| A sequel to "Graduation Day", this wasn't a time to revel in
ignorance. The last Challenge was mired in controversy and involved many who had
never before attended. To promote the Challenge and as a training demonstration
for their pupils, 10 of the best from the kingdoms and villages planned to battle
it out to benefit charity.
Nice plan. Maybe next year. Personal challenges were issued. Grudges were
apparently going to be settled. And the only ones to benefit would be the
charities, if anyone was left at the end to declare one.
Well...there were survivors. Only two of the major combatants showed. By decree
of the High Wizard, they were required to carry on their battle in the wastelands
of the Valley of Death; a place so desolate and lifeless, that any damage
they did could only improve it. King Valor had his hands tied on this one.
The Valley of Death was an area he not only didn't control, but that everyone
avoids. The land had this insane ability to drain the life right out of you.
Magic behaved weird. And even the gods were said to shun the place. Thanks
to our combatants, some research, and the help of some mysterious hooded figures
apparently outside of time, we now know the truth. The great epic battle that
destroyed the valley didn't actually destroy it. The wizards on the opposing
sides failed in their massive attempts to destroy each other and instead created
a temporal event that intersected with the gate opened to transport our combatants.
This created a temporal fountain that reached from 152 P.A. straight back
to when the Star Walkers originally arrived. Spells didn't fail, they were
just reacting to the way things were. Time Stop stabilized a section of the
stream, for the spell's duration, trapping the caster 500 years in the past
at the time of the battle. Teleports failed because the references used were
not valid. Dimension Door moved you as expected in space, but a time differential
would send you to random event in the stream.
The battle began at Noon with no referee. And the spectators, having been warned
away on a continuous basis, watched from the safety of the Gate.
Eight teams signed up. Some had fun at the carnival. Two met in mortal combat,
but didn't really complete the job. [Note that 8 teams were allowed to sign up. I
had restricted it to 5 because of the overhead involved with a full combat melee,
but as most people chose to participate in the carnival instead, it wasn't a
factor.]
The king hired those champions attending the festival to keep an eye out for
trouble and to help contain the major combatants if they jumped the gun. For this
each team would receive payment of 500gp. Other than that, they were free to enjoy
the carnival. There was a 100gp/team commission for any report leading to the
arrest of a criminal. Gambling and games allowed for further income.
It should be noted that 3 days after the carnival, reports started coming in of
dead bodies being found on the road to the fair. Apparently, more than one grudge
had been settled early.
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- Grywlthznchplk
Player: Jason Isolda
Nate (Human Lich Conjurer 5 / Alienist 9 / Lore Master 3) and Gdarin (Steel
Order) were the only two combatants to show up at the carnival; much to
the relief of the guards. Each obeyed the rules and passed through the
Gate prepared by the High Wizard. Upon arriving, Nate used Dimension Door
to travel to the top of the canyon. But when he arrived, things got weird.
He found himself flitting through time back to before life came to this
part of the galaxy and the Star Walkers still searched for voices unheard.
When he returned to the valley, an arrow was driven into the ground at
his feet. A similar trip later on started to give him an insight into
the nature of the valley. Capturing Gdarin inside a force bubble with
a Bigby's Clenched Fist, he attempted to cast Time Stop to better his
chances against the Paladin. At that moment he found himself 500 years
in the East between the two opposing armies, a volley of arrows heading
his way. He dodged them and flew upward toward safety. When he came back,
he had further information on the valley. He created a darkness about
him and dropped the force bubble. Gdarin charged, but missed. As Gdarin
prepared to attack again, Nate let off a spell to tear apart Gdarin's
magic. Instead he and Gdarin found themselves tossed back into reality
with a thunderous storm of energy. Nate wound up on a mountain top. The
skies brightened and it looks like Terra 16 is going to finally start
recovering. The journey to the nearest portal took almost a day and a
half.
Grywlthznchplk survives to adventure again.
