The stone continues

Khadgar-"And just what do you mean when you say we have arrived. I've heard of you before. But what do you want with us?"

[Morgeruat]

Morguerat: "Aye, twould be good to know why a legendary dragon was sent to summon us, I accept you must have been sent by a powerful agent of good, but whom? and to what end, goodly deities rarely intervene in the mortal plane, and even then only when things are so dire that nothing else would save it, it bodes worse for us than I had hoped if this is the case, it would seem that Morhde Sihthe is farther along in his evil schemes than we thoght if the deities are indeed aiding us directly."

~~edit... I didn't read the last post by KT, place this message above his in order of when it was said... otherwise it won't make sense.

[ 09-22-2002, 12:01 AM: Message edited by: Morgeruat ]

[K T Ong]

(ooc: In this post I'm going to let the gods give our heroes a lot of nice stuff. If you folks feel that some of the stuff is too much of a good thing, please bring it up in the next post so we can make adjustments, okay? )

One of the great figures, who appeared as a handsome and powerful warrior in golden armor with a ruddy complexion and long, flowing black beard, smiled and shook his head upon hearing Khadgar's query. "Silly child," he chided gently, waving a finger, "is this how you have been taught to greet the gods?"

StoneRock was in the meantime staring at another of the great beings seated on the thrones of light. Somehow the being looked strangely familiar... Then StoneRock remembered from the picture on the great tapestry in his temple -- it was the Great Clangeddin!

"O Mighty Clangeddin, your humble servant hears!" cried StoneRock as he hastily went to his knees. Sir Jorlon and Ghzarbanan also recognised quickly the gods they served, and fell on their knees as well. Initially hesitant, Sir Morgeruat in turn realised that it was none other than the great Helm he had set eyes upon, and promptly prostrated himself.

"Arise, beloved children!" said another of the gods, who appeared as an incredibly beautiful woman in snow-white robes with a heart shining with dazzling brilliance like a sun on her chest.

"Y-you are... the gods?" stuttered Rufus. "But we are just mortals... What could we possibly have for great ones like you, Sirs?"

"Listen, child!" said yet another of the gods, a falcon-headed being with a large solar disk atop his head. The whole hall boomed and echoed and almost trembled a little as he spoke. "The forces of darkness led by the self-styled Dark Knight run rampant in the mortal world from whence you and your friends came. This does not please the gods at all; hence we seek a band of mortal heroes to avenge the crimes perpetrated by the Dark Knight and his infernal minions. You have all been chosen for the task, children! Art thou willing to champion this Great Cause?"

"We shall do all that is in our power, Great Ones!" affirmed Sir Morgeruat, who turned to the party. "Right, friends?" Everyone in the party looked at each other for a while and eventually agreed -- except for Fenric, who was scratching his head and still not quite sure what was going on.

"Excellent, children, excellent indeed!" boomed yet another voice -- this time from yet another of the gods, who appeared as a gigantic and amazingly good-looking dwarf with a crown of light floating above his head. "Would that there could be more like ye in the mortal world! Your task shall not be an easy one, though -- hence to aid ye we shall now provide ye with weapons and devices of great power -- use them wisely!"

"Pardon my extreme rudeness in interfering, Great One," asked Sir Jorlon, "but would you mean the Twin Sunblades -- Guthay and Filistin?" (ooc: I think Sir Morgeruat and Sir Jorlon can each have one of the Sunblades later -- what say you folks?)

"Our page Tsao Chang shall bring ye to the Sacred Mount of Taphthar-tharath in due course, children," replied Clangeddin. "As for now -- prepare to receive the gifts of the gods!"

Suddenly the five gods all pointed their fingers at the shocked party. What were they going to do? As the party stood dumbfounded by this sudden turn of events, bolts of power shot forth from the deities' fingers towards the adventurers, flying around them for a few times before coming to rest in their hands and turning into strange items of every description. Miraculously, each adventurer immediately knew in his/her mind what the items' powers were.

"To thee, playful Fenric -- I give a Torc of the Spider!" proclaimed Radiant Heart. A golden torc appeared around Fenric's neck. Fenric took it off and studied it happily before putting it on again. "Fenric... like toy!" (ooc: Enables wearer to climb/walk on walls and ceilings easily, even the smoothest walls. Three times a day, it also enables wearer to shoot out sticky threads from hands to entangle all creatures within 30 feet and a 60-degree arc; the threads last 1 to 2 minutes and those who wish to break free before then must attempt a bend bars/lift gates at +50%.)

