# The Defenders of Tronus - The Birth of Heroes (Updated 2/28/04)



## Arkyst (Dec 18, 2003)

*The Defenders of Tronus – A Brief History:*







It was here in the center of Avrick, believed by most to be the wealthiest continent in all of Arkyst due to the vast number of gold mines, that our story begins.  Four brave and courageous adventures were given a large section of land by the King of Redbrook to commend their tireless efforts to make the world a better place.  This area was also the site of a natural wonder, known as the arch of Tronus.  An amazing structure of polished white stone, spiraled with runes that towers nearly thirty feet above the lavish green grass below.

Only a few miles from the arch, the adventures soon broke ground on a great keep that they would use as an outpost on the edge of the open-lands.  The King Aldrian of Redbrook was also looking forward to the prospect of safer trade routes between his kingdom and the Dwarves of Goldborough to the North.  In fact, to help facilitate this process, he decided to make a decree that any trading performed within a ten mile radius of the Arch of Tronus would be considered tax free.

Within months entrepreneurial merchants were moving to the arch and thus Tronus was formed.  The four adventurers became known as the Defenders of Tronus as they continued to protect the Kingdom of Redbrook while funding their expeditions with a portion of the profits from the city.

After nearly 15 years of serving as the Defenders of Tronus, the original four adventures found that they were spending more time engaged in city affairs and building strategic alliances with foreign powers.  Around this time a large number of criminals started plaguing the city due to it’s increased prosperity.  The Defenders now finding themselves out of practice in dealing with such matters, met a handful of minor defeats before losing their most skilled fighter, Cendron Steelheart.

The vacancy was filled with a roaming adventurer hailing from the elven lands of Silverpine.  Evrynn Valkkor proved critical in ridding the, now bustling, city of thieves and power-hungry villains.  Yet, the original Defenders were never able to overcome the loss of their friend.  In fact, after the city was once again in order, they decided to retire to positions within the city, and assigned Evrynn as the new leader of the Defenders.

Evrynn continued as the leader of the Defenders of Tronus for close to ten years.  It was a dark and stormy night when Evrynn awoke to find the notorious Frest Shadowstep lurking above him.  Frest, having just assassinated the other Defenders was about to seal the deal.  However, Evrynn’s strength and cunning were underestimated as the Hexblade used his fury of spells and the blade that he kept under his pillow to stave the efforts of the assassin.

Evrynn returned with Frest as his captive to the nearby city of Tronus where he was put on trial for his heinous actions.  Frest did not attempt to deny the accusation and the undeniable proof of his actions, and merely indicated that he was working the will of his patron deity, Nightfall.  Before sunrise the trial was over and at dawn the limp body of Frest Shadowstep could be found hanging from the Arch of Tronus.

The city deeply mourned their loss and the original Defenders stepped forward to proclaim that they would not haphazardly replace the team.  Duke Kevrin, the city’s leader organized local and foreign benefactors to provide additional resources and financial support.  Professor Ceydrul, the dean of the College of Arcanum used his students to build a tower within the walls of the city; and Helow Brattlebuck, the head of the city guard hand picked new recruits to be known as the Defenders of Tronus.

The entire process extended across the better part of five years, during which time the city employed a variety of mercenaries and bounty hunters to fill the void.  Evrynn was granted the title of Lord and was given the old keep of the Defenders in return for his years of loyal service.  He also agreed to act as council for the new group, whenever it actually came to be formed.


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## Look_a_Unicorn (Dec 18, 2003)

Seems like a great home-brewed setting for a campaign!
Looking forward to reading what troubles plague the newest group of Defenders.


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## Arkyst (Dec 18, 2003)

Sorry for the double post...stupid wireless connection keeps cutting in and out!

As for the campaign world, it is a lot of work and I thank my friends for lots of help!  There is still much more to do, but I'm hoping to see it evolve as the campaign goes.

We had our first session last Sunday, but it was called early due to massive amounts of snow.  My next post will introduce the heroes and tell of their first encounter.  It just has such a different feel than most campaigns I run, and I can't wait to share the story.


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## Piratecat (Dec 18, 2003)

And that, my friend, is why you have an admin who hangs out in the story hour forum. Double post deleted -- and good start to the tale.


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## Arkyst (Jan 6, 2004)

*The Defenders of Tronus – Those Chosen to Protect:*

The crowd roared as four bold heroes walked through the front gates of the city, marking the beginning of a new age.  The Defenders of Tronus had been reborn and everyone turned out to celebrate the return of real heroes to the continent of Avrick.

Duke Kevrin headed the parade to a podium that had been assembled directly under the great arch from which the city derived it’s name.  Kevrin, the beloved leader of Tronus silenced the onlookers as he began to speak, “My friends, my neighbors!  Today I bring you something that this city has been without for far too long.  Today I bring you the new Defenders of Tronus…a force in mind, body, and spirit that will once again complete this town, this nation, and this world we live in.”

“Professor Ceydrul, Captain Helow and I have worked closely with local hero Evrynn Valkkor..”

The speech was suddenly broken by applause from the thousand of onlookers.  After a long moment, Duke Kevrin began again.

“First we present Twizle Spindlewood, the gnomish curator of Tronus’ own Museum of Art and Relics.  For two years he has served our city well, helping to teach our children and to display the treasures of our great city.

To expand on his knowledge of geography and magical treasures, we choose Rayna Fynley.  Rayna recently graduated at the top of her class at the University Arcanus.  Her mastery of mystical energies and her devotion to Vaux, the patron of magic allows this Mystic Theurge an unparalleled flexibility of spell-power. 

Next I present to you Azerot, follower of the deity of Elemental Forces, Kabod.  Azerot and his gnomish sidekick Cinder represent the Order of Smoke and have proven their worth in defending the city and helping the poor through generous donations.

Finally this hulking brute to my right is Storm.  He has been in Tronus for little over a month and his name has been the talk of the town.  This half-Ogre Magi, half-Human hulk of muscle proudly displays his draconic heritage while snuffing out evil like a smoldering torch.”

After the speech was over, the Defenders were greeted by various benefactors that helped contribute the forming and supplying of the new team.  They met Jorg Bonesnapper, representing the Black Fist Orc Clan from the openlands, Remaire Tellows, a councilman of Jorbash to the south, and Helsa Quintal, the Sultan of Kaldrid’s daughter.  Among the most notable were Prince Geldric Goldbeard from Goldborough who presented each member with 1,000 gold each printed with their face on it and finally the foreign Emperor Tatsuma Kashiro.  Tatsuma was well known for his love of Tronus and many say that he spends more time within it’s walls than on his own continent of Ieroden.
Before the ceremony was over Tatsuma called the attention of the Defenders, “I pre-zent you wich a blade that represent my love for your cit-y.”

As he drew a fabulous light blue blade from it’s scabbard he continued, “Her name is Kao and she is as beaut-iful as she is deadly.”

Storm graciously accepted the katana on behalf of the team and continued to make the Emperor’s company while the others mingled with the crowds in the after-party that lasted well into the night.


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## Arkyst (Jan 7, 2004)

*The Defenders of Tronus – The Adventure Begins:*

It had been nearly two weeks since the ceremony and the Defenders anxiously awaited their first call to battle.  While Twizle was working on a new ballad for his upcoming musical, some of the other members decided that they could use some fresh air.

Azerot sat on a freshly chopped log while Storm continued to knock down more trees with his bare hands.  “I don’t think we need any more wood Storm,” began Azerot.

Storm paused for a moment, contemplating how to enlighten his friend as to the value of hard work and it’s benefits to both the mind and body.  Before he could speak however, the sounds of screaming women and children filled the air.  By the time Azerot could grab his morningstar, Rayna and Twizle came bursting through the front door of the Defender’s Tower.

The team began dashing through the streets towards the North gate where the air was filled with the sounds of commotion.  Hordes of people were running in every direction, children were getting trampled and the yelling didn’t stop.  As the Defender’s marched forward with their weapons drawn, they were suddenly confronted with…the sound of music?

Rayna tilted her head and looked at the others in disbelief.  The women were actually swooning, not crying in horror.  Yet there was a crime in progress!  As the infamous bard Melcher Clef sung his exotic melody and swung those legendary hips, eight of his scantily-clad dancing girls were graciously removing the belongings of the onlookers.  Behind the entourage of bumping and grinding dancers was Melcher’s sidekick Rampart, the massive Minotaur trained in mass combat, cleaning the blood of several of the city guards off of his great axe.

Melcher had been a wanted man in the Kingdom of Redbrook for some time.  If the rumors were true, it was due to a private performance staring both Melcher and the Queen.  Yet the Queen was not Melcher’s only fan.  Thousands of women throughout the countryside adored him and his “bad-boy” persona.  Wanted posters would be torn down by teenage girls with the hopes that he may someday come to their town and would sign it in person.

The Defenders grimaced in disgust as Melcher took out his quill and began signing his own wanted posters and exposed flesh of his adoring fans.  Storm had enough of the gratuitous display and called out the villainous trash that littered his city’s streets.  “Enough!”

As if waiting for that very cue, the dancing girls dropped their fistfuls of jewels and in a dizzying display of cartwheels and back flips charged the giant blue monster.  These girls were obviously trained as unarmed fighters in addition to belly dancing, but they were still no match for Storm’s might.  He snatched the first one from the air before she could land her flip and hurtled her into the next while using his free arm to close-line a third.

The other five dancers surrounded Azerot and his companion Cinder.  Azerot was pulling his hits as to not kill the girls, but they kept bumping him with hips, elbows, thighs and bosoms.  “I will not be waylaid by harlots,” he cried as the barrage of sultry attacks continued.

Meanwhile Rayna moved up to target Melcher with a Touch of Idiocy spell.  It wasn’t until Twizle pulled forth his horn of sounding (commonly used to direct his plays and musicals during practice) and began singing.  He sang his own tune suggesting that the crowd get sexy with Melcher and tear off all his clothing.  Needing little encouragement, the hordes of women stripped every garment from his body.  When he finally was able to stand back up, he found himself only to be wearing a wide array of lipsticks and quickly moved the scroll he was holding to cover his nakedness.  

As the dazed surveyed the situation, he knew that he had been defeated!  Rampart was caught firmly in Storm’s grasp as the half-Ogre Magi continued his attempts to break one of the Minotaur’s horns off while almost half of the dancing girls lay unconscious.

With a wide smile, Rayna moved forward to swipe the scroll from Melcher’s grasp.  As she unfurled it, she found that it was full of minute black beads and contained no writing.  While trying to balance the paper as to not spill the beads, it formed a black featureless face that began to rise an inch or so into the air.  “Melcher and Rampart are but pawns in my game,” it spoke in an eerie and breathy voice.

“600 hundred rats containing my own special form of the plague currently lie dormant in the city’s sewers.  By my calculations, if they were to be released, and you were to enlist the aid of all of available clerics on the continent of Avrick, you would lose nearly one third of the population of Tronus!  Unless you are willing to gamble with the lives of those that you are charged to protect…you must bring back the Eye of Zorm within one week.”

The face paused and the group gathered closer to shelter the view from the surrounding populous.

“And if I should happen to find that either Melcher or Rampart are killed, then I will release the rats immediately!”

With that, the face fell back down to the paper as the beads began spilling off the page.  Storm broke his hold on the Minotaur and gave them all a sharp look that they had best leave the city quickly, or they would all be finding out what would happen if Melcher or Rampart were found dead.

Once the streets had been cleared Azerot turned to the others and with a puzzled look asked, “What is the Eye of Zorm?”


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## robberbaron (Jan 7, 2004)

Good start!
Very much looking forward to what happens next.


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## Wee Jas (Jan 8, 2004)

Bump.. or should I say...

TWANG!


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## Arkyst (Jan 12, 2004)

*The Defenders of Tronus – vs. the Library:*

There was no time to waste, since one week in Arkyst meant six days.  Before the team even made it back to their tower, Twizle had headed off to the library to do some research on the Eye of Zorm.  Yet two hours later when he returned, he was far from pleased with the results of his findings.

“I searched through a hundred books or more.  It seems that someone has else already done some research on Zorm.”