- Steel Order
Player: Wayne Edie
Gdarin (Human Paladin 18) met at the Gate to honor the challenge between
himself and Nate (Grywlthznchplk). Coming through the Gate, Gdarin found no
one there. After several seconds, a flash caught his eye and he spotted
someone at the top of the ridge. Flying up 720' on his horse, Gdarin let fly
an arrow at this figure. The arrow and the figure vanished. Moments later,
Gdarin found himself grabbed by a fist made of force and encased in a force
bubble. After dispatching the fist, he camped out and waited until the force
bubble was dropped by Nate. Then he charged the area of darkness knowing
that his general aim and his mount's sense of smell should be able to help
him find his mark. But the updrafts and the chaos made finding Nate's scent
difficult and the charge missed. Preparing another charge, Gdarin had just
enough time to see Nate try to cast another spell. Moments later, he and his
mount were recovering from being slammed against a mountain by what must have
been an electrical storm. As Gdarin looked out over the mountain range, it
was clear that he wasn't in the valley anymore and that it was a good thing
he had just eaten. The journey to the nearest portal and home took almost 3
days.
Deloth (Human Fighter 1 / Cleric 7) wandered about the festival.
Steel Order survives to adventure again?
- Thunder
Player: Julia McGinnis
Whisper (Human Ranger 14) arrived at the carnival and decided to participate
in the Archery Biathlon. Four stations at opposing ends of the grounds
were set up. You started out at the center where your start time was registered.
Then you proceeded to each station as quickly as possible in order. When
Whisper arrived, she had to decide what target to shoot at, fire, and
continue on to the next station. At each station, the distance to the
target and the difficulty increased. The trick here is that you were never
told which target in each station to shoot for. Whisper made the first
station and chose the dummy with the crossbow hiding on the roof as her
target. A smart choice made by most of the contestants. The second station
had a fish tank with rubber ducks. 31 ducks were arrayed. 15 had green
dots. 15 had yellow. And one had a red dot. Whisper chose the red dot
duck as her target and continued on. As each contestant moved on from
station 2, some of the ducks were removed. This changed the ration of
the colors and confused some entrants. It was the smaller targets and
greater distance that was meant to present a challenge. The third station
presented 2 windmills. As the blades intersected in the center, they glowed
red. Everyone figured out the target here. But again, the target was smaller
and the distance greater. The arrow also had to stay in the target. Many
a contestant failed because their shot bounced off or passed through the
blades. The fourth and final station proved the most difficult for most
archers. The greater distance was evident, but their was no immediately
viable target. Three guards patrolled the front gate. At least it looked
like the front gate. On closer observation, they were identical save for
their weapons. One held a greater crossbow. One held a club. And one held
a knife. This was a "what does not belong" puzzle that caught many off-guard.
Whisper shot the guy with the crossbow. Maybe she thought he was the most
dangerous with a ranged weapon, but he wasn't the correct choice. The
crossbow and the club are both weapons carried by guards. The knife, while
a guard may carry one, is not a primary weapon. It is a weapon used by
thieves and killers. Whisper came in second in the competition.
Delde (Half-Orc Sorcerer 9) watched the crowd as she traveled around the
carnival. After Whisper was done with her archery competition, she spotted
something strange over in the bleachers when the women screamed. Investigating,
she found the bleachers a scramble as Sivol and Griff were causing mayhem
on the bleachers. Behind the bleachers a strange figure was picking up
a couple of snakes and trying to sneak away. Whisper shot the man who
was quickly arrested.
It turns out that the man had been using the snakes to help him steal from
people for a few weeks. His capture earned the team a 100gp commission.
Thunder survives to adventure again.
- Basalt
Player: Andrew R. Proto
Sivol Unil (Human Earth Elemental Wizard 5 / Elemental Savant 10) began his
time at the festival by checking out the vendors. After acquiring a unique
looking statuette, he searched the area for any other magic items. He found
a fortune teller that informed him of his future; a time of darkness.
The earth elemental then traveled through the carnival using the ground
as spectacle and cover. He even had a brief stint in the performance area,
though he didn't draw much of a crowd.
