D&D: The Genjobi Pass

  • So many newbies lately! Here is a very important PSA about one of our most vital content policies! Read it even if you are an ancient member!
With Darius's aid, Angus tried to get back into the fight. But weariness had caught up with him now. As another clumsy swing missed the Lemure's skull, the ranger stumbled off the boulder and slumped against the gorge wall, panting for breath.

The demon he had been fighting turned its attention to Darius, its claws uppercutting and snagging between the flanks of his scalemail [3 damage to Darius]. Darius dropped to one knee as his flesh was torn, his weight falling against the hilt of his falchion.


But he would not give up... he would not give up.

Faced with the choice of whether to heal himself or strike again, there was little time to hesitate. Angus was in trouble... and his other friends were counting on him to hold the line...

If he was to die here, then it was the will of fortune. He would feast this night with Tong and Jillian and Reyer and all his ancestors.

Screaming in rage, the Paladin took up his sword again, striking from his kneeling position. The falchion slammed into the demon's side, hitting only rock and carcass. But at least the Lemure had turned from Angus now.



D4 (Fighting Angus & Darius) 5HP
D6 (Fighting Kryx) 6HP
556lbs of rock remaining on Ayumi
 
Angus looked over at Kryx and his missed blow with a face that didn't show much amusement. Even less after Darius' attack, not that either of them could do much, the man was in heavy armor. Angus got up again, catching his breath before entering the fight once more.

Angus swung at the Lemure that was attacking Darius, after all, none of them had managed to do much to him, and he still held, though he was really having problems with keeping his sword-arm steady and lazily fell short of the Lemure, now he realized why he preferred bows.
 
Swinging with the momentum of the missed first swing, Kryx set his feet solidly against the stone, bringing down his axe vertically upon the monster's head. He heard Darius cry out in pain...could hear the grunts of the party as they attempted to stand against the abominable denizens.

The Lemure moved with surprising dexterity, turning toward the side as the axe passed by it harmlessly. Biting into the loose soil, Kryx tore the blade from the stone and faced the Lemure again...he could not afford to keep missing...the rest of his party was in danger and he would not lose them atop his kin to the machinations of the otherworldly.
 
Sales was still breathing hard when he looked up after hearing the scream, and he saw Darius in pain and in a rage, which is understandable since he had been covered in rock a few moments ago.
Sales stumbled towards the melee and got behind Darius and shouted to him, 'keep fighting while i heal you'. Sales placed both hands either side of Darius' torso and began to pray for healing.

[4 points of healing to Darius]
 
Even as Sales began his ritual, the demon lunged again at the kneeling Darius. But with a strenuous gasp, the Paladin brought his word into the guard position and shoved the fiend away. And behind this, the second demon slashed at Kryx's hide but found it as tough and inpenetrable as his own.

With the healing magics of the Elven god flowing through him, Darius struck with renewed vigour. He swung the falchion, cutting a gash in the Lemure's chest and spilling more blood. It squealed and back away, unaware of Angus looming behind it.

The Ranger slashed with his scimitar, but to no avail.



D4 (fighting Darius and Angus) 3HP
D6 (fighting Kryx) 6HP
332lbs remaining on Ayumi
 
With a sound akin to grating nails to steel, the Lemure recoiled from Kryx's skin with a low growl, circling around its quarry venomously. Planting his foot within the gravel around his foot, Kryx switched his hand further up the haft of the massive axe, allowing for a bit more control in his swings. Muscles screaming at the weight of his chosen weapon, Kryx swung for a diagonal lash at the demon.

This time, the added control allowed the weapon to pierce the skin of the Lemure and cleave it into halves, the grotesque thing dropping lifeless to the ground as its spirit...the essence of the thing...went elsewhere.

Hearing the roar of Darius, Kryx stepped between him and the Lemure, his strong scales serving as a buffer between the hungry fiend and the 'chieftain' of this ragtag tribe.
 
After Sales healed the fighter, he darted round Darius and grabbed hold of the creatures leg and pull it to the ground. Unfortunatly the demon saw him at the last moment and as it fell it clawed at Sales back. Sales pulled away and fell to the ground screaming in pain.
 