Twizle held up two books that had large sections of pages torn out of them.  He continued, “All I was able to determine from the remains of these books is that Zorm was a powerful Lich that had tried to amass an undead army larger than any force in all of Arkyst.”

“That just isn’t enough to go on!  What kind of maniac would send us on a quest for an item that can’t be found?”  Demanded Azerot in exasperation.

“Oh, that would be the talking scroll.”  Replied Azerot’s companion Cinder.

All of the eyes in the room fell upon the gnomish cohort who as always was carrying a large lantern.

“It was a rhetorical question, or is that beyond your comprehension small one?”  Asked Storm in a far from amused manner.

“I’m a gnome,” was Cinder’s answer in his gravelly and weasel-like voice.

“That does us a lot of good,” mumbled Storm with a roll of his eyes.

“Focus people, focus!”  Piped in Twizle with one hand on his Horn of Sounding to get louder if he had to.

The whole team spent the rest of the day and much of the night trying to find any clues that they may be able to piece together to unlock the mystery.  In the morning they regrouped and compared findings.

Twizle, loving to hear his own voice picked up the jumble of notes and dramatically addressed his teammates.  “What we know by Twizle Spindlewood.”

“Get on with it bard!”

“Well, it appears that 300 years ago, Zorm, a powerful lich, was amassing the largest army of undead that Arkyst has ever seen.  That is until a force of Trelar’s finest paladins attacked Zorm’s keep and managed to escape with the lich’s most powerful weapon, his own eye!  He had removed his eye prior to becoming a lich, and transformed it into a powerful unholy artifact by which to enhance his control over his undead servants.  The paladin who managed to capture the eye was named Mendegon the Devout.”

“But everything about Mendegon from that point on has been removed,” Azerot quickly reminded them.

“Everything about Mendegon may be gone, but it would take a woman’s touch to research his betrothed, Annadielle Trueheart.”  Rayna stood up to meet the groups gaze, “ It says here in The History of Griffholme and Surrounding Estates that Annadielle waited years for he beloved Mendegon to return from his quest.  Although he never returned, he had sent her a key of great beauty covered in rubies and diamonds as a token of his love.  It goes on to tell that she eventually married another man and their bloodline only survived two more generations.  Yet, there is mention that the key was sold when the wealth of Estate liquidated.”

“That would mean that she is buried near the Griffholme Mountains.  It would take us all the time that we have just to get there,” chimed Twizle.

“I hate to say this, but I think we’re going to have to talk to that creepy elf,” sighed Storm.

The team had briefly encountered the former Defender, Evrynn Valkkor, during their induction ceremony.  He was tall and thin with jet-black hair that was the epitome of Silverpine elves.  His most notable feature was his pure white bangs that framed his face and drastically contrasted with the rest of his hair.

For the most part, the new Defenders’ view of the elf could be summarized best through one of Cinder’s insightful comments, “he’s weird.”


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## Arkyst (Jan 15, 2004)

*The Defenders of Tronus – Mendegon’s Letter: *

The party marched up the neglected and overgrown path towards the Keep of the old Defenders.  The once extravagant elegance of this massive structure was evident despite the blanket of vines and the years of neglect.

Azerot spoke to the unsettled group, primarily to break the eerie silence.  “They say that the ghosts of the last group of Defender’s still haunt this place.  Evrynn and his lone servant are the only ones to enter the Keep since that gruesome night.”

Storm puffed up his chest and heaved the large brass boars-head shaped knocker.  As it clanged against the 10-foot wide solid oak door he matter-of-factly stated, “I don’t care if Zorm himself is in there, we’re going in.”

After several long minutes the oversized door opened slowly with a long droning creek.  Barely noticeable in the shadow from the door was a petite young woman with dark black hair pulled up into buns.  She wore a dress of fine red silk patterned in white flowers with sleeves longer than her arms.  Upon seeing who it was at the front doorstep, she bowed and invited them in.

“Greet-ings Defenders.  I am Lai, humble servant of Lord Evrynn.  If you wait here I will summon the master.”

Storm quickly noted that her accent and skin tone marked her as a native to the continent of Inroden, where he himself was born.  Meanwhile, the others looked around the lavish sitting room where Lai had left them.  They all stared about at the spotless room; the contrast to the outside of the Keep was unreal.  Rayna took to walking around and gazing at each of the paintings that surrounded the fireplace in the center of the wall.  There were a few that captured the entire group of the old Defenders, but most were of Evrynn and powerful wizards, wealthy nobles, and legendary rulers.

As more time passed, the group’s interest soon changed to a boredom and then annoyance.  The only one who didn’t seem to notice was Cinder, who was happily warming himself by the fire.  Twizle was even running out of songs to hum, and they didn’t have the time to waste.

Storm stood up quickly, he had enough, and he would wait no longer!  At that precise moment the tall impassive elf came strolling around the corner.  He appeared featureless but a sense of arrogance could be felt in his presence.  As if amidst a windstorm, his cape fluttered about him with great conviction.  After standing in the doorway for a moment or so longer than necessary, he mumbled a word, his cape dropped to his sides lifeless, and he strode forward.

“Ah, Defenders.  So glad that you could venture out this way.”

“We’re here to ask what you know about the situation that is going on in town.  We don’t have time for senseless prattle,” demand Storm in a harsh tone.

Taken slightly aback, Evrynn straightened his collar and asked, “I’m afraid that I know of the situation in town.  Could you elaborate?”

Azerot attempted to quickly fill in the details as Evrynn lead them through three or four rooms towards a courtyard at the center of the Keep.  Evrynn’s eyes lit up when Azerot mentioned that they were looking for the final resting of Mendegon “the Devout.”  The heroes were excited to hear what the elf knew so they could get on with the quest; however, Evrynn wasn’t so quick with his words.

The group stopped as Evrynn strolled out into the courtyard where he proceeded to place his hand on a sphere similar to a crystal ball held atop a pedestal roughly 4 feet off the ground.  After closing his eyes and focusing for a moment, the courtyard began to take on the look, feel and smell of an arena.  A well-traveled adventurer would have recognized it as the arena of the far off desert city of Tilcher.  

Evrynn turned in the direction of the party and made them an offer, “This courtyard was created for the original Defenders to train in, and therefore you may not be killed while you are in it.  Once you have proven you are capable of the task that lies before, I will tell you what I know.”

“Deal,” agreed Storm before the others had time to talk it over.

Without hesitation Evrynn drew his sword in one hand while placing a Hexblade curse on Storm as he charged forward.  However, despite all of the training, experience, and magical trinkets Evrynn had collected during his 15 years as a Defender, he wasn’t prepared for what happened next.  With incredible timing and patience, Storm snatched Evrynn out of his charge and held him in the air with one hand.

Evrynn tried to cast and he tried to break free, but there was nothing he could do.  Cinder took this time to make the scenery more enjoyable, a fiery landscape, while the other Defenders were ready to fight, but the fight never came.  After a minute of watching the elf struggle, Storm hefted Evrynn to the threshold of the courtyard.  He coldly and sharply parlayed, “You can die here!  Now tell us what we need to know!”

Moments later they were all heading into Evrynn’s personal study.  Besides a quill and some parchment, there wasn’t an item in the room that wasn’t encased in glass.  The elf marched directly to the center bookcase and removed a key from the top shelf.  After opening the casing he spoke, “Not only do I have the key of Annadielle Trueheart, I know how to open it.”

With that he twisted the key in an obscure fashion and it opened to reveal a faded note.  Rayna delicately drew the letter from the key and read it’s contents aloud.

_Dearest Annadielle,

It has been two long years since I have been at your side.  You are well aware why I was unable to return and I fear that things have only become worse.  The dead follow my every step and grow closer by the day.

My company is near depleted; only Loasaur and myself remain.  We plan to leave at dawn for the whitest peak in the Dragonclaw Mountains.  There within the mountain shrine to Trelar I will seal myself in a tomb, and as the life escapes my body, only then will the Eye of Zorm rest.

When your time has come, I ask that you come and join me in the glowing salvation of Trelar.  I have enclosed the key to the tomb and Loasaur will allow only you to join me in my final rest.

May my love and protection always shield you from the foulness of this land,

Mendegon_

Evrynn spoke as soon as Rayna had finished the letter.  “The Dragonclaw Mountains are just over a days travel to the south east by horse.”

“I don’t fit on horses,” interjected Storm.

“Well then, I offer you the use of my magic carriage,” the elf continued.  “It moves even faster than a horse and can carry your entire group to the base of the mountains in less than one day.  Just be very careful with it, it is a rare and valuable item.”

Evrynn lead the group to a set of stables within the Keep.  Now barren of any hay or feed, the stables were practically empty except for a large tarp covered object.  The elf pulled back the black and dusty tarp to reveal an extravagant looking carriage with a driver’s seat for two, a seats off the back for two, and enough room inside for a tight fit of six.  The most amazing part was that the reins attached to the driver’s seat protruded out into thin air where two horses should be.  In place of the horses were two sets of bit and bridles that hovered in mid-air.

“The creatures that pull this cart are constructs of force,” explained Evrynn.  “Although they are not inherently much faster than real horses, they never tire or need feed.  This is where most of your travel time is lost.  They will save you nearly a quarter of a day in travel time.”

With only one or two more warnings of caution from Evrynn, the group was off.  They had their first real mission, and they were going to show the world what it meant to be Defenders of Tronus.


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## Wee Jas (Jan 15, 2004)

Storm rules!  Who plays him?  Oh wait.. its me!


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## Arkyst (Jan 16, 2004)

*The Defenders of Tronus – One Shall Not Return:*

After the better part of a days travel the Defenders reached the base of the Dragonclaw Mountains.  Twizle and Rayna surveyed the area and found the only path up the mountain that was headed in the right direction.  It was clear which peak was the whitest, and Twizle was beside himself that it happened to be the highest one.  Beneath his breath he mumbled, “These hands were made for music, not climbing.”

They had all decided it best to make an early camp and rest the night before trying to reach the summit of the mountain.  Rayna took advantage of having the shelter of the carriage while Azerot and Cinder huddled around a fire outside.  About ten or so feet away, Twizle and Storm laid out their magical sleeping bags, which were standard issues to the Defenders.

“You’ll roast us with that fire,” commented Storm as he sprawled his massive half-Ogre Magi body on the ground.

Azerot calmly replied, “Well you see, my friend Cinder here is not actually a gnome…”

Cinder interrupted with, “I’m a gnome.”

“No Cinder, it is safe to tell them,” said Azerot as he motioned for Cinder to set down the lantern that he was always carrying.  “Cinder is actually a fire mephit, and he uses this lantern of disguise to appear as a gnome.”

The difference in appearance was striking, but it was apparent that Cinder kept many of his features in gnome guise, not to mention his twitchiness.

“Sure,” was about all of the interest Storm could feign before passing into unconsciousness.  He, being a monster himself was not entirely impressed.

Rayna peered out of the cart to get a good look at the mephit, nodded her head and returned to sleep as well.

During second watch Twizle hummed himself a tune.  He could control the pitch as to not wake the others.  “What a great chorus that would make,” he mused to himself, until he heard two gruff voices quickly approaching.

“I tell you, there be plenty of pins around here somewhere.  I saw them walk’n about earlier,” said one of the voices.  “In fact, one of them would make an even better ball!”

Twizle instantly changed the pitch of his song to that of a whistling alarm.  Everyone struggled to free themselves of their sleeping bags, which were notorious for being hard to slip out of in a hurry.  By the time the party was up, two giants with bluish skin were upon them.

“Knock their heads off,” yelled one as he came in for the charge.

Yet Storm had moved up first, and as he loosened the chain that he wore as a bandoleer, he found that he would be the one to strike first.  With one brutal lash, Storm had struck the closest giant in the eye with his chain.  In a burst of blood and octal fluid, the first hit had been scored and it was a good one!

The battle raged on while the crazed giants made swing after swing at Storm.  Yet for every step closer, he would back up another step, using his chain for distance and Azerot’s positioning to make it dangerous proposition for the Frost giants to advance further.  It wasn’t until Azerot put up a wall of fire though, did the heroes feel like they were getting closer to ending the fight.