"To Magnus, Khadgar and StoneRock -- I give each a Ring of Greater Magic!" proclaimed Helm, head enclosed in a large, glowing helm with the rest of him all enfolded in a silver cloak. A large, exquisite ring appeared on the left middle finger of each of the three. (ooc: Triples potency of all spells cast by the wearer, decreases failure chance when casting spells, and quickly regenerates magical power in wearer's body.)

"To StoneRock -- I give a Horn of Blasting!" declared Clangeddin. StoneRock found a large golden horn in his hands. (ooc: This horn creates a mega-powerful shockwave that knocks down any non-magical walls and obstacles when aimed at them and blown -- even the thickest stone walls.)

"Ghzarbanan, my faithful servant -- your search is now at an end!" announced Amon-Ra. "I have taken from you my two Eyes and shaped them into the very sword you and your fellow paladins have sought to create. Receive now the great blade -- the Wrath of Ra!" A magnificently crafted sword appeared in the halfling's hands, almost too big for him, yet surprisingly light. (ooc: I leave it to Azrael what powers the sword will have. )

"To Chun-Li -- I give a Parasol of Protection!" said Lord Kuan. In the drow's hands appeared a beautiful parasol with strange symbols embroidered into it. (ooc: When opened and spun around and around, creates a 15-feet radius air cushion which deflects most ranged and missile attacks, such as arrows, jets of fire or poison gas. The faster the user spins the parasol, the stronger the air cushion will be.)

"And now, to Rufus," continued Lord Kuan, "I present... the Halberd of the Constellations!" A fearsome halberd materialised before the apprentice, glowing brightly and floating vertically in the air as if waiting for him to take it. Many tiny constellations could be seen etched into the body of the halberd. (ooc: The halberd's power's are:

~In AD&D terms, works as a +6 to hit and +6 to damage weapon (+12/+12 against undead), with 5% chance of scoring a critical hit every time it attacks (10% against undead).

~Unbreakable. Made of adamantium (like Wolverine’s claws ) that furthermore has been hardened tenfold by the cosmic power of the constellations. So nothing can break it, but it can break almost anything. Neither can it be damaged by magic -- though a very high-level spellcaster can still hold it at bay for a few moments using all his spellcasting ability.

~Glows all the time with a light strong enough to provide illumination up to a 30-feet radius, although this light does not hurt undead (unlike sunlight) and can be switched off.

~Can fly -- say twice as fast as a normal crossbow bolt. Allows its wielder to fly, too, but wielder must hold it in hands for this to work.

~Can be remote-controlled by wielder’s mind. Thus from a distance the wielder can silently command it to fly to an enemy and attack him.

~Can detect danger and warn wielder -– whether booby traps or hostile characters/creatures that are near. Can indicate direction of danger, too.

~Dispel magic three times a day.

~This weapon is also semi-sentient, so it can act on its own to help its wielder in various ways. For example if an assassin is creeping up on the wielder, it may voluntarily attack the assassin on its own. Or if the wielder is falling to his death, it will fly beneath him and ‘pick him up’.)

[ 09-22-2002, 10:48 AM: Message edited by: K T Ong ]

[AzRaeL StoRmBlaDe]

As Ghzarbanan gazed at the sword in his hand, tears filled his eyes. He dropped to his knees in wonder and worship. The very object of his order's desire was incarnate here in his very hands, and just when his order was at its weakest. Yes, Ghzarbanan knew the tender mercies of his god, and he was thankful, and dedicated. His god had given him a gift, and he intended to use it to bring divine justice, to those that had brutally murdered his order, and were an anfront to the land. With that the halfling knight drew the sword, and the room grew very bright, for the sword will stand out as a beacon of justice, and the divine wrath of Ra's chosen. The halfling seemed to grow in size as he weilded the sword, his arms bulged under his plate mail, and his shoulders seems a few hand's breadths wider. The downtrodden halfling seemed a vision of nobility with the sword in hand. And so Ghzarbanan son of Ghzarhish son of Ghzoran son of Ghzarn. . . began in earnest his quest to distribute the vengence of Ra.