Though Sales had wounded himself in his haste, his action had brought the battle to a close. As the demon fell, the remaining warriors swamped it, hacking with blades and stomping with feet. Finally, Darius pinned the creature with his sword and allowed Kryx to deliver a final decapitating blow. With a final shudder, the last demon melted away into rock and blood, and the shadow of the Otherworld faded.

Panting for breath, bleeding and smeared with dirt, the heroes turned to the rockslide, sheathing their weapons.

"Okay..." rasped Darius. "Let's get Ayumi out of there..."
 
Chapter Three: The Path to Pilgrim's Road​

bobby-cairns.jpg

They had gathered on the mountainside, the survivors stood in silence as they honoured their dead. Without the bodies, all they could do was gather stones and pile them together here. It was a small gesture... but what else could be done? What else could ever be done or said in this harsh world...?

Four piles of stones. For Tong... for Jillian... for Reyer... and for the ship's captain.


After freeing Ayumi, Fielli had sent her snake through the rockslide to spy on the enemy. But she found the army had given up trying to get through and had retreated to the second watchpost.

Thank the gods for small mercies.

Without the army on their tail, the party had taken it easy, making camp about a mile from the rockslide where the gorge opened out onto the colder northern slopes of the mountain. A few tents and a campfire had been set, and now they rested wearily, haunted by the day's events.


Still covered in dust and caked blood, Darius stood in silence. His hair was mauled by the mountain winds and his eyes were raw, bloodshot from his inner torment.

After a few moments of solemn quiet, he spoke. "Our mission has failed." His voice fought against the wind. "Any of you who wish to... should turn back now. Take the northern descent and return to your homes and families."

Turning, he looked at each of his comrades. "I cannot ask you to follow me. Tong was your leader... and I bring only... misfortune. The Scorpion is a stronger sorceror than any of us anticipated, with demons at his command and the power to bring the mountain down upon us. We cannot triumph against such odds." A sigh escaped his lips, his eyes lowering. "I will give you all the report you deserve and ensure the nobles pay you for your services."

He turned back, staring down at the stone mounds. "Go now..." he whispered.
 
"If it's all well and good, sir, I'd like to stay." Seated cross-legged, with his back to one of the flatter rocks, Karwik had been trying to dust off his clothing rather lazily. The battling and digging had taken a lot out of him, and he didn't feel like moving too much.

Noticing that Darius had stopped talking, the thief suddenly realized that he was probably expected to clarify his words. Ceasing with patting his sleeves for a second, he crossed his arms and said, "I hope you won't find me a bit selfish for this, Darius, but my reason for being here is not simply to battle for an ideal. The Scorpions killed my parents, sir, and I wish to avenge them if at all possible."

The rogue surprised himself with his reaction to Darius's words, really. Perhaps it was the fact that going home would require a trip through the mountain pass and the swamps again. Perhaps it was just that fighting so much had toughened up the boy. Either way, the prospect of another battle just around the corner wasn't nearly frightening Karwik as much as it would have at the start of this journey.

"So you see, I can't leave, not without dishonoring my parents and myself. I'm staying, no matter what." If Karwik wasn't already folding his arms, he would have folded them to accentuate the point. If the paladin wanted to get rid of him, he'd have to do better than suggesting that the way forward would be dangerous.
 
[size=-2]
Fielli blinked up at Darius and turned back down to the small wreath she was weaving absently from grass stalks. "I've not really got anywhere else to go. Besides, Pip seems fond of you and if I were to leave, she'd rail the whole way back to nowhere. So if it's all the same to you, I'd just as well stay."

Fielli averted her eyes when she spoke, concealing the feeling of camaraderie she had developed. That was just an embarrassment to everyone, caring about them. Especially to herself. If it got out, well, she'd just as soon commit an honorable death, wouldn't she?

​
​
[/size]
 
Xenoxis sat on a rock a few feet to the right of Darius, rumaging through his pack, aking note of what resources he had on him. As Darius finished, Xenoxis spoke as he continued his inventory. "I cannot return. Not yet. Not until I have fullfilled my duty to the late emperor, and to Shao...and to you, sir. The three of you accepted my, despite my strangeness and despite the circumstances. For that, I owe you my life. If it had not been for the late Emperor, I'd have ended up in jail, if not for Shao, I'd have been executed as a spy, and I would have met a similar fate if it had not been for you. Anyways, I think you'll find us a heartier bunch than we seem. I doubt any of us will turn back at this point. As my father once said, 'We're in the thick of it now, boy'." At this point, Xenoxis came upon the bags of herbs and the ring he had taken off the dead guards. Looking up at the rest of the group, he asked, "So...Is anyone here good with herbal identification? You see, I pulled these bags of herbs off of some of the guards back at the watchpost. They were secured around their necks, which to me seems odd, so I'm thinking that they're something special." Meanwhile, as he waited for a response, he set about examining the ring.
 