Cinder moved forward to flank one of the giants while standing in the fire to heal the damage he had sustained.  Twizle and Rayna hung back towards the carriage.  Neither was well suited to engage in this type of battle, so Twizle fired his crossbow while Rayna took advantage of their enemies’ apparent weakness to fire and burned them with several scorching rays.

However, after the wall of fire went up, the giants had a new target…Azerot.  He had received several bad hits, and it was only through the relentless attacks of Storm and Cinder did the giants once again change their focus.  Yet the onslaught was weighing heavily on Storm.  The behemoth was a monster among men, but with these giants he had found his equal.

Azerot healed Storm several times but finally the hulk slumped to the ground unconscious.  Seeing that Cinder was now left to fight both of the remaining giants alone, Azerot fell to his knees and called upon Kabod to heal his friend with his most potent spell available.  Moments later Storm was back on his feet.  “Quickly, protect Cinder, he is about to die,” shouted the cleric in desperation.

Cinder’s limp body lay on the ground, but the imp-like creature was not yet dead.  One of the giants was standing over him about to correct that problem when a large fist of the half-Ogre Magi monk broke his lower jaw.  That one hit was enough to drop the giant and Storm turned to face the other and growled, “I really don’t think you want to know what I’m going to do to you!”

Storm proceeded to charge forward and pummel the remaining giant while the others blasted it with spells.  Yet, even missing one eye, the giant was a formidable foe.  With one gruesome swing of his greataxe, he dislodged Storm’s arm and shoulder.  The other Defenders watched in disbelief as their friend crumpled to the ground in pieces.  Although, Rayna’s tears weren’t enough to stop that final ray that burned deep into the giant’s hide.

 Azerot ran forward to help his fallen comrade, but the sight was grisly.  Suddenly Storm’s eyes shot open and he jerked Azerot closer with his remaining hand.  “Did Cinder make it,” whispered Storm as if trying not to waken a sleeping child.  “Did he make it?”

“Yes, he was just feigning,” explained Azerot with a meager smile, but it was too late.  Storm had already gone to join his father in Titanos’ hall.  Tonight he would feast at a table with his ancestors.


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## Jeremy (Jan 16, 2004)

Awwww....

Well, we'll see how superhero'ish it is.  How many times has the average super hero died?  

Enjoying the work so far.  Kudos for going toe to toe with frost giants.


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## Arkyst (Jan 16, 2004)

I really see Melcher and his band of belly-dancing girls to be like on of the old Batman and Robin TV show villains.  But you will all be able to see what I mean as the story progresses.  I'll be posting an image of that bunch before long as well, I just have to dot all the eyes ;p and such (bad pun I know, but I couldn't resist).

As for Storm, it's really too early to tell...but I did get an email from Wee Jas the other day that made me think that the character was already starting to be missed.

Well, stay tuned and I hope to have another update tomorrow.


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## Wee Jas (Jan 18, 2004)

Arkyst said:
			
		

> Well, we'll see how superhero'ish it is. How many times has the average super hero died?.




Ha!  Storm critically hit on his first attack.. I did great damage and had the advantage of a 5 foot longer reach with combat reflexes.  I was trying to wear the pair down a bit.  Unfortunately the cleric was getting a little too close for comfort and his henchmen "was going to die if I didn't step up".   In retrospect I should have replied  "Since when do monsters attack cohorts when there are so many PCs to hurt?"


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## Arkyst (Jan 19, 2004)

*The Defenders of Tronus – The Quest Must Go On:*

Morning had come and the group was reluctant to accept the outcome of the previous night.  “Storm was firm in his belief, he told me that he did not want to be brought back,” repeated Azerot.  “No matter how many times you ask, I’ll have the same answer.  Yes I’m upset, but what can we do?  Even if we did have the time to go back to town…we would be directly opposing his wishes.  He died in battle, and that is the way that Storm would have wanted it.”

The group was upset but they couldn’t argue the fact that they needed to continue.  They were running out of time.  Twizle hid the carriage in the surrounding foliage along with Storm’s body.  Rayna applied some Oil of Timeliness so that the body would be preserved in the cart and to reduce any foul odors.

Azerot lead the party up the trail until they hit an obvious fork in the path.  One of the directions appeared to be far more traveled, and they unanimously determined that it must be where the giant’s had come from.  With some discussion, the Defenders decided to approach the camp and find out if there were any more giants in the area.

During the approach, the near dead silence was a clear indication that no Frost giants remained.  Upon entering the campsite, the party was shocked to find giant sized version of ten-pins setup on an adjacent ledge.  A human head appeared to be the ball, with the eyes pushed in for finger holes, and nine legs were setup in a triangle formation.  One of the legs appeared to be half-eaten, and the obvious replacement was an unconscious elf that was bound and gagged.

After a little help from Kabod, Azerot had restored the elf to full vigor.  “Well, what luck, what luck,” chimed the elf in a manner that was a bit too chipper for the mourning group.  “My name is Dazreal D’Amberville, but you can call me Daz.”

“You see, I just got here last night right after dusk in search of you, the Defenders of Tronus,” continued Daz in a frenzy of words.  “I was chosen to be a Defender, but I was running really late and I never made it to the ceremony or anything.  It was all that I could do to catch up with the party when I got captured by those scary giants.  You don’t mind if I join you, right?”

Daz hastily pulled forth a crumpled piece of parchment that had both King Redbrook and Duke Kevrin’s seals, even if they were a starting to flake.  Azerot looked at both Rayna and Twizle who just shrugged.  In the uncomfortable silence Cinder cracked under the pressure, “I’m a gnome!”

Daz grinned ear-to-ear and said, “I’ll take that as a yes.”

“What harm could he do,” thought Azerot.  He did have official papers and seemed genuinely happy to have been freed.  With his mind at ease, he motioned for the others to search the camp for any possible treasures.

“This is just sick,” commented Daz who was now staring at the human head used to bowl down the ten-pins.  “It appears that they have even gone so far as to craft their own trophy.”

“That is some trophy alright!”  Twizle hustled over to take a closer look.  “I can’t believe my eyes!  Look here, if you just pull off these wooden slats that they have fashioned about the base, you can see it for what it really is.”

Twizle’s hands worked quickly as he spoke.  It wasn’t long before they entire team was able to see that it was really a hammer crafted entirely of gold.

“Amazing…A-mazing,” rambled Twizle.  “This hammer belonged to the late Prince Bonidor Stonehelm of the Griffholme Mountains. It was a very rare collaboration since the Dwarves of Goldborough have completely removed themselves from the craft of arms and armor due to the tremendous demand for coin.  Only a handful of times have the dwarves of Goldborough allowed anyone to use their stores of ore to craft such an item.  The Stonehelms are the ruling clan of the Griffholme dwarves, and expert weapon smiths as well.  It is only fitting that they should work together to craft such a fine hammer.”

After taking a long breath, Twizle continued.  “If memory serves me correctly, this hammer has the power to turn those struck by it into solid gold.  Of course it takes a master warrior to finesse it, and Bonidor was one of the finest.  Yet he fell in battle during the age of the Orc, long before the Kingdom of Redbrook.”

As the party moved up the path towards the whitest peak, Twizle continued to marvel over the beauty of this newfound item.  That is until their new ally Daz sparked up a conversation regarding the uselessness of Bards.


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## Wee Jas (Jan 20, 2004)

Arkyst said:
			
		

> Daz sparked up a conversation regarding the uselessness of Bards.




well...


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## Richards (Jan 21, 2004)

Okay, so help me out here: Vek’s player was running Storm, and presumably is now running Dazreal D’Amberville.  Which characters are Jamison and Kizzlorn’s players running?

Johnathan


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## Wee Jas (Jan 21, 2004)

Yeah, I was Storm.  My new character will show up soon  

Twizle - Dartan but he dropped.  Tried to run his own campaign and quit dming game one.  lol.

Rayna - Kizz

Azerot - Jamison


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## Wee Jas (Jan 22, 2004)

Oh and the DM for this is Xaltar .. .. who was Shade, Rafflorn Spellforge and that druid..  




			
				Wee Jas said:
			
		

> Yeah, I was Storm.  My new character will show up soon
> 
> Twizle - Dartan but he dropped.  Tried to run his own campaign and quit dming game one.  lol.
> 
> ...


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## Arkyst (Jan 23, 2004)

You forgot Dekker!  He was my favorite character in the Knights.


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## Arkyst (Jan 24, 2004)

*The Defenders of Tronus – An Abrasive Personality:*

“No, you’re missing my point entirely,” chided Daz for the second straight hour.  “What exactly are you good at?  Playing a horn?  What does that have to do with being a hero?  You’re telling me that you’re not that great of a shot, but you usually stay towards the back and use your crossbow.  You can cast spells, but you didn’t cast a single one to help your friend Storm before he fell.  I’m just saying that I think Bards are useless.”

“Silence!”  Azerot tried to keep the peace without getting too irate.

Yet Daz continued to instigate.  “Well, I think that it’s a valid point to ask why a musician would be pretending to be a great warrior.”

Twizle huffed but held back his rage.  They had a quest to complete or nearly 3,000 of his fellow citizens would perish from the plague.  Twizle took to once again humming a tune for his upcoming musical.  If he couldn’t make the elf stop talking, he could at least drown him out.  

After several more long hours of climbing, the group finally crested the snowy peak.  Ahead of them was a dimly lit cavern, with the only sign of light being the reflection off of a thick layer of webs that started only a few feet into the cave.  “Cinder, take that web down,” instructed Azerot.

Cinder’s lantern of disguise threw a bit of warmth, but it wasn’t enough to light the webs on fire.  Yet, the Fire Mephit in gnome guise had taken a few precautions to protect him form the cold.  With a torch in his off-hand and several more chained about his waist, Cinder walked directly into the web filled cavern.  There were several large and extremely venomous spiders living in the entranceway, but by the time Cinder made his way through the web filled area, none were left alive.

Meanwhile the rest of the party had heard two humans coming up the path chattering like old men enjoying afternoon tea on calm Slumbis afternoon.  The party sat dumbfounded, not really feeling the need to prepare for battle, while silently fuming over the fact that they must have been followed.  “Talley-Ho,” called the first of the men to crest the last stretch of path, making himself just visible to the Defenders.  The man, who appeared to be nearing 50 years of age by the looks of his salt and pepper hair, turned to help his companion up the incline.  The next man coming over the hill didn’t appear to be quite as old, but he had weathered at least 30 long days by the look of his leathery skin.  The companion was laden with pots, pans, maps, and various adventuring gear that most adventurers deemed unnecessary.  It was quite apparent that he was the lackey.

“Greetings, greetings young adventurers,” called out the comely older man.  “A brisk day for adventuring ehh?”

“State your name and business old man,” called back Azerot in an annoyed tone.

“Well your friend Twizle could have told you that,” said the man with a sinister smile while Twizle shifted uncomfortably in the background.  “My name is Gaelin Dor, adventurer extraordinaire!”

“He’s a thief,” spat an utterly disgusted Twizle.

“Now, let me speak.  I’m not here to steal anyone’s treasure, but rest assured that there will be a capable adventurer right outside in case you find that the challenge is too difficult.  I’d be more than happy to help carry your injured bodies to safety.” 

“And take the Eye for your own,” accused Twizle.

Gaelin didn’t falter at the accusation.  “If you’re not sturdy enough to win such a powerful item from those that possess it, then that should not be blamed on me.”

“So we do all of the research, take all the time to find the place, and you just show up?”  Questioned Azerot as he too joined in on the argument 

Rayna was upset as well, “What of all the people that will die if we fail to return to Tronus with the Eye of Zorm?  That would be over 3,000 by my calculations.  You wish to steal their lives as well?”

“Well, one much more rationale that yourself would realize this.  One third of the people will not be affected by said plague, if it even exists.  The second third would be the people saved by the clerics, healers and mystics of the surrounding communities.  Yet the last third, those of whom you speak of with your bleeding heart, they are the dredges of society.  Those who are either too stupid to seek the proper help in time, or so vile that the clerics will refuse to touch them.  I believe that the answer is pretty clear.”

“You disgust me,” sneered Rayna in exasperation.

Without looking back, the group headed into the cave, still smoking slightly from Cinder’s clearing of the spider web.  “Just holler if you need me,” called out Gaelin as the Defenders rounded the corner, but they tried their best to ignore them.