[K T Ong]

The party gave their thanks to the deities. "Thank you, Great Ones! Thank you!"

"Ghzar-banan, ya've grown in stature!" exclaimed StoneRock in surprise.

"The weapons and items which we have given you are all priceless treasures of great power," said Helm. "Value and honor them; use them wisely and with care! Have you any questions to ask, children?"

For a moment there was silence, the adventurers occasionally looking at each other.

"Well, Sirs... Don't mind if I ask... Uhhhh..." stuttered Rufus.

"Yes, beloved child?" asked Radiant Heart, a subtle smirk on her face suggesting she already knew what he meant to ask.

"Can... Can we have... more, please?" asked Rufus, a childish grin on his face. Magnus glared at him in shock. How could he be so rude towards the gods?

The five deities laughed loudly, their laughter causing the whole hall to tremble.

"Your courage to ask is admirable, child," praised Clangeddin with a touch of benign sarcasm in his voice, "and shall be rewarded! StoneRock!"

"Your humble servant hears, O mighty Clangeddin!" said StoneRock as he immediately went on his knees.

"I understand ye require a specially treated dagger to cure noble Sir Morgeruat of the malady which afflicts him," said the dwarven god, "by plunging it into the heart of the Dark Knight. I now relieve ye of the trouble of preparing the said dagger. Here's a knife which will suffice for the job; I have already extracted three drops of blood from our noble paladin's heart by sorcerous means and anointed the blade with it. Receive it now, faithful servant!" An exquisitely forged dagger appeared before StoneRock, who quickly took it.

"Your servant shall not fail ye, O mighty Clangeddin!" said the dwarf.

"As further help for you and your companions, my noble follower," said Helm to Sir Morgeruat, "I can teach you three Sacred Words of Power. They are derived from the language of the Elder Gods and only the utterly just and pure can ever get to learn this tongue. When your predicament is truly dire, just utter one Sacred Word and the power of the gods will come to your aid. But remember: each Word may be used once and once only, nor are they to be uttered trippingly on the tongue. Not only must the syllables be pronounced with precision, your mind must be completely calm and concentrated at the time each Word is uttered, failing which the Word's power is dispersed and can never be used again."

"Is... Is it possible, Great One?" asked Chun-Li. "Can one keep one's mind in a state of calm and concentration in the heat of battle, or in the face of extreme danger?"

"That's the test you face, children," said Helm. "Can you? The help offered by the gods can only go that far; you must exert yourselves for the rest of the way!"

"Have faith in me, O Great Lord," affirmed Sir Morgeruat, "I shall not fail you. Please teach me the Sacred Words of Power!"

[ 09-26-2002, 08:22 AM: Message edited by: K T Ong ]

[Morgeruat]

OOC: Looking good, lets get some more action going for the villains, and prepare some things for when the heroes arrive, ready for battle, I'll try to post again when I have time (at work now)

[K T Ong]

(ooc: I'm thinking of putting lotsa booby traps in the Dark Knight's headquarters! )

"Excellent, my servant," said Helm. "Listen!" Sir Morgeruat heard the Words ring aloud in his mind, burned into his memory...

"There is but one boon I crave of you, O Great Ones," requested Sir Jorlon. "Could you let us know what has become of my brothers in the Order of the Most Radiant Heart, as well as the Orders to which my friends belong, and their friends and loved ones? Are they still alive and well now in the mortal world or have they fallen before the vile forces of darkness, and if the latter, are their souls here in the Seven Heavens and may we see them?"

[ 09-27-2002, 11:36 PM: Message edited by: K T Ong ]

[AzRaeL StoRmBlaDe]

morgeraut check PMs Mate

[K T Ong]

Originally posted by AzRaeL StoRmBlaDe: morgeraut check PMs Mate

Am I smelling something bad coming up?... [img]graemlins/uhoh1.gif[/img]

[Morgeruat]

OOC:it was semi-related news (i got it BTW)(the original adventure was a spin-off of the Lord of the Forums thread, and it may be making a comeback, despite being finished and well finished at that.)

Sorry once again for not posting, but with the new kid, and this week I'm working about 14 hours a day, so my time is stretched VERY thin.