Spotting Griff Warbeard (Hammer of Moradin), the two engaged in combat
destroying the grandstands and injuring several people. In a spell
combination meant to end the combat, Sivol sent Griff to Moradin in a puff of
dust and in so doing rendered a section of the fair grounds unusable for the
rest of the season. Having used massive destructive magic in a public area,
the guards started closing in on Sivol. He moved through the earth to
escape, stopping by the paymaster to pick up his 500gp before the paymaster
was informed of his transgression.
Note: A warrant has been issued for the arrest of Sivol Unil. He
is wanted on several counts of destruction of public property, resisting
arrest, and murder. He faces additional fines and reparations. He is wanted
alive, preferably. A reward of 1,500gp has been posted.
Basalt survives to adventure again.
- Death from Afar
Player: Jonathan Sternfeld
Tharivol Liaden (Elf Fighter 6 / Wizard 1 / Arcane Archer 10 /
Deepwoods Sniper 2) let fly his arrows in the Archery Arcade. Failing miserably in his first attempt, he watched as the next contestant nailed 3
out of 5 of his. The two then decided to compete for 100gp, winner take all.
Tharivol had noticed something off about the other guy. He wore a signet
ring identical to the one worn by the carnival worker and looked similar in
feature. The two of them fired and this time it was Tharivol that prevailed.
A look of complete astonishment crossed his opponents face and the game
quickly shut down. As Tharivol collected his winnings, he noticed a smiling
Illiri talking to the HIgh Wizard at a nearby picnic table. The high wizard
was putting away his wand.
Next Tharivol decided to try the Archery Biathlon. He sped through the
course in record time, but hesitated at the last station. After a couple
rounds of indecision, he decided that choosing no target was better than
remaining undecided. He left the station without firing and finished the
circuit. While he didn't win, he did earn honorable mention for the fastest
finisher.
Death from Afar survives to adventure again.
- The Hammer of Moradin
Player: Tom Leonard
Griff "Keg Belly" Warbeard (Dwarf [Ex]Barbarian 8 / Dwarven Defender 7) began
his day with some gambling. He won some and lost some in the dice games. He
then moved through the crowd looking for anything out of place. Noticing
some strange snakes over by the bleachers, he grabbed one and moved to talk
to Illiri and Tharivol (Death from Afar). On his way, he heard the screams
from the bleachers and went to investigate.
As he made his way through the commotion, Sivol (Basalt) fell on top of him
and the crowd from above. The two fought and in a blast of energy and a
barrage of spells, the Griff Warbeard was reduced to ash and collected by
Sivol. This earned Sivol a warrant for his arrest and Griff an entry in the
log books of the festival. Griff is survived by his son Julius who will be
taking over the family owned store. Rumor has it that the store will be sold
at auction with the contents being distributed according to Griff's will.
- Personal Log:
- "This one was going to be a toughie. I knew that if I didn't face
off against ol' Lichy, I'd have to deal with the 'man with rocks in
his head' before the day was done. To start with, I decided to go
to the carnival area to clear my brain in preparation for the big
fight; the Lich and a shiny metal knight went to the gate to prepare
to duel. 'Have fun, Lichy!' was all I said as he disappeared through
the gate along with the walking adamantium can. Unfortunately, as
I was making my way around the area to select a spot to have lunch
in, I was approached by Rocks-For-Brains and offered a magic ring
'with a few other tricks', he said.
"Dragon s**t! I was sure the rings would be yet another way for him to
indirectly control the ones wearing them before he destroyed them
somehow; I'm well rehearsed in that kind of lore. Still, I needed
a good laugh and so haggled with him for a while, and he finally said
he'd think about it. 'It's a bit hard to think when you have a brain
made out of stone, you stone golem wannabe.' I told him, where he
retorted with something about how he'd take quartz for brains or something
like that over flesh. It was certainly clear as the quartz he was
babbling about that he was nuts, and since I was a bit distracted
with trying to find a place to sit down and have lunch, I didn't respond.