By the time the party caught up to Cinder, they found him sitting on the edge of some crude looking stone stairs that descended into the core of the mountain’s interior.  As the Defenders approached, they noticed that Cinder was enduring a coughing fit.  

“No go forward,” struggled Cinder while hacking up smoke and pointing toward a spot on the wall that appeared to have been the source of the poisonous gas.

“I’ll bet the floor is trapped,” proclaimed Azerot, and with a silent prayer to Kabod, the cleric’s body began dissipate into strands of dark gray smoke.

After Azerot’s smoke form reassembled in a large cloud, it slowly descended down the stairway without triggering any more of the traps.  After reaching the bottom, Azerot resumed his natural form and called back to the others that the bottom was safe.  Rayna quickly dipped into her extensive spell repertoire to enable the entire party to traverse the stairway without touching a single stair.

Yet, the unsuspecting Azerot at the bottom of the stairs was brutally attacked by an invisible foe.  Without warning, lacerations appeared across his back, but the attacker didn’t know that this was one of the toughest clerics in Avrick.  Azerot, determined to not to be the fool of this encounter, quickly moved away from the threatened area.  As he approached the opposite side of the cave, he spoke a spell to purge the magic that was hiding his attacker.

When nothing was revealed by the spell, and the attacks continued, Azerot began to grow concerned.  Meanwhile the others were moving slowly down the stairs, primarily due to Daz dragging his feet while Rayna was carrying him.  Before the others had reached the bottom, Azerot had regained his composure and tried a new tactic.  He held up his symbol of the elements and commanded the air around him to stop attacking.  

After reeling from the surprise that it had worked, Azerot regained control and asked the creature he now commanded why he had been attacked.  In a pale and whispery voice there was a reply, “I serve…I protect…this shrine of Trelar.”

“Know that we have come to help, and will not desecrate this shrine,” assured Azerot, as he dropped his command over the creature.  “You can decide for yourself if I should pass.”

“Your, your honor is your passage…Trelar grants you passage,” whispered the invisible stalker.

“Thank you friend,” replied Azerot as he bowed toward the sound of the bodiless voice.

The rest of the Defenders having finally made it to fight by Azerot’s side found the battle to be over.  Rayna glanced over with an approving smile that lasted all of five seconds before Twizle let out a big huff.  “What is wrong now Twizle?  Is it too much to ask that we not slaughter every magical creature in Arkyst?” asked Rayna in annoyance.

Twizle glared back at the Mystic Theurge before responding.  “I’m not upset about that battle, I’m upset at the fact that Daz went charging down the corridor while we were standing here.”

Azerot, Cinder, and Rayna all look around wildly.  Twizle was right, their overzealous companion was nowhere in sight, and he couldn’t have gone back up the stairs on his own.  With a word spoken among them, they charged down the hallway at full speed.  Daz was virtually unarmored and completely unencumbered, so it took some time for the rest of the party to catch up with him.  They eventually found him inspecting some coffins in an alcove off of the main hall.

“Daz, what are you doing?”  Questioned Azerot, like a mother scolding a misbehaving child.

“Just getting this quest underway.  You guys are way to slow, and a little boring I might add.”  Replied Daz without a care in the world.

“There is another alcove over here,” said Cinder, not understanding the impending argument.

Daz, finding it a good excuse to leave Azerot’s negative attitude behind, headed to the spot that Cinder’s lantern was now pointing.  His elven eyes were guiding him through the near darkness as he explored what appeared to be another uneventful tomb.  Daz had entertained the thought of looting the coffins, but Trelar’s finest were most likely protected with a bunch messy spells.  Just when he thought his search was over however, he noticed something furry on the ground.

With an excitement possessed by few not wrapped in straightjackets, Daz patted along the furry shape to try and determine its size.  Daz kept patting, until his hands reached over his head.  Suddenly two yellow eyes appeared in the darkness as a massive black cat-like humanoid with four arms took a step forward.  In a raspy voice it spoke two simple words, “Darkness Falls.”







“Woah,” exclaimed Daz as he darted back out of the alcove and into the hallway.

“I await the Eye.  Bring it to me and I will let you live,” spoke the creature coldly.

“Sure, just wait here,” responded Daz with a grin to hide his fear.

Azerot shook his head and ignored the shadow beast.  It apparently needed someone else to fetch the eye for it; perhaps it was the thing that had sent them on this quest to begin with.  He was content to know that the beast needed the Defenders, since it didn’t tear Daz apart when it had the chance.


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## Wee Jas (Jan 26, 2004)

If that cat guy was a playable PC race... It would be my next character.


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## Arkyst (Jan 29, 2004)

*The Defenders of Tronus – The Paladin’s Crypt:*

Only a few steps around the corner from the shadow beast, was a horrid sight.  A pile of undead laid clawing and scratching at the massive stone door that marked the final resting place of Mendegon the Devout.  Arms and legs protruded from the door jam, indicating that these undead have been here since the tomb was sealed.  Hundreds of years later, they remained, clawing at the base of the door, most of which had scratched their claws into nubs.

Azerot looked to Kabod yet again to expedite the quest as he called forth a small floating sphere of fire, and moved it directly into the pile of undead.  After the fire died, the smoke and stench started to fill the corridor.  The heroes were a little unsure that it was a cleaner way to defeat the near-helpless undead, but it was too late now.

Now that the mess of undead was nothing more than some smoldering embers, Daz moved up to the door to get a better perspective.  As he approached, the door began to glow with a translucent blue light.  In the background Rayna was insisting that Daz not touch the door, that she had the key of Annadielle Trueheart.  Yet Daz was his own man, no woman would tell him what to do.  The elven rogue took out his lockpicks and touched them to the lock.  As he did, a large bolt of blue light shot out of the door and directly into Daz’s chest.

After Daz and been blown clear of the door, Rayna approached to use the key. Without any problems, the door opened to reveal a large stone room.  The room itself was decorated, but not to excess, with the most flamboyant part being a small shrine to Trelar at the opposite side of the room.  In the center of the room was a large sarcophagus, covered in images of knights and armor.

Within the room itself were close to fifty skeletal warriors circling the sarcophagus.  In fact, it was apparent that this had been going on for some time since there was a circular groove worn into the stone floor.  The only thing that appeared to keep the skeletons at bay was a man in tarnished armor and tattered robes that passed back and forth on the top of the sarcophagus, swinging his sword about in the air.  Yet, the glowing orange eyes shining out from underneath his hood hinted that he was now undead as well.

“Loasaur, I presume,” addressed Azerot as he moved forward with his morningstar readied.

The guardian of the sarcophagus nodded his head in the direction of the cleric but did not pause in his pacing.  Azerot signaled back to group to attack, and they were more than happy to rid this place of these remaining undead.  Rayna started the attack by torching one of the skeletons.  The horde of undead broke their circle and began to charge the Defenders.

Azerot greatly slowed their charge however by casting a wall of fire.  Twizle fired his crossbow at the skeletons (with little success), while Cinder set himself to engage in melee as the undead approached.  Daz, who was at the back of the party acted like he was going to move up to join Cinder’s flank.  Yet, he suddenly changed directions, ran around the corner, and slashed the shadow beast across the face with his rapier.  

The attack was masterfully executed as Daz caught the monster totally by surprise, but it wasn’t enough to take the shadow beast down.  After the strike Daz leapt back, with far less grace than his attack.  He hadn’t planned on the creature surviving such a well-placed rapier slice, and quickly scrambled to hide behind Rayna.  Now frightfully afraid that he had just jeopardized his own life, he attempted to pass the blame.  While pointing to Rayna, whom he was currently using as a human body shield, he yelled, “The witch, she made me do it!  It was the witch!”

At the other end of the hallway Azerot, Cinder and Twizle were now holding the line against the skeletons that had charged through Azerot’s wall of fire.  They found that these skeletons were far sturdier than those that they had encountered in the past, but the heroes were faring well.  That was until they had involved the shadow beast in the fray.

With a muffled roar, the furry black cat-like creature leapt forward out of the dark alcove.  It wasn’t phased by Rayna’s presence as it jumped over her and pounced on Daz.  The first claw hit, then the second, then the third.  Daz was bouncing around like a scarecrow in a windstorm, until the fourth claw connected.  The loudmouthed elf crumpled to the ground before the beast finished his compliment of attacks.  Instead of finishing Daz, the shadow beast took the time to glare at the rest of the Defenders.  It was showing the party who was really in control of the situation.

As soon as the words could come out of her mouth, Rayna cried, “Back of you monster, we need him to help us get the Eye of Zorm!”

Rayna’s last three words snapped the beast out of its frenzy and it retreated to the dark alcove.  It wanted to teach them a lesson for their defiance, but it couldn’t risk its only chance to retrieve the Eye of Zorm, especially when they were so close.  Once the area was unthreatened, Rayna leaned down to heal Daz while the others continued the battle against the relentless undead.

After Daz’s eyes opened, signifying that he was going to live, Rayna smacked him across the face.  “I’m a witch am I?”  She huffed.

Before Daz could respond however, Azerot turned around amidst the smoke surrounded by a pile of twitching and smoldering skeletal parts.  He wiped the sweat from his brow and panted, “That it’s, that’s all of them…except for the Trelarian guardian on top of the sarcophagus.  We can try to talk to him once the wall of fire goes down.”

Before Azerot had time to catch his breath however, Daz jumped up, grabbed his rapier out of a pool of his own blood and lunged once again at the shadow beast while the rest of the team stared at him with amazement.  Daz truly was crazy!


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## Wee Jas (Jan 30, 2004)

Arkyst said:
			
		

> Daz truly was crazy!




He seems helpful to me.


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## Horacio (Jan 30, 2004)

Good story, it seems I've found another fix for my addiction


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## Lela (Feb 1, 2004)

GAH!  The master has returned and I can't keep up!

_Oh, what a world, what a world. . ._


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## Wee Jas (Feb 2, 2004)

Lela said:
			
		

> GAH!  The master has returned and I can't keep up!
> 
> _Oh, what a world, what a world. . ._





/ hands Lela a broom

Glad to see you popping in


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## Lela (Feb 2, 2004)

I started reading when you posted it in the old Knights thread.  Then I fell a little behind in other things, dangit, and the important stuff had to go on the back burner.

 But it's a great story and I'm planning to stick around.


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## Reyna (Feb 2, 2004)

*The Defenders of Tronus – Accepting Mendegon’s Fate:*

Daz lunged at the beast with another powerful strike, and now that the battle with the skeletons was over, the others were now less reluctant to help.  Cinder moved up to flank the cat-like monster while Twizle shot at it from a safe distance.  Meanwhile, Azerot and Rayna pelted it with spells until the creature finally fell to one of Rayna’s signature scorching rays.

Daz continued to stab the shadow beast as it slumped to the ground.  He was very intent on making sure that the thing was dead.  Yet Rayna voiced a different opinion as she began to pull forth unguent of timelessness, “Don’t destroy the body, I want to save it for my shop.”

After they had preserved the body, they reassembled their belongings, made sure that they were all fully healed, and passed a few disapproving looks Daz’s way.  He merely smiled and said, “See, I knew that beast wasn’t a threat.”

Rayna returned, “It practically killed you.  You’re lucky that it needed us to get the Eye of Zorm.”

Daz just ignored Rayna and started heading into the room containing Mendegon’s sarcophagus.  The others followed closely behind, more afraid of the trouble that Daz might cause than the single remaining undead guardian.

“If I’m not mistaken, then you are Loasaur, Mendegon’s friend and Guardian,” voiced Azerot in a firm and unshaken tone.

“I am Loasaur, granted life beyond death to serve out my duty.”

Azerot continued, “I’m afraid that we have come to claim the artifact that you guard.  If we are not able to return it to the city of Tronus, over three thousand people will die.  Now we don’t plan to give the Eye of Zorm to the villain who has threatened the lives of these citizens, but we need it as a bargaining piece.”

Loasaur stopped pacing the lid of Mendegon’s tomb and stared at the party with glowing orange eyes.  “I understand why you have come, but you have your duty and I have mine.  As long as we do not deny our honor, then neither of us shall loose, despite the outcome.”

