Tomb of Horrors 4e - ON HOLD

[Ariel Yardena Davidson]

ACERERAK WILL LET YOU POST FOR NOW scream

MORE SCREAMING scream

Rules, Character sheets, and other stuff can be found here...

Remember, to roll in-thread for this battle!

Participating Characters
Arjhan
Tim
Orilo
Belessunu
Eros Reese

• Desired Total Chapter XP:

Quests: 6000 XP + 1400 gold pieces

Participating Villains

• Total Encounter XP:

Innocent Bystanders

Who knows ...


SPECIAL RULES
None ... yet

Story
none yet.  

[Ariel Yardena Davidson]

The hook - Chapter 1 - the Messenger from Beyond  

[Ariel Yardena Davidson]

Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. Sorry to say Mr. Davidson won't be DMing for you for this part of the campaign. He has a bit of a bad cough and would prefer not to give you any sort of plague.

My name is
CENSORED FOR REASON OF STORYTELLING
... Okay who's the wise-a** moderator of this campaign trying to ruin my fun? evil

*cough* Sorry. Got out of that business with the market crash in '87. Got really lucky my 401k and such recovered, but damn all it was almost gone. Had to skimp on interior decorating and all. sad

DAMMIT MOD STOP IT. scream

Just to let you know, this entire adventure is 4 chapters. First is the Garden of Graves, a hallowed area to the eladrin of Quiet Hall.

i encourage you guys to pick the first part of the story. Hell, i suggest a debate in the character creation thread if you'd like. The two stories are ... stupidly titled as such.

Caravan Crisis
and
Messenger from Beyond.


Make your choice.  

[Ariel Yardena Davidson]

Gentlemen. *ahem* Let us get started with a generic background for all of you.

You all may have your separate backgrounds and specific attributes, but you were all called by one thing ...

Arjhan, Tim, Orilo, Belessunu, Demvarwen, and Eros, you six all heard the same call for money and glory from the Quiet Hall faction of Eladrin.

The scroll stated that the Garden of Graves, the final resting place for those of the faction of the Gloaming Court, has been violated by someone. It's been rumored, in fact, that there were two dark souls involved in this defilement - an Ari Marmell and a Scott Fitzgerald Gray, in fact. Those evil bastards. In any case, SOMEONE has made the dead live ... and left their mark. Quiet Hall ceded control of the garden to the undead in exchange for having their own not be brutally mauled by abominations to the majority of the gods - at least those you don't plan on killing Kratos-style in the God Hunters campaign. stare THOSE will think YOU'RE the abominations.

But now the garden is a nightmare. Cairns unearthed and moved, some disassembled even for their stones. The rubble was combined with other shattered statues and obelisks for brand new structures, perhaps worshiping some foul lich. Walls were built, adorned with strange runes. Those blessed with an arcane touch felt the presence of dark and disturbingly unholy rituals which drained the energy from the garden and some reaches outside of it.


My god, these people suck at writing. stressed

But some of the faction members were clearly unhappy about this. None, however, were foolish courageous enough to confront this invader.

Thus the 6 of you were summoned by money and fate.



The immediate setting is nightfall. You have just been briefed by the Eladrin outside of this Garden about the situation, though they were hesitant to say anything beyond the obvious. Even the more arcane-ly blessed were hesitant to open their lips.

The six of you are conversing about the day and how you met ...


Well ... Start typing, you larpers. confused  

[Arc Vembris]

((I used to read Ari Marmell's Livejournal))

Belessunu is a towering figure of amber crystal and silvery armor, dimly glowing in the twilight. His solid crystal face shows only dispassionate calm, though his eyes glow with a fervor. The armor is intricate, molded plates with flowing whorls set with deep red gemstones among the whorls and ridges, and he holds a broad shield of the same material strapped to his left arm. You've yet to see it set down. His right arm is oddly bulky, more than a foot of an elegant steel blade protrudes from the elbow joint of his armor. His posture shows a confidence and courage that you've noticed to be nearly infectious.

His eyes flare as he speaks, a deep resonant voice that seems to echo before the syllable is uttered. "So you see, undeath is within the portfolio of the false god Vecna, he who stole the seat of his deidom and traffics in both lies and secrets. As such he is the enemy of Holy Ioun, Our Lady of Infinite Knowing, and, by extrapolation, the undead are my foe."  

[Lord of the Vine]

(Done in first person, as an inner-monologue)
----------------------------------------------------------------
Well, I ain't exactly what you'd call a "small" man. I suppose being roughly the size of a small tree would fit my description rather well. Whatever hair I have left on my head is a deep crimson color, almost brown. Whenever I travel, I enjoy the cool feeling of the chainmail I wear on my bare torso. I'd wear normal clothin', but...well, for a man of my stature, not many tailors are willin' to work on me.