"After he left, I decided to work up a bigger hunger by setting up some
gambling tables and running a couple of games with the common man, keeping
on guard for the elemental in case he returned. The games were going well,
until I noticed a few men who looked out of place... probably pickpockets or
worse. I knew it would be a good idea to keep them where I could see them
(and their hands), so I invited them over for a few dice games of chance.
They scowled and left even when I put the stakes at 50 pieces of gold, way
more than the ordinary person could afford, but people of their nature could
probably easily afford.
"I felt a slight change in the air and felt the hairs in the back of my
beard stand up. Something was up, and things were about to get weird, I was
sure of it. It was time to go find my friend Tharivol and see what he
thought about the whole carnival, and if he had a bad feeling about things.
After that, I could deal with the elemental once and for all. I knew
Tharivol'd be by the archery ranges, so I headed in that direction... until
I noticed the snakes by the bleachers. Snakes? Around this region of the
world? That's not normal, so it was time to kill one and take it to a mage
to see if it was some sort of magical spy or construct sent to wreak havoc.
"After warning the guards about the snakes, I drew my bow and prepared to
fire, but the snakes had already made their way up to the people in the
bleachers. I had nowhere near Tharivol's talent with the bow, and couldn't
risk hitting people! Cursing, I put away my bow and grabbed one of the
snakes, stuffing it in my backpack and hoping it wouldn't do anything
silly/magical in there that I would regret later. I found the head mage at
lunch, and talked to him about the snake I found, how they're not native to
the area and could be magical beasts.
"His response? 'And I care about this, why?' I always knew magic fried your
brains. He obviously did not care about something that could turn out to be
potentially dangerous... but at least he turned the snake into a bunch of
roses and made me feel better. As I turned around to leave the man to his
food (resisting the urge to shove his face in it), I heard a scream from the
people up on the bleachers. By Moradin's eternal beard, I have to find a
defendable place and stay there! Damn my stunty legs! I ran back to the
bleachers to see the earth elemental freak show appear above them in the
air, and fall into them, causing the bleachers to collapse and kill several
people.
"That was it. His genocide of innocents, and 'take over the world' mentality
would stop. Now. I ran over, drew my sword, and began the lesson, but he
threw me off and attacked me with a ray of some kind, which felt like dozens
of swords piercing me all at once! I threw off the effect, but was then
thrown a hundred feet by a mental blast from him. I never knew rocks could
use their minds like that! Either way, it looked bad.
If I stayed put and put up my defensive stance for added power, he'd throw
spell after spell at me and eventually one or more would get through and
kill me. If I charged, during the time it took me to reach him, he'd blast
me with spells or go underground and move to a better location... but at
least I could try to teach him some more manners with my greatsword. If I
moved away to find a defendable position and plan, he'd throw spells as I
moved, and more innocents would possibly be hurt. I couldn't do that. And I
certainly couldn't run away with my greatsword between my legs!
"I charged. It's what I'd bought the magical Rhino Hide armor for, after
all. I saw him gesture at the beginning of my charge and seemingly wink out,
then he reappeared a split second later, with a heavy duty blast of energy
being thrown my way that looked like 12 different spells stacked together.
It was a complete magical energy assault, and being a dwarf, I was sure I
could resist it as the first ray hit me, so I began to sing a battle so---"
*Disintegrated by the first spell in Team Basalt's series*
The Hammer Of Moradin is remembered in memoriam. Well, maybe not by Team
Basalt, but certainly by others.
The Hammer of Moradin is remembered in memoriam.
- Lawn
Player: Jennifer Sternfeld
Roywyn (Ruin) (Gnome Wizard 9 / Druid 6) decided to have some fun. She
practiced some toad juggling and tricks to the joy of the crowd and earned
herself some coin in the process thus supplementing her wages.
Lawn survives to adventure again.
- Twig
Player: Vanessa Wilcox-Swarez
Lisonamit (Wood Elf Druid 17) arrived at the carnival and immediately
began looking for anything out of place. However, after a little while
he felt ill and decided to retire from the fun early.
Twig survives to adventure again.
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