“Hey Loasaur,” interjected Daz.  “If you’re so honorable, then you won’t mind if we rest for a bit first.  That way it will be a fair fight and all.”

Rayna sneered up her nose while Daz spoke, and Twizle shook his head in disbelief.  Yet, Loasaur responded, “You may rest in the cleric’s chambers, a safe and protected room.  If you pull on the second candleholder on the shrine, it will open the secret door.”

All of the team bowed before Loasaur, except for Daz, as they retreated into the lavish chamber.  Once inside they shut the door and looked around.  There were many tapestries and ornate objects.  There was a suit of crimson armor that particularly caught Azerot’s eye, but he dismissed the thought of taking the belongings of another honorable being.  Daz however, had no reservations about stuffing as much “loot” as he could into his backpacks.  Mumbling the whole time about how upset he would be if there were a curse on any of the stuff and occasionally complaining about not keeping the gold and silver polished.  Twizle followed the elf around the room, noting what he took, in case it became an issue in the future.

Daz was convinced that no watches were needed since they had an undead guardian of Trelar right outside the door, but the others were less convinced.  It wasn’t until Azerot’s watch however, did anything interesting happen.  As the cleric made sure that Daz was sound asleep, he quietly cast silence upon the elven rogue, and slipped out of the room.

Loasaur continued to pace the length of the coffin as Azerot approached.  Then when Azerot was only a few feet away, the guardian stopped and readied his sword.  “You come to fight me alone?” question Loasaur.

“No, I’ve come to negotiate,” responded Azerot.

Loasaur was sympathetic, but he again explained his stance, “I cannot negotiate this matter, I must follow the will of Trelar.”

Azerot shook his head, “I know.”

He turned from the coffin and approached the shrine of Trelar.  He pulled out his holy symbol of Kabod and kneeled before the altar.  “I, Azerot, faithful servant of Kabod, ask you, Trelar the great protector, to allow me to be the guardian of the Eye of Zorm.  I will do everything in my power to keep this artifact out of the hands of evil, but we need it now to save the citizens of Tronus.  Kabod can vouch for my honor, and if I am unable to I will return to take Mendegon’s place.”

Azerot continued to kneel, for what seemed like an eternity.  Yet nothing happened.  The ground didn’t shake; there was no sign from Kabod or Trelar and no voices in his head.  Apparently he would have to battle Loasaur for the rights to the artifact.  Thinking that his watch would be over soon, and he now needed the rest, Azerot turned and stood.

As Azerot pulled on the second candleholder to open the door to the chamber where the Defenders were staying, Loasaur spoke, “I will move Mendegon to another coffin and the Eye of Zorm will be released to you at dawn.  When you feel that you can no longer contain the evil, return here and this can be your resting place.  Yet, if you do not return, I will find you myself.”

Azerot, surprised by the outcome of his prayer, but somber over the thought of suffering the same fate of Mendegon, asked, “What if I destroy the Eye before then?”
Loasaur’s eyes flickered, “If you destroy the Eye, then my duty will be complete, I will be free.”


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## Reyna (Feb 2, 2004)

Oops, posted under my wife's account.    

- Arkyst


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## Lela (Feb 2, 2004)

Now that was heroic.


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## Horacio (Feb 2, 2004)

Lela said:
			
		

> Now that was heroic.



 And far better than a battle. I like this story more and more


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## Reyna (Feb 6, 2004)

A witch?  _A WITCH? _  Why, I oughta... /readies a backhand slap   

I should have just let that rather interesting creature tear Daz to bits, but I just couldn't allow that to happen (no matter how troublesome he is).  Besides, I knew the creature would have to fall since it was clearly after the same item we needed. And, once it expired, I knew I could use my salve & keep it's remains for my shop. Very interesting specimen, that one!


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## Wee Jas (Feb 6, 2004)

A preview of things to come:


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## Lela (Feb 6, 2004)

_Holy unholy black blade of death Batman!_


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## Jawa (Feb 7, 2004)

Good job with the story. Should be really interesting for the readers when the story catches up to the campaign. 

*CINDER* - I'm a Gnome!

*Azerot - Order of Smoke*
Cleric of Kabod, god of the Elements


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## Arkyst (Feb 9, 2004)

*The Defenders of Tronus – The Return to Tronus:*

In the morning the Defenders readied their belongings and Azerot asked them all to stay in the chamber for a moment while he addressed Loasaur.

When he entered the tomb, he found that the sarcophagus had been emptied of everything except for the Eye of Zorm.  Loasaur was standing next to the altar to Trelar, just watching.  Azerot withdrew a piece of cloth and rapped it around the eye, as to not touch the foul artifact and placed it in his bag.

“Thank you friend,” Azerot spoke to Loasaur.

“I will pray to Trelar for your safety,” replied Loasaur.  “I would also like to offer you the treasures of this shrine.  I have no need of them, and this place has been lost to followers of Trelar.  They will be put to better use aiding you in the destruction of the eye.  And know this; only the living may carry the eye.”

Azerot walked over and shook the hand of the undead guardian, “May I have the strength to set you free.”

The party was surprised when Azerot returned and informed them that they should gather up the rest of the treasures around the chamber.  He then told them that he had made a deal with Loasaur and that they would not have to battle for the Eye of Zorm.  The look on Azerot’s face deterred the rest of the Defenders from asking any more questions.  Even Daz’s eyes started to sag as the group passed by the now empty tomb.  They all realized what had just transpired.

At the base of the Mountain, Twizle recovered the hidden magical carriage and the party quickly sped their way back to Tronus.  They finally arrived in the city a few hours after nightfall.  Although they tried not to raise a lot of attention, they soon found that it was hard to be inconspicuous in a horseless cart.  As the citizens congregated in the streets, they began to chant Storm’s name.  

Yet all they could see was Cinder, in gnome guise driving the carriage.  It wasn’t until Rayna peered out of the window, shaking her head, with tears lightly dribbling down her face did the crowd’s chanting cease.  The masses were awestruck that the blue goliath, whom they had recently accepted as the city’s mascot, was now unable to wave at them as he passed.  Many hadn’t even come to the realization yet, that Storm was among the deceased.

Cinder raced the carriage across town to the Duke Kevrin’s castle where Kevrin himself along with several of the benefactors of Tronus met the Defenders.  There was also an elven bounty hunter present.  It was apparent that he wasn’t from Silverpine; the most well know elven community on Avrick.  Rayna quickly surmised that he must be a desert nomad from the arid plains that lie to the east, between Tronus and Kaldrid.

None of the group thought much of the additional member to Duke Kevrin’s entourage until the last of the party made their way off of the carriage.  Daz jumped out of the carriage with extreme grace, but tripped slightly as he landed.  He had spotted the man wearing dusty leather armor and reeled in horror.  It was apparent not everyone in Tronus was as naïve as the Defenders.  

The bounty hunter quickly drew his scimitar in one hand, and a wanted poster of Daz in the other.  Daz just grinned wildly as he suddenly found himself pinned against the cart by the curved blade, while town guards shackled his hands and feet.  The elven nomad managed to snag a crumpled piece of paper from Daz’s pouch before the guard hauled the criminal off to serve his time.  The bounty hunter brushed his shoulder-length brown hair from his face and squinted his perfectly almond shaped eyes.  His gaze passed over each of the Defenders, eyeing them as if to make sure all was in order before he was ready to sheathe his sword.  Then he spoke in a sly, calm voice, “Lord Kevrin, I believe that the capture of this imposter concludes our deal.”

The bounty hunter tossed the crumbled paper to the Duke who gingerly rolled it flat against the side of the carriage.  “Thank you Kaelin, and are you sure that you won’t consider my offer?”

The weathered elf, already starting to walk off into the darkness, turned slightly and coldly responded, “I’ll sleep on it.”

Once Kaelin was out of sight, Kevrin focused again on the Defenders.  “I am deeply sorry for the loss Storm, yet we don’t have time to mourn right now.  I’ll arrange for a funeral at dawn, but I’m afraid that we have much fouler things to discuss.”

The Duke motioned for the Defenders to carry their conversation from the city streets to the meeting hall within his castle-like mansion.  Before Kevrin followed the party into the chamber, he handed the worn note to one of his most trusted assistants.  In near desperation the Duke spoke, “Make sure that this note is delivered tonight, and don’t accept no for an answer.”

The assistant agreed without hesitation and rushed off to complete his mission.  Kevrin stood in the hall for another moment while the shadow of a man stepped out of the darkness.  “I greatly appreciate having your expertise on this matter,” stated Kevrin while trying to mask the uneasiness that he was feeling by the stranger’s presence.   After taking a deep breath to muster his confidence, Kevrin threw open the doors to the meeting room where he and the dark figure were now met by the exhausted gaze of the remaining Defenders: Rayna, Twizle, and Azerot (accompanied by his sidekick, Cinder the fire mephit, in gnome guise).


----------



## Wee Jas (Feb 9, 2004)

Arkyst said:
			
		

> Kevrin stood in the hall for another moment while the shadow of a man stepped out of the darkness. “I greatly appreciate having your expertise on this matter,” stated Kevrin while trying to mask the uneasiness that he was feeling by the stranger’s presence. After taking a deep breath to muster his confidence




yay!


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## Lela (Feb 9, 2004)

Wait, is this Wee Jas taking on another dark and scary figure?  If so, I'm guessing some kind of Ninja type.  Only because it reminds me if one I used to know. . .


----------



## Wee Jas (Feb 10, 2004)

Lela said:
			
		

> Wait, is this Wee Jas taking on another dark and scary figure?  If so, I'm guessing some kind of Ninja type.  Only because it reminds me if one I used to know. . .




Oh no.. not me.   Don't read my sig or nutin.


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## Lela (Feb 10, 2004)

Wee Jas said:
			
		

> Oh no.. not me.   Don't read my sig or nutin.



 You know me better than that Wee Jas.  I try to read as little of your posts as possible. 

 *Reads .sig*  _Holy ****

_*Cut to image of skeleton with a bar of soap in its mouth*


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## Arkyst (Feb 11, 2004)

*The Defenders of Tronus – The Dark Figure Revealed:*

Duke Kevrin didn’t waste any more time.  He had a lot to say and time was quickly running out.  With the dark figure at his side, Kevrin began debriefing the Defenders.  “Yesterday, several of the townsfolk spotted a man in a dark gray cloak piping all of the rats out of town.  My informants within the city have said that something big is in the works.  What this villainy is, I cannot tell.  Knowing that the rats were no longer a threat, I had the diviners at the University Arcanus find out what they could about Melcher and that Minotaur that he travels with.  It appears that he isn’t anywhere near Tronus and is actually heading to Kaldrid!  From what we can tell, he is planning on stealing an outrageously valuable jewel, the _Pearl of the Deep_.  This pearl, the largest known to man, is currently in the possession of a powerful and wealthy merchant-noble.”

Rayna, while stifling a yawn, raised a question.  “So you’re saying that the whole Eye of Zorm thing was a diversion?  Kaldrid must be some five days travel from here, and that’s on horseback!”

Kevrin smiled nervously, “Well I’m not sure that they don’t really want the eye, but they apparently want this pearl more.  I’m not really sure what either item really does, but we have a chance to stop Melcher now, without risking the citizen’s of Tronus.  He will be making his move shortly after dusk in four nights.  We can’t pass up this opportunity!”

Entertaining the thought, but still unsure as to how they could actually pull it off, Rayna questioned once again.  “It will take us five days to ride there, so you’re implying that we get teleported.  If that’s the case, how do you expect us to return across the desert of Kaldrid?”

Slightly more confident now, the Duke replied, “Evrynn is away negotiating a new trade plan with Jorbash, I’m sure that he won’t mind if you use his carriage for a week or so.  If you sleep in shifts, you can ride the carriage through the night and save a day on the journey, if not more. “

“Oh, I don’t think so!”  Huffed Twizle.  The others stared at the gnomish bard in horror as he scooted out of his chair and stood up.  “I’m cold, tired, and sick of hearing about the end of the world.  My fingers are sore, my voice is cracking, and my hair is just a mess!  I think that you can handle this one without me…I’m going home.”