My occupation? I have a vested interest in all things ruin-related. I have paid my dues, fightin' for my life in some instances, to help out my comrades when need be. Granted, I also have a special gift under my sleeve.

On one particular dig, I came across two runestones. You can see that they are embedded into both faces of my hammer. When I tap into the energy of this weapon, the ancestral power grants me strength. I suppose its what you call relatives lookin' out for each other.

But why this job? Its a challenge. I have not once ever backed away from a challenge. Not when the money looked this good.
-------------------------------------------------------------  

[Mackie the Knife]

The robed dragonborn, smaller than most of his kind, gives his name only as Arjhan, with no familial or clan designation.
"It has been revealed that Bahamut wishes this place cleansed. So shall it be."  

[Ariel Yardena Davidson]

((a*****e DM time XD))

And the three of you so far sound just foolish enough to do this, even if money weren't involved. But i'd rather like to hear of the other three before i get on with the terrible writing, as i have to read it ... blast.  

[Rain Yupa]

"Gentlemen!"

The tall, broad-shouldered human would lean against his shealthed blade, propping it up against the unusually vibrant land of the Eladrin's homeland. He would offer a bright smile, and a gentle toss of his hair in a somewhat carefree manner.

"We all have our superiors, be them mortal or heavenly. However, the pressing issue would be the immediate desecration of the Eladrin people's tombs. A direct assault on their lineage, their ancestry. We are here to do a service in the name of Light. The sooner we purge the chambers below of the twisted mockeries of elves long since past, the sooner tranquility and love can return to the hearts of those still living. That..."

With a twinkle in his eye and a bling from his pearly whites, he would press his clenched fist against his chest.

"That is the true reason we are gathered here this eve. I am sure of it."  

[Ariel Yardena Davidson]

As the lot of you are discussing personal agendas ... or not ... a strange wind blew over and through your camp. The campfire flickered.

Ahead, the forest moaned. A strange cry of living agony echoed from the "gates" of the garden.


And suddenly, the spirit of Leroy Jethro Gibbs appeared and slapped Eros upside the head for being too damn dramatic with his roleplaying. (( xd ))


All joking aside, there is a spirit who waits for you to hear him. His appearance is characteristically eladrin, but his expression was far more solemn. He looked as if bearing information ... whether it be about your quest or about the latest gossip on Lindsey Lohan, you don't know.  

[Arc Vembris]

Be his information in regards to the quest or to the current exploits of Lindsay Lohan, Belessunu hungers for this knowledge. The crystalline man approaches.

"aaAncient spirit, tell us of that which distresses your rest."  

[Ariel Yardena Davidson]

(( No patience i have for MoC and the other, but i'll get this started for y'all ))

You see that this spirit may actually dwell on a different plane from that of mortality, for he has some "flesh," as it were, to his bones, but still of essence be he. He carries with him, even in non-corporeal form, scars of the past, but shows that he carries no weapon.

Eros and Demvarwen understand the spirit's plea right off, but the rest have to wait until the being finishes speaking before it can be translated, for this spirit speaks only in Elven.

"I bring you greetings, strangers whom I hope to call friends. I have heard tales of your exploits, and for some I can already discern your true motives. You should be proud of your accomplishments, however. My home lay far from here, and only the names of worthy mortals reach my ears.
"I would speak with you on a matter of great importance to your races as well as mine. Will thou hear me, though I have moved on to higher planes?"  

[Rain Yupa]

"" Eros would respond in elven to the spirit upon its arrival. Approaching a few steps closer, the human avenger would kneel slightly before it as a sign of respect, before standing upright.

""

Turning to the others, Eros would clear his throat a bit. "Our ghastly guide comes with information that very well probably involves our mission directly, considering the situation. I think it would behoove us to hear what he has to say" he would explain to his fellow adventurers who did not understand the flowery language of elvenkind.  

[Ariel Yardena Davidson]

The spirit decided to play a little joke before getting to his matter.

< "There's going to be a sequel to Resident Evil Afterlife." >


He laughed.

< "Gods, I hope not. But in all seriousness, I must give you this message.

"When I was among the living, my name was Paelias, so you may call me such instead of ghost, spirit, or what have you. I belonged to the same faction of Eladrin to whom you spoke earlier on this day. If you will hear me, I will give to you important details about the Garden and its current corruption. There was something that my brethren did not tell you ..." >  

[Rain Yupa]

""

He would communicate the ghost's identity to his comrades, as well as the fact that there was more to the corruption than we were initially told.