To Kryx, the small grave of stones was a strange way to mark passing of companions. In his culture, bodies were laid to rest where they had fallen, gifts to a host of gods who maintained the balance of life...the dead belonged to the living, the spirits of the departed found peace in the rebirth of life. Once he had seen a halfling woman cry over the small mound she had buried her husband in, setting a similar pile of stones to mark the loam he now resided under. In three weeks those stones had been scattered, the lump smoothed...the forest dealt with the incursions of humans and other sentient races subtly, erasing their tracks in the endless cycle of rebirth.

Still...his Nestmother had taught him to respect the customs of others, just as the sky respects the earth or the predator respects his prey. So he silently stood a ways from the display of stones and shifted the weight of steel on his back. The air tasted heavy...there might be rain on the horizon and yet no one moved...silent in their individual grief.

As the party spoke, Kryx could recognize the strength of their connection. Perhaps they had been born to different Nestmothers, but they followed Darius as though he had pulled them into the Waking himself...an imprinting of loyalty powerful enough to paint this man as DenFather...Chieftain.


"Find rest and rebirth in the Allmother." he spoke in the gravely draconic tongue, a reverent send off for humans...an honor they would not have understood.

"I cannot return unless in completion of what Jalgarus commanded of me," Kryx stated shortly, "Truth, without it I cannot show my face to the swamps...for now I shall lend my strength to your direction Chieftain Darius."

Tasting the scent of the others, listening to their words...Kryx could sense the division within them...all had a reason to be here and all could not leave...could not fathom turning from this dangerous course.

Jalgarus help them all.
 
Ayumi watched as the others all cited various reasons why they couldn't leave. She had no such binding..but she didn't want to be left out. And besides, if everyone else stayed to try to murder their way through a rebellion, they'd need someone to patch them up.

Back under the rockslide had not been fun. Unable to move or see, barely able to breath under the crushing weight, she had only been able to wait. Wait for either a slow and painful death or for her friends to rescue her.

Then there were the undead. And the demons.

Whatever noble goals the rebellion had set out for itself were irretrivably lost. She didn't have to stay to fight it...but she would.
"I'll stay..." She smiled a bit. "It'd be boring walking home alone, after all."
 
Sales sat, crossed-legged with eyes closed, next to the fire, contemplating the last few hours. Thinking how close to death they came and about the others that had passed that breach, Tong and Jillian.

It really proved the determination of the group, to carry on after what we all had just gone through, each having their own reasons to carry on, reasons worth risking their own lives.

The group could carry on with much success, but only with leadership, which Sales believed Darius could provide. But he will need them to be loyal followers to be able to believe himself and be victorious.

Sales coulnd't help a chuckle over Ayumi's comment about 'walking home would be too boring', but he found it odd about what Fielli said about her Snake though, wondering if perhaps she 'should' be taking advice from a reptile.

Sales, still sat by the fire with his eyes closed, said 'I will follow you also, Darius'. Hoping the fighter would realise that Sales ment 'we' would follow him.

Sales wasn't sure what his reasons were to carry on, he just had a feeling it was the right thing to do.
 
The ranger laid himself on the floor, his back against a tree. What tired him hadn't been the walk, it had been the relentless battle against the Lemures, he was lucky they weren't smart.

Angus let out a sigh and faced up, he was too tired to grief the people they lost, just like with his father, it helped, at least he didn't worry about him later. Like his father had told him, too many people die in war to worry about mourning them.

He figured Darius could have done with some of the wisdom of his father; after all, sometime later one of them would actually leave, but maybe he was just too untrusting of people who made a living off of robbing people. Then again, he could be thinking too much on this.

"We don't really have the option of leaving, paladin, I figure most of us are here because our homes were burnt down." He restrained himself from adding that they burned them down with whoever was inside, but there wasn't any need to say it.