The room fell silent as Twizle stormed out.  Before he left completely though, he stopped at the mysterious figure standing somberly at Kevrin’s side.  Twizle looked him up and down with great distrust, while the rest of the Defenders suddenly acknowledged that there was someone else in the room.  The gnomish bard shivered as if he had just heard nails on a chalkboard.  Once he regained his composure, he quickly slipped out the door, and out of the mansion.

The Defenders were used to Twizle’s overdramatic flare and found that they were suddenly more intrigued by the stranger.  He was wearing a long blue/black coat and a thin wide-brimmed hat.  The man had apparently been staring at the floor, but now that all of the attention was suddenly on him, he felt it to be an appropriate time to address them.  As he tilted his head up slowly, two glowing oval eyes barely broke the shadow cast by his hat.  Clearly not a man, but a tall elf, his clothes carried the scents of must, garlic, incense, and recently dug earth.

In a dark voice, on par with his dark appearance, the elf spoke.  “I am Erasmus Nightwalker.  As a hunter of the walking dead, I have traveled across many lands.  Now I am called to Avrick to squelch the growing darkness!  The area around Tronus has been crawling with undead as of late, and this morning I felt a shroud of darkness cover this land.  The Eye of Zorm is calling to the dead, it is telling them to rise, and to feed on the flesh of the living.”

Azerot held up his hand to stop the elf’s story.  Tired and rubbing his eyes, he decided it best to clear things up now.  “Listen friend, we appreciate your offer, but I just don’t know if we need anyone else right now.  I’m not even sure what we are supposed to do right now; never mind make the decision to add another stranger to the party.  We haven’t even buried our dead yet!”

“Not to mention that our most recent member, Daz was a criminal!”  Added Rayna.

“You haven’t let me finish,” continued Erasmus.  “As I was about to say, I offer you any assistance you may ask of me, or my expertise on undead…but it is my duty to guard the Eye of Zorm at all costs.  If I’m not in your party, I will still be by your side.  You do not know the evil that this item draws; you need every ally you can find if you are to have any hope to contain its power.”

The Grave speech came to an unfitting ending as Cinder began to clap.  The mephit still hadn’t grasped some of the finer details of human culture, but most of the meetings attendees were too tired to care at this point.

Azerot, ready for the meeting end, slapped his hand down on the table.  “Fine then.  We will have Storms funeral at dawn and we will leave Tronus by seven.  Assuming you don’t melt in the sun, we will see you then.  Until then, we’re going back to the tower to get some rest."


----------



## Arkyst (Feb 11, 2004)

As you all will start to notice, there was a little bit of a change in the player line-up going on around this time.  These changes should span the next several posts.

Thanks for reading!


- Arkyst


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## Horacio (Feb 11, 2004)

Erasmus here?!?!
Cool 

When will Vek and Dartan join the story? 

(I know that Vek is dead and very dead, but Wee Jas can find a good reason to restore him...)


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## Wee Jas (Feb 11, 2004)

Dartan and Vek.  Well I think you will need to convince Doc Midnight to start DMing again for that to happen.  I've tried to convince him.. I have.

Erasmus is back.  

After leaving the Knights of the Silver Quill he hunted undead alone for a while.  When he learned of Jamison Crow's treachery he set off to find him.   He encountered a mirror, inside the mirror was his own worst fear.  Himself as undead.  The vampire Erasmus lunged out of the magic portal and a fight ensued.  Jamison himself joined the fray and blew the real Erasmus into the mirror with a powerful spell.  Erasmus watched in horror as the vampire smashed the portal leaving him trapped in an unknown land.



			
				Horacio said:
			
		

> Erasmus here?!?!
> 
> When will Vek and Dartan join the story?
> 
> (I know that Vek is dead and very dead, but Wee Jas can find a good reason to restore him...)


----------



## Horacio (Feb 11, 2004)

Wee Jas said:
			
		

> Dartan and Vek.  Well I think you will need to convince Doc Midnight to start DMing again for that to happen.  I've tried to convince him.. I have.
> 
> Erasmus is back.
> 
> After leaving the Knights of the Silver Quill he hunted undead alone for a while.  When he learned of Jamison Crow's treachery he set off to find him.   He encountered a mirror, inside the mirror was his own worst fear.  Himself as undead.  The vampire Erasmus lunged out of the magic portal and a fight ensued.  Jamison himself joined the fray and blew the real Erasmus into the mirror with a powerful spell.  Erasmus watched in horror as the vampire smashed the portal leaving him trapped in an unknown land.



 Sorry for the questions, I've been out of EN World for some months...

Why did ol' Doc stop DMing?  Does he still comes to EN World?


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## Wee Jas (Feb 11, 2004)

Horacio said:
			
		

> Sorry for the questions, I've been out of EN World for some months...
> 
> Why did ol' Doc stop DMing?  Does he still comes to EN World?




Sorry?  shoot.  Keep the questions coming!  Gives me something to do at work!

Doc wasn't feeling the DnD flavah.   Last week he talked about running Marvel Super Heroes...  Does he still come here?  Hmmn.. good question.  Maybe?  lol.

I'll ask him tommorrow when he helps me move!  $$


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## Lela (Feb 11, 2004)

Yay with the Erasmus.  Now I'm really looking forward to this one. . .


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## Arkyst (Feb 12, 2004)

I've been trying to keep up with the miniatures for this game as well and decided to start posting them here along with the story.  Feel free to let me know what you think.

- Arkyst


*Storm* - The Half-Ogre Magi, Monk/Sorcerer/Dragon Disciple, proudly displaying his Blue Dragon heritage.


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## Lela (Feb 12, 2004)

Gorgious


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## Horacio (Feb 12, 2004)

WOW!!  

Wonderful mini!


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## Wee Jas (Feb 12, 2004)

Arkyst said:
			
		

> *Storm* - The Half-Ogre Magi, Monk/Sorcerer/Dragon Disciple, proudly displaying his Blue Dragon heritage.




Oh man!   He looks great!   

Bring back Storm!
Bring back Storm!

/chants


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## Jawa (Feb 13, 2004)

Now if the DM would just finish my mini!

... and Cinder too!


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## pogre (Feb 13, 2004)

Arkyst said:
			
		

> I've been trying to keep up with the miniatures for this game as well and decided to start posting them here along with the story.  Feel free to let me know what you think.




You know, I am particularly fond of Story Hours with miniature pictures


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## Arkyst (Feb 13, 2004)

pogre said:
			
		

> You know, I am particularly fond of Story Hours with miniature pictures




Very cool!  Then stay tuned since I have several more already done that I will be posting soon, but I'm really looking forward to the completion of my entourage of Melcher's dancing girls.


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## Horacio (Feb 13, 2004)

Melcher's dancing girls minis? What minis have you used?

Looking forward to them too


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## Arkyst (Feb 15, 2004)

Horacio said:
			
		

> Melcher's dancing girls minis? What minis have you used?




I used six of the Jade miniatures from Reaper's Dark Heaven line.  But with six of them 85% complete, it will be a little while before I will be able to post them.  

I do have some others that will be up soon, including Rayna and the NPC Evrynn Valkkor.

- Arkyst


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## Ziona (Feb 16, 2004)

Arkyst said:
			
		

> I used six of the Jade miniatures from Reaper's Dark Heaven line.  But with six of them 85% complete, it will be a little while before I will be able to post them.
> 
> I do have some others that will be up soon, including Rayna and the NPC Evrynn Valkkor.
> 
> - Arkyst




Yeah! I'm finally able to post with my original account (now that I don't have cyberstreet in the address line...)

But more importantly, Arkyst is going to post a pic of my Rayna mini!! I love the job he did on her. She's one of my favorites by far.


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## Horacio (Feb 16, 2004)

One of the things I love the most of your gaming group are those wonderful signature banners for the current character


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## Wee Jas (Feb 16, 2004)

Horacio said:
			
		

> current character




Current character?!  Horacio is suggesting we run meat grinder campaigns!  

It's only me who has A.D.D for his characters.. lol.


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## Horacio (Feb 16, 2004)

Wee Jas said:
			
		

> Current character?!  Horacio is suggesting we run meat grinder campaigns!
> 
> It's only me who has A.D.D for his characters.. lol.



 I said current character, yes, and I say it again... 

But that's one of the joys of your stories, the fast changes in the cast. You can never know if your favorite cast member will die in tomorrow's update


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## Lela (Feb 16, 2004)

And when those dead characters will come back. 

 It really is a comic book feel.


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## Horacio (Feb 16, 2004)

And better yet, it's the only group that tranform its fans in NPCs, like Lela or me


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## Wee Jas (Feb 16, 2004)

Lela said:
			
		

> And when those dead characters will come back.
> 
> It really is a comic book feel.





I was just making a comment similar to this the other day.

The DoT are sort of like the Avengers.   Reyna and Azerot are the full timers and my characters are the card carring reserve members!

Vek really kept my attention span.  If you notice his style changed a few times in the story hour.  I could grow with him.   It take a few tries for me to find a character I can really settle into.

Storm was on the right track before Arkyst/Xaltar cut him down mercilesly!

Azerot said, "Wahhhh.. Storm step in there or Cinder is going to get killed!  wahhhh!"  .  ;p

* Side note: Lets vote for Lela for Enworld judgeship!  *


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## Arkyst (Feb 17, 2004)

Azerot is a Cleric of Kabod (The Master of the Elements).  All of Kabod's followers are aligned into sub-orders.  Azerot is part of the Order of Smoke (Air / Fire).

This paint-job isn't one of my best, but I do like the way that the shield came out.


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## Lela (Feb 17, 2004)

Wee Jas said:
			
		

> * Side note: Lets vote for Lela for Enworld judgeship!*



  *Swells with Pride!*

   Aw, that reminds me.  I've a couple things to do. . .

  There we go.  Sig updated.  Now, if I can just figure out that link to a single post thing. . .


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## Horacio (Feb 17, 2004)

Arkyst said:
			
		

> Azerot is a Cleric of Kabod (The Master of the Elements).  All of Kabod's followers are aligned into sub-orders.  Azerot is part of the Order of Smoke (Air / Fire).
> 
> This paint-job isn't one of my best, but I do like the way that the shield came out.




Superb mini. The shield is really fitting for an elemental cleric


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## Wee Jas (Feb 17, 2004)

Horacio said:
			
		

> Superb mini. The shield is really fitting for an elemental cleric




Hey Azerot!  They think your an elemental cleric.  not a Cleric of Death


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## Horacio (Feb 17, 2004)

Wee Jas said:
			
		

> Hey Azerot!  They think your an elemental cleric.  not a Cleric of Death



 Hmmm, a cleric of death can have an elemental aspect, not?

I mean, he is called a Cleric of Kabod (The Master of the Elements), member of the  Order of Smoke (Air / Fire).  I see an elemental aspect there


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## Lela (Feb 17, 2004)

Death isn't an element?  I think Vek and Wee Jas would disagree but then again, they're biased.


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## Ziona (Feb 17, 2004)

I love what he did with Azerot's sheild. Looks great. 
Now where is that Rayna mini??


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## Jawa (Feb 17, 2004)

> Wee Jas -
> Azerot said, "Wahhhh.. Storm step in there or Cinder is going to get killed! wahhhh!" . ;p




I remember asking Storm, our giant of a warrior, to step up into combat but I don't remember the Wahhhh, wahhhh.



> Wee Jas -
> Hey Azerot! They think your an elemental cleric. not a Cleric of Death




Hey now, in that session I cast wall of fire, burning hands, flame strike and slay living. Even an elemental cleric's gotta slay living some time! Its too fun not to.

Despite what the DM thinks, I think Azerots mini is awsome. I'm just waiting for Cinder, a mephit with a golden hammer.


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## Wee Jas (Feb 17, 2004)

Jawa said:
			
		

> IHey now, in that session I cast wall of fire, burning hands, flame strike and slay living. Even an elemental cleric's gotta slay living some time! Its too fun not to




Right..  CoughcoughVEKcough ccough.  Nasty chill in here.. lol.

Anyhow, I was thinking of making this transmuter with a low wisdom who "can't not touch" stuff...  yeah...   Cramison Jrow is his name!


