena has many questions for Rufus, while Diandra and Leif soon disappear with Andromache in tow. Meanwhile, Mushamee goes off to find Hippolyte and explain the whys and wherefores of her husband returning with a large fortune in pure gold . . .
Time: Wee hours, Odin 16, 1002 Imperial Reckoning.
Place: The Maker's arena, somewhere under the ruins of Kapital.
Last Event: The group had just defeated two fell foes -- a huge acid-drooling spider and a truly gigantic worm with a stunning aura -- one after the next, and steeled themselves to face their next challenger.
There is little pause before the next challenge enters the arena: eight bandage-wrapped undead. These have bits of metal glinting under their wrappings. Each wields a wicked spear, with another slung over its back in easy reach. Rufus detects an active aura of unlife around these beings, and fears that any contact with them would be unhealthy for the living.
These new foes prove to be skilled . . . and have the advantage of numbers. Both sides maneuver cannily for position, carefully maintaining tactical formations and looking for openings. Any mistake by either group would surely prove fatal, in every sense. The early fight favors the new challengers, but then the heroes hit upon a winning strategy: Mushamee, Rufus, and Vinz lock shields and skillfully pin down the enemy's weapons, while Leif uses his giant sword to rain down killing blows from behind and above his allies, and the levitating Kaeso delivers harassing fire-bolts from above. Only Leif is struck -- and only by bludgeoning blows. The adventurers' victory, while not quick, is total.
Again there is a pause, and again The Maker's voice rings out. The Maker seems impressed, and encourages the heroes to claim their prize and leave. Kaeso tries to answer for the group by flashing a hastily penned sign, since the god of assassins seems so fond of preempting their spoken responses, but it doesn't matter. The sign is corrupted into evil-looking runes, and then the mysterious god's voice rings out: "No! Having overcome the customary three challenges, my slaves will face you, the god, as is their right!"
Realizing that this situation is careening inevitably toward its sticky end, driven by some dark destiny, the team prepares to fight once again. Kaeso gives Leif the last of the healing essences, and hands Vinz a more typical healing potion. Thus braced, the heroes move into formation for a fourth time and await a new foe.
The Maker is not one to waste time. Moments later, a being -- presumably The Maker -- appears in the arena. It's a twisting, man-sized mass of tentacles, with bulbous eyes. Rufus directs his unique sight onto it to discern its true nature, but just as when he attempted to scry the assassin god, this proves unwise. Instantly, his abilities falter and dissipate.
Kaeso opens the hostilities by shooting a fire-bolt at the thing, but the flame dissipates ineffectually against an invisible shield. In response, The Maker projects a withering psychic force. The entire group is left reeling, as if struck by a crushing blow to the very soul. Only the Sun Armor of Ré, worn by Mushamee, appears to have any real mitigating effect on the strike, although Vinz's Braces of Su protect somewhat.
Realizing that he might be able to withstand a few such blows where his allies cannot, Leif decides to charge the thing, if only to distract it. He runs at it and delivers a massive blow with Necros' Spirit Reaper. The Maker tries to deflect it psychically . . . but fails. Its invisible shield almost stops the blow . . . but doesn't. And then Necros' dark blade strikes home. Leif invokes the weapon's deadly bargain -- blood for blood -- and bets his own life force against The Maker's. Miraculously, Leif prevails, and destroys The Maker in one blow!
Immediately, the arena shakes and starts to crumble. Kaeso restores Leif's life energy with magical elixirs, and then promptly collapses from his own wounds. Mushamee sees The Maker's creations -- his "gladiators" -- emerging from the chambers beneath the arena in a daze. He orders them to follow, which they do. With their help, the gold idol and the wounded Kaeso are hefted onto shoulders and carried to the edge of the arena, away from the worst of the falling masonry.
Vinz works a quick charm to reveal the shortest path to the surface, and is led to a blank wall. His keen eyes spot the outline of a secret exit there. Realizing that it's firmly sealed, he calls for Leif. The barbarian conjures his inner strength and demolishes the barrier with a thundering blow, revealing a passage that slopes sharply upward. Leading the fleeing gladiators, and hauling Kaeso and the icon, the party hastens out of the collapsing arena.
The passage ends in a blind wall, which Vinz realizes is yet another trick door. Feeling around, he finds and releases a catch. Then he summons his chi and pushes the heavy gate aside. He emerges under the night sky, in a back alley somewhere in the ruins of Kapital. From outside, it's apparent that the secret exit was concealed under the very road bed.
Mushamee then leads the way to the palace, with the 12 surviving gladiators -- obviously grateful for the rescue -- in tow, still carrying the gold statue and Kaeso. By blind luck he spots his man Oleg on patrol, along with Ilya, Josef, and Vladimir, and a small contingent of legionaries. As greetings are exchanged, The Maker's arena collapses in earnest, leaving a huge crater in the ruins. The group decides to hid the idol from sight under cloaks and head to the newly liberated Imperial palace.
At the palace, they heroes are immediately escorted to Emperor Nicolai. Nicolai recognizes the rescued gladiators as magical creations, and has many questions for Mushamee concerning what was found under his ruined former capital. He mostly nods knowingly as he listens to the answers, until Mushamee reaches the part about The Maker. When Rufus describes The Maker to the Emperor, Nicolai looks most unhappy. Pressed for an answer, he responds that The Maker bears an uncanny resemblance to a god invented by gladiators centuries ago. He claims that the Empire has always suppressed this heresy, but that it kept emerging in tales and graffiti. By all accounts, The Maker is a dark and spontaneously manifested demigod.
After the Imperial audience ends, the group takes some time to rest. Wounds are bandaged, stomachs are filled, dust and blood are washed away, and everyone grabs some sleep.
Much later in the morning, with the sun in the sky, the adventurers take their leave of Nicolai's camp at the palace and embark upon Kaeso's amazing floating disc. With their gold idol as cargo, they fly through the swirling portal to the subterranean Tenosia. Mushamee orders Ilya, Josef, Oleg, and Vlad to escort the gladiators back on foot.
Upon reaching Queen Hippolyte's palace in Tenosia, the group immediately smuggles the gold statue to Kaeso's workshop, where the alchemist sets to work cutting it apart and melting it down into coins, bars, and ingots. Diandra, Helena, and Loclá greet their husbands, and hear about their latest adventures under Kapital. Helena has many questions for Rufus, while Diandra and Leif soon disappear with Andromache in tow. Meanwhile, Mushamee goes off to find Hippolyte and explain the whys and wherefores of her husband returning with a large fortune in pure gold . . .