"Xen, let me see those herbs…" he said as he walked over to Xenoxis, still not having forgotten about the arrows, he'd remind him about them later. The rogue passed him the bags and eyed their contents, cautious not to touch them in case they were poisonous.

After he saw the contents of the bag, he didn't show much happiness with what Xenoxis managed to take from the bodies.

"It's... sawdust from a Traga tree, all it does is look pretty when you burn it." he said, picking up some of it and throwing it into the fire, the fire turned blue. With a look of dissatisfaction on his face he closed the bag. He screatched his head and then passed a hand through his dirty face and red beard.

"We'll need food for today, I'm going to need a hand with the quarry, if we can find any."
 
Did they all mean what they said? Or were they compelled? Did my words sway them to act against their will, for fear of seeming disloyal? I suppose, like all leaders, I will never know. This is my burden now, to stand beside such heroes but to always know that I had some part in their fate. Gods help us. Keep me strong.
From the Diary of Darius Castablane​



As the fire flared, throwing blue light across his face, Darius smiled. The sun was setting behind his shoulder and heralding a wintry night, but the words of his comrades would ease his sleep all the same. Indeed, the reasons Fielli and Ayumi gave almost brought him to laughter.

"It is an honour to be travelling in such a fellowship." His eyes found Karwik and Angus. "But, understand, we cannot be driven by revenge. We have all lost friends and family to this Rebellion, but we must not forget ourselves. The land is out of joint and we must restore order - not let this tyrant corrupt us."

He moved around the campfire, placing his hands on the shoulder of the Lizardman and the Elf. "Master Kryx and Master Sales - you are not of this kingdom. But when Paradox is restored, we shall be in debt to both your races. Whatever government is to succeed the Emperor, it will be one in which all creeds and kinds are welcome... I promise you."

He nodded to Angus. "Some food would be welcome indeed, my friend. I shall make the camp ready while you are gone. Be careful out there... the Scorpion has spies and powers of every kind."

He knelt by the fire, adding fresh kindling and getting to work on cleaning his plate-armour.

 
Finding nothing interesting about the ring, Xenoxis dropped it into one of his many pockets. Standing up, he took up his bow along with a few arrows. "I'll join you in the hunt, Angus. In times and places such as these, I think it best if none of us venture off alone." While Xenoxis was skilled at traversing various terrains, something required of him in his duties as a spy in foreign nations, he found it hard at times to keep up with the seasoned ranger, with Angus often having to wait for Xenoxis to catch up. The two remained silent for the most part, not wishing to alert anything to their presence, be it game or enemy agents.
 
Leaning back against the rock, Karwik thought on the words spoken to him by the paladin. Would he really become a monster if he continued to pursue a path of revenge? If so, would he need to find some other reason to fight? And if that was also so, then what cause could he pursue?

"Perhaps," he thought, "I could fight for my friends? My reason for going on could be to keep these people alive. Heh. Yeah, that's me. The shining knight. I think I'll just leave that to Darius."

Noting that a few of the group was going off to hunt, Karwik gave them a lazy wave. He was confident enough in their abilities to know that they'd be coming back okay. Instead, speaking to nobody in general, he uttered, "You know, if the fellow we're fighting can control the mountain, it'd be a good idea to get down the other side as soon as possible. Or at least get near to the top, where he can't drop as many rocks on us."

Karwik was feeling kind of fatalistic ever since the journey started. It seemed like every single thing that could go wrong was guaranteed to do so, and in a way he didn't expect. If the pattern was to continue, the next logical step would be for the group to get assaulted by the clouds.

Seeing as he had the last watch, Karwik decided that he would get some necessary sleep. Setting up his bedroll, he fell to sleep almost immediately, only waking up when Sales shook him for his turn.
 
After some reflecting sat next to the fire, Sales stood up and went searching the surrounding area for some more fire wood and find some food if he sees anything. He found the peace and quiet soothing, letting him appreciate nature and his own thoughts, however much he liked travelling with people he did enjoy his own company a little more.

Sales returned with only a few peices of fire wood and no food, but he had faith in his companians to catch something to eat.

During the evening Sales said to Darius 'Everyone will require as must rest as possable after todays fight, i only require 4 hours of meditation so i can take half of the nights watch'.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top Bottom
Back