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## Lela (Feb 17, 2004)

Yes but then the returning character Nartad would be forced to kill you.  Or hire someone to do it.

And that just never works out for the party.


----------



## Ziona (Feb 17, 2004)

Wee Jas said:
			
		

> Right..  CoughcoughVEKcough ccough.  Nasty chill in here.. lol.
> 
> Anyhow, I was thinking of making this transmuter with a low wisdom who "can't not touch" stuff...  yeah...   Cramison Jrow is his name!




Oooh, sounds like someone has their own "Whaaaa...Whaaaaas" going on!   

"Can't not touch!" Love that movie quote!


----------



## Arkyst (Feb 18, 2004)

*The Defenders of Tronus – They’re Off Again:*

At dawn the majority of the townsfolk gathered under the great white arch of Tronus to mourn the passing of Storm.  The ceremony was short and simple, as Storm would have preferred.  This worked out well for the remaining Defenders since there wasn’t much time to waste, and they had already dwelled on the loss of their friend for far too long.

After the Duke’s speech, Kevrick lead the party away from the ceremony.  He gathered the group around Evrynn’s magical carriage and waited.  After a few minutes the dark and mysterious Erasmus strolled forward.  Covered in bandoleers of stakes, with no visible weapons, the rest of the group was taken slightly aback by the imposing figure.  Azerot, not wanting to give this gothic hero any leeway, motioned to Erasmus that he would be charged with the duty of driving the cart.

Yet the Duke continued to wait while the party stood there and shifted uncomfortably.  Rayna was the first to speak up, “Lord Kevrick.  If I may be so bold?  We are terribly short on time, but we continue to delay.  Does not every second count?”

The Duke smiled in response and pointed to the top of Steeple Hill where a short, but wide form was making his way towards the carriage with great speed.  As he came closer, it was apparent that this was a dwarf.  This particular dwarf was not of a common variety for this area either.  Usually the dwarves from Goldborough have golden hair and bronzed skin.  Although his hair was light, it did not contain a single streak of gold, and his skin was rather pale.

Once the dwarf had reached the group, he clapped his hands together and bowed.  “I am Boulder of the Griffholme Mountains.  I have my Dojo in Tronus for the past 10 years, and I would be honored to join your team!”

Kevrick beamed with newfound hope.  “Here I thought that you were declining by never replying to my message.  Apparently Daz had intercepted that note and used it to pass as a chosen Defender.  I guess I should have indicated in the letter that the addressee was a dwarf.”

Boulder, who has less equipment than Erasmus, was working to climb up and into the carriage.  He turned to respond, “I would never think to decline such an honor!  That just shows you that there are many evils out there, and I say we get started.”

Moments later Azerot, Rayna and Cinder all joined Boulder in the magical carriage and waved to Erasmus to start the journey.  The carriage moved with unnatural speed towards the rising sun as they left the waving Kevrick behind.  The group watched out the windows as they sped away from their homes once again, yet suddenly the cart came to a halting stop.

Before the group could react, the bounty hunter that they had met the prior day came climbing into the carriage accompanied by a female halfling.  Kaelin explained himself, “I have considered the Duke’s offer and decided that I would try it for now.  But by no means does this mean that I’m a Defender.  I have also brought an ally, Baylynn.  She is a skilled rogue and a master of disguise.  Since you’re party seems to be severely lacking in this area, I felt it best to bring my own support.”

“Well, then I guess a ‘Welcome to the Team’ is in order then,” chimed in Rayna.

“Your names rhyme, Kaelin, Baylynn.  Hehehe,” added the attentive Cinder, which hastily silenced the entire party for the majority of the journey.


----------



## Arkyst (Feb 18, 2004)

You may notice that I'm changing the Duke's name to Kevrick (from Kevrin) since Evrynn becomes such an important character as the story progresses and the fact that they rhyme was an oversight.

As for Kaelin, Baylynn, and Boulder; they are three new players that joined when Wee Jas brought in Erasmus.  So there is a pretty drastic party lineup change happening at this point in the story.  I have no control over their names rhyming!

- Arkyst


----------



## Lela (Feb 19, 2004)

Short but sweet.

 Details on the new arivals?


----------



## Calypso (Feb 19, 2004)

*Battle of the Bad-A**es*



			
				Arkyst said:
			
		

> In a dark voice, on par with his dark appearance, the elf spoke.  “I am Erasmus Nightwalker.  As a hunter of the walking dead, I have traveled across many lands.  Now I am called to Avrick to squelch the growing darkness!  The area around Tronus has been crawling with undead as of late, and this morning I felt a shroud of darkness cover this land.  The Eye of Zorm is calling to the dead, it is telling them to rise, and to feed on the flesh of the living.”




And I was just thinking that Kaelin was gonna be a bad-a**, but was shortly there after outdone by Erasmus.  

The story sounds really good.  I can't wait to see how it progresses.  I hope I don't die... And I think I'm going to _research_ Kaelin a little more...


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## Wee Jas (Feb 19, 2004)

Calypso said:
			
		

> And I was just thinking that Kaelin was gonna be a bad-a**, but was shortly there after outdone by Erasmus.
> 
> The story sounds really good.  I can't wait to see how it progresses.  I hope I don't die... And I think I'm going to _research_ Kaelin a little more...




Ah we make a good team.  I take all the damage while you get to play archer.


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## Jawa (Feb 20, 2004)

Hey wait a second, last time I checked I took all the damage. Until recently I had the best AC and the most HP , 109 at 12th level. Every combat I usually got down below 20 hp and had to heal myself a few times.


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## Wee Jas (Feb 20, 2004)

If Arkyst would hurry up and catch up with the story I couldn't cite specific examples


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## Ziona (Feb 23, 2004)

Wee Jas said:
			
		

> If Arkyst would hurry up and catch up with the story I couldn't cite specific examples




Ah, give the guy a break...he's going to be a daddy soon! He's got a lot on his mind right now, like posting a picture of my Rayna mini.


----------



## Arkyst (Feb 24, 2004)

The party breakdown at this point:

*Azerot* - Cleric of Kabod, the master of the elements.  Azerot follows the order of the smoke and specializes in Air and Fire magics.  (Don't forget Azerot's cohort, Cinder, the fire mephit in the guise of a gnome.)

*Rayna* – Mystic Theurge, who worships Vaux, the god of magic.  Rayna also owns one of the most noteworthy magic shops in Tronus, The Cryptic Cat.

*Kaelin* – The ranger, who uses his tracking and wilderness skills to further his profession as a bounty hunter.  He has recently decided to try working with the Defenders of Tronus and is progressing well as a team player.

*Erasmus* – This undead hunter, known primarily for his skill with a bow, has traveled from a far-off land to help protect the Eye of Zorm so it doesn’t fall into the wrong hands.

*Boulder* – This stout dwarven monk has strong arms and a strong heart.  He was slated to be one of the New Defenders; however, the thief, Daz D’Amberville, had intercepted his letter.

*Baylynn* – This roguish halfling lass is full of spunk and ready to take on the world.  Having worked with Kaelin on several occasions to track down criminals, she jumped at the chance to impress the Defenders and insisted that she tag along.  Through her actions she hopes to become an official member.


----------



## Wee Jas (Feb 25, 2004)

Ziona said:
			
		

> Ah, give the guy a break...he's going to be a daddy soon!




Psshh.. I've been one for almost 12 years!  Where are my breaks?  

/sniffle..  my lil' power gamer    /cry


----------



## Arkyst (Feb 26, 2004)

*The Defenders of Tronus – Setting the Trap:*

The Defenders journeyed straight through the next few nights taking turns guiding the carriage while the others slept inside.  While the ride was smooth, it was still too rough for the spellcasters to properly prepare their arsenals of magic.  So when the party arrived in the desert city of Kaldrid, one of the most prosperous trading ports in Arkyst, they headed to the first inn they could find.

Since it was so early on the fourth day, the group decided to split up to cover all of the groundwork needed to create a trap for Melcher’s bunch.  Azerot and Rayna studied, prayed, then rested while Cinder watched over them in their room at the Sleeping Sands Inn.  Erasmus, Kaelin, Boulder and Baylynn all headed to the streets where they would explore the city individually, look for suspicious characters, and scout out the location where the Pearl of the Deep was being held by one of Kaldrid’s wealthiest merchants.

Erasmus and Boulder ran into each other while exploring the streets surrounding the personal gallery where the pearl was being held.  Instead of splitting up again however, Erasmus decided to enlist the aid of the muscle-bound monk.  Boulder was ready for just about any task that the dusty vampire hunter could dredge up, but he was certainly surprised when Erasmus told them that they were going shopping.

Meanwhile Kaelin took a slightly different approach.  He hunted up and down every street, scanning the crowd for anyone who looked out of place.  He finally found what he was looking for when he spotted a young woman, clad tightly in a beige cloak.  One of such beauty does not often hide their face; especially in the desert heat…she must be one of Melcher’s girls.

Kaelin proceeded to track down Baylynn since he needed her expertise and the two newfound heroes shadowed Melcher’s accomplice around the city.  After the girl had finished a sketch of the entire gallery where the Pearl of the Deep was being held, Baylynn made her move.  She boldly walked up to the suspicious girl and bumped into her.  When Melcher’s dancing girl turned around, she saw an attractive young female halfling who began asking for directions to the nearest library.

Baylynn only troubled the woman for a moment and then gave a hearty “thank you” before heading in the appropriate direction.  Once sufficiently lost in the crowd, Baylynn regrouped with Kaelin.  Together they found a quiet alley where Kaelin shrouded the halfling from prying eyes while she made a copy of the map that she had pick pocketed.  When the task was completed, Kaelin proceeded to track down Melcher’s lackey for a second time.  

Baylynn dashed across the street and tapped the girl on the shoulder with one hand while putting the stolen map back into the girl’s backpack.  Baylynn giggled absentmindedly as the dancing girl noticed that the halfling was back.  The girl looked somewhat annoyed, but despite the obscure situation that they should meet again in one of Avrick’s largest cities, several blocks away and in the wrong direction, Baylynn was quite convincing in her tale about getting lost and needing a refresher on the directions.  After several minutes Baylynn disappeared again into the crowd, ready to show her worth to the rest of the party.

Meanwhile, Erasmus and Boulder were in a general store across the street from the gallery where the pearl was being held.  The overweight merchant at the counter seemed to be a little confused by the transaction though, “You’re saying that you want to purchase a full barrel of water?  Then your going to leave the barrel next to the building until one of your friends comes to pick it up with a wagon?  Isn’t someone else just going to take it if it sits on the street?”

Erasmus tilted the brim of his hat back just enough for the merchant to get a glimpse of his eyes.  The cold dark stare of an undead hunter was enough to convince the merchant that it was a great idea.  Erasmus paid for the barrel of water and a few other miscellaneous items and threw in an extra hundred gold for the shopkeeper to close early that afternoon.  There was no argument from the shopkeeper who was happy enough to have a paid vacation.

Boulder hefted the barrel over his head, carried it outside and set it down near the edge of the shop.  Erasmus assisted the dwarf in positioning it so it looked like it belonged there.  When the two were done, they headed back to the Sleeping Sands Inn where they were scheduled to meet up with the others.

Back at the inn, Rayna and Azerot had finished praying and studying and were ready to go as soon as Erasmus, Boulder, Kaelin and Baylynn had all returned.  Over a warm meal the group discussed their individual plans and worked them into an elaborate trap! 

Baylynn displayed her copy of the map originally made by Melcher’s dancing girl that showed three ground level entrances as well as notes.  The notes indicated that the front door was heavily trapped, that the side door led to an organ room for providing music for the gallery, (with no connecting door inside the building), and that the center back door would be the best approach.

Erasmus then voiced his part of the plan, “As we are all aware, there is a tall fence surrounding the sides and back of the building.  Rayna, you will purchase a non-descript horse and cart and circle the block.  We can use the cart to help us get over the fence, and it will help if we need to make an expeditious escape.  Baylynn, we have setup a barrel of water in front of the shop across the street.  With your necklace of adaptation, you will be able to hide in there until we call for you to act.  Boulder, Kaelin and I will patrol the alleyways in the surrounding block so we will hopefully be able to catch Melcher’s entire entourage before they step foot inside the gallery.”

Azerot chimed in, “Sounds like a great plan!  Erasmus, I apologize for my behavior back in Tronus.  I also feel like now would be a great time to welcome Kaelin, Boulder and Baylynn to our team.  Rayna and I agree that the two of us, along with Cinder of course, just wouldn’t have been prepared to handle this mission.”

Rayna followed Azerot’s kind words with a big smile and some light clapping that Azerot joined in on.  Baylynn decided that it was time for the true test of unity, and put her hand down in the center of the table.  The others followed in suit around the table, where even the reluctant Erasmus joined in.  Yet when the pile of hands was topped by Cinder, the entire table shouted in unison, “WATER!”


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## Jawa (Feb 26, 2004)

I love that crazy mephit. Go Cinder!


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## Lela (Feb 26, 2004)

That must be the most confusing battle cry I've ever heard.

So, as usual, scream it while charging enimies.


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## Arkyst (Feb 26, 2004)

This is the miniature for our Mystic Theurge, Rayna Fynley:


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## Lela (Feb 26, 2004)

I like the use of different purples.  It feels like she's worn those robes for a while now but still looks dashing.


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## Ziona (Feb 27, 2004)

Lela said:
			
		

> I like the use of different purples.  It feels like she's worn those robes for a while now but still looks dashing.




That's one of the things that makes this one of my favorite minis! He did such a cool job on the cloak & robes & I love her hair, too. The different shades really make it look textured.


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## Arkyst (Feb 29, 2004)

*The Defenders of Tronus – The Trap is Sprung:*

Before the sun set over the arid city of Kaldrid, the Defenders took to their posts.  If Melcher showed his ruggedly handsome, but still despicable face, the heroes would be there to catch the villain and bring him to justice once and for all!

Several hours had passed, but they believed that Duke Kevrick wouldn’t steer them wrong and continued to remain watchful.  With only a light whistling, a grappling shot was fired from the window of the apartment above the general store where Erasmus and Boulder had been earlier that day.  Erasmus was the first to spot the attractive young woman that Baylynn had encountered earlier that day.  The girl’s map had indicated that the plan was to enter through the back door, but watched as she balanced her way across the thin wire now connecting the two buildings.  She was heading towards the skylight of the gallery!

Erasmus whistled to alert the team that it was time.  Kaelin scoured the alleys looking for signs of Melcher while Baylynn jumped out of the barrel of water where she was hiding.  Erasmus flagged down Rayna’s carriage and rounded up Boulder, Azerot and Cinder.  Kaelin returned with no signs of Melcher, but time was wasting, the team needed to act.

Rayna cast fly on Erasmus who then carried her to the top of the building.  Azerot quickly joined them after Kabod had granted him the ability to walk on air, and Cinder flew up on his own.  The others had two choices, climb up the building and run across the tight wire, or use the carriage to vault the fence.  Boulder was the only one to brave the wire, and after a quick climb, the dwarf could be seen in the moonlight; running at full speed across the nearly transparent wire.

Kaelin and Baylynn decided to investigate the back door while the others were going in through the skylight.  Once around back, they found that the back door was locked from the inside.  Yet Baylynn passed on using her burglary skills, and took a different approach.  In a hushed voice, she informed her teammate of her intent, “This feather token turns into a swan boat.  Since this door opens outward, I can use the boat to hold the door shut and Melcher’s crew will be less likely to escape!”

On top of the building, the other Defenders were peering down into the pitch-black gallery.  They could see the pearl, which was directly below the skylight, glow in the light of the moon.  There were also a set of tools laid out on the top of the glass, and the group could make out the shadow of the lone thief silently working away at the lock.  Azerot was about to comment that it didn’t look like the work of Melcher, but before he could, Boulder slipped and toppled through the remainder of the glass skylight.

The thief disappeared behind some full sized paintings after being showered with glass while Boulder’s ring of feather falling allowed him to float gracefully to the ground.  The others watched from above as Boulder stood perfectly still on the ground next to the glass case holding the Pearl of the Deep.  Then with a sudden start, the organ began to play.  Slow notes rung through the spacious building, made more intimidating by the darkness and the ominous pieces of artwork that were barely visible in the moonlight.

Rayna cast levitate on herself, as to allow Erasmus free movement with his bow while flying.  Along with Azerot and Cinder, they all flew down to assist their friend.  Inside the organ continued to play slowly and softly until suddenly there was a shout.  Magical lights throughout the building illuminated and the music rang through the hall with a fierce tempo.  From behind a secret door on an overlooking balcony, the infamous Melcher appeared while six of his dancing girls came flipping and tumbling out from behind various art pieces on the main floor.

“Greetings Defenders,” called out Melcher as he continued to dance to the music.  “Or should I say ex-Defenders?  Two days ago the ownership of Tronus changed hands.  The great Lord Galvorn from Dordivan purchased the fair city from King Redbrook for the sum of five million gold.  Now Galvorn has appointed new Defenders, and marked you as outlaws for bringing the Eye of Zorm to Tronus.  Since I myself am one of the new Defenders, I felt that it is my duty to apprehend the lot of you!”

“What are you going to do…dance us to death?”  Retorted Azerot.

Melcher shook his head and made a defiant spin.  That was the cue for his girls to begin the attack.  Boulder being the only one stuck on the ground, soon found himself surrounded by the six sultry dancers that began assaulting him with hips, rumps, elbows and bosoms.  Azerot found that his fire-centric spells were a little too destructive for the gallery and decided to wade into the battle.  Rayna took a different approach, and cast a wall of wind.  She was able to place it across the area where three of the girls were standing, and instantly they were relieved of their skimpy outfits.  Since no man deserved a free show, they quit fighting and used their arms to hide their bareness.

Erasmus hovered in place; he was going to finish Melcher off once and for all.  Of all of the villains that the Defenders had faced, they found that Melcher was only good at one thing, being annoying.  After only a few arrows, Melcher’s elegant robes were spattered with his own blood, but then he changed his tune.  He sung a short song about insanity and confusion, and Erasmus took it to heart.  The undead hunter started speaking incoherently about the coming of the undead legions and how it would likely be the end of the world!  Melcher took that time to go invisible and sneak back through the secret door, making yet another narrow escape.

Rayna, Boulder, Azerot and Cinder chased the six dancing girls into the back room.  They were fleeing for the back door, but found that it was being blocked from the outside.  The sassiest of the group, a fiery redhead, turned around at that point and faced Rayna.  With attitude dripping from every syllable, the girl gave the Defenders an earful, “Listen up; you don’t even know who we are!”

Rayna having had enough of the girls, smiled in response, “I don’t care who you are.  Boulder, Azerot, tie them up!”

Out back Kaelin and Baylynn were still scouting around, where they found the missing piece of Melcher’s gang.  Rampart, the one-Minotaur army that usually sufficed as the brawn for the operation, was coming out of the side door while the organ continued to play.  The two newfound heroes wasted no time and began attacking the monster.  Kaelin stayed back and fired arrow after arrow into Rampart’s hide while Baylynn engaged.  Rampart’s swings could take out three men at once, but he just couldn’t hit the halfling as she sprung back and forth.  Finally the horned monster dropped in the center of the courtyard.

Kaelin and Baylynn charged inside only to find an old man playing the organ.  He looked panicked, and said; “They paid me to play, but said they’d kill me if I stopped.”

Baylynn gave the man another chance to stop, but when he refused for the second time, the halfling rogue began to get irate.  Forgetting her new status as a hero, Baylynn drew her light mace and cracked the man on the knuckles.  “If you won’t stop, then I’ll make you stop”, called out the angered Defender.

The old man gasped in disbelief and then fell unconscious.  At that same time Kaelin was outside checking for tracks and Baylynn noticed a secret door open, only nobody appeared to come out.  Frantically trying to decide her next action, Baylynn was afraid that she had killed the old man, and had to wait on the secret door.  Unfortunately by the time she had stabilized the organ player, Melcher had slipped by while invisible.

Erasmus came out of his dazed and confused state, luckily before he hurt anyone, and they all regrouped in the center of the gallery.  The group began to tie up the now unconscious dancing girls (since they wouldn’t come quietly).  “Take all of their jewelry,” spat Rayna.  “It’s all magic, and these harlots don’t deserve it!”  

“Outlaws, we are really outlaws,” Azerot mumbled as he looked over the wanted poster that Melcher had dropped.  “After all we’ve done for Tronus…this is just absurd.”


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## weiknarf (Feb 29, 2004)

Arkyst said:
			
		

> *The Defenders of Tronus – The Trap is Sprung:*
> 
> Boulder being the only one stuck on the ground, soon found himself by the six sultry dancers that began assaulting him with hips, rumps, elbows and bosoms.




Oh the horror!


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## Arkyst (Feb 29, 2004)

weiknarf said:
			
		

> Oh the horror!




First, I noticed that I was missing "surrounded" in that sentence.  I quickly fixed that, so thanks!

The party found the dancing girls amusing at first; especially since they fight unarmed and aren't monks (not enough damage to worry about).  Yet, when I get them flanked and start doing sneak attack damage with sexy attacks, they start to get a little concerned.

For the battle, I played Deeper Underground by Jamiroquai to simulate the organ that bursts into myriad of sound.  I usually play various genre soundtracks and the Midnight Syndicate for background music, but for Melcher, I make acceptions (Although I'm embarassed to say it, Melcher's theme song is "Rock Your Body" by Justin Timberlake).  Melcher is essentially the medieval equivalent to a boy band pop-star, and it really helps boast the player's disgust for the character.  

It can also be amusing that when my wife hears that song, she tells me that it reminds her of D&D!


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## Lela (Mar 1, 2004)

So, the girls do subdual damage?


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## Arkyst (Mar 1, 2004)

Lela said:
			
		

> So, the girls do subdual damage?




Yes, the all have improved unarmed strike, so they do not provoke AoO; but both the damage from the hit and the sneak attack damage is subdual.


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## Wee Jas (Mar 5, 2004)

Arkyst is a new dad.. so.... yeah..  updates might be a tad slow


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## Ziona (Mar 9, 2004)

*Meet Autumn!*

Yes, Arkyst is a new Dad & I'm a new Mom. Here is a pic of Arkyst holding our little one just after she was born!   






and here she is at home...






So, as previously stated, the updates might be a tad bit slow.


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## Horacio (Mar 9, 2004)

CONGRATULATIONS !!!!!!!

She is really pretty!!!


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## Ziona (Mar 15, 2004)

Horacio said:
			
		

> CONGRATULATIONS !!!!!!!
> 
> She is really pretty!!!




Thank you very much!   

Parenthood is keeping us busy, but I know Arkyst is working on the story (slowly but surely) and we're starting the game back up this Sunday, too.  So, there will be more story to share before long.


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## Scider (Mar 16, 2004)

**

Congrats on the little one from this side of the ocean as well 

Makes the subtitle of the Story Hour so more...true. "The Birth of Heroes"


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## Calypso (Mar 17, 2004)

Scider said:
			
		

> Congrats on the little one from this side of the ocean as well
> 
> Makes the subtitle of the Story Hour so more...true. "The Birth of Heroes"




And I'm sure she'll be joining the battles in no time.  Maybe she'll be the one to save us from Zorm...


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## Calypso (Mar 18, 2004)

One Hero's Story - A Defender of Tronus 

I've begun a story about my character in this adventure.  Maybe a little history about where he came from and how he hooked up with the Defenders.  Any thoughts or suggestions would be cool.  

And again, congrats to Arkyst and Ziona on the newest hero.


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## Stone Angel (Mar 19, 2004)

Wow! I can't believe I missed this story hour for so long. It is like seeing the season opener of you favorite tv show. I am so excited. This is a great story hour but with you guys who could expect less. Looking forward to more updates. Congrats and good luck with the newest addition. She is a cutie.

The Seraph of Earth and Stone


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## Stone Angel (Apr 1, 2004)

Hey wheres the updates. Hope everything is well.

The Seraph of Earth and Stone


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## Stone Angel (Apr 15, 2004)

Re-reading the story hour and I noticed that your baby girl is giving us rockstar fingers in the pic with Arkryst. Best wishes 

The Seraph of Earth and Stone


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