(050) The Heart of Woe

Waysoftheearth's Hinterlands PBP

Moderators: ehiker133, waysoftheearth

Posts: 16901
Joined: Thu Sep 05, 2013 1:15 am
Location: Melbourne, Australia

Post by waysoftheearth » Mon Apr 22, 2013 12:36 pm

(050) The Heart of Woe

waysoftheearth wrote:
Invisible Highbough slips through the door and into a eerily quiet and gloomy world.

It takes his eyes but a moment to adjust and comprehend the awful destruction before him.

The entire abbey has been gutted and blacked. As if a meteorite has fallen from the sky, a great crater 60ft across has been blasted into the floor, descending down a blackened and broken slope some 15ft or so a huge pool of belching, steaming, and occasionally burning tar.

Hurrying down into the dread crater, Invisible Highbough spots the two black robed priests and the wolves. To his surprise they don't seem intimidated by the scaling tar... quite the reverse. Just as they reach the lip, one of the wolves turns its head to sniff the air. The priests wade out into the furiously liquid! And the wolf turns to follow them, and within a moment the entire groups are subsumed into hot, dark mass without complaint.

There is no sign they were ever present, and Invisible Highbough finds himself alone in the ruined abbey pondering what he has just observed...
[f=32]Golgildir the Elf Medium (MV 12", AC 9, HD 1, hp 1/1, AL N) great cloak, lantern; spells: color spray; scrolls: sleep, sleep, charm person
Hirelings: Georges; torch[/f]

Posts: 16901
Joined: Thu Sep 05, 2013 1:15 am
Location: Melbourne, Australia

Post by waysoftheearth » Mon Apr 22, 2013 9:46 pm

(050) The Heart of Woe

mushgnome wrote:
Interesting, thinks Highbough. He is already devising experiments in his mind to determine the properties of the strange tar. But for the moment, he turns his attention to scouting the interior of the abbey: are there any other entrances/exits to the outside (I seem to recall mention of a smashed section of the wall?) and most importantly are there any enemy guards or creatures to contend with?
[f=32]Golgildir the Elf Medium (MV 12", AC 9, HD 1, hp 1/1, AL N) great cloak, lantern; spells: color spray; scrolls: sleep, sleep, charm person
Hirelings: Georges; torch[/f]

Posts: 16901
Joined: Thu Sep 05, 2013 1:15 am
Location: Melbourne, Australia

Post by waysoftheearth » Tue Apr 23, 2013 10:16 pm

(050) The Heart of Woe

waysoftheearth wrote:
To his left, across the smoldering crater, Invisible Highbough sees the remains of the original alter, smashed and burned amid a tumult of fallen rocks and timbers. The once glorious stained-glass windows would no doubt have depicted religious icons, but are now smashed beyond recognition. These are the broken windows which he and Olaf observed from their hiding place at the base of the bell tower.

To his right, at the far end of the church, there is another great doubled door -- this one is barred on the inside and looks rather stout.

In the midst of the place are a tumble down of stones and splintered pews and smashed windows, all of it blackened by fire and soot. Its a catastrophic mess, but there is not a soul to be seen.
[f=32]Golgildir the Elf Medium (MV 12", AC 9, HD 1, hp 1/1, AL N) great cloak, lantern; spells: color spray; scrolls: sleep, sleep, charm person
Hirelings: Georges; torch[/f]

Posts: 16901
Joined: Thu Sep 05, 2013 1:15 am
Location: Melbourne, Australia

Post by waysoftheearth » Mon Apr 29, 2013 10:34 pm

(050) The Heart of Woe

waysoftheearth wrote:
Gustave comes striding into the blasted abbey, his plate armour gleaming and sword swishing eagerly in the air -- were he not covered in dirt and grime he might almost look rather regal.

He sees the awesome damage done to the interior and the blasphemed fixtures. But aside from the smoldering, glooping tar crater... the place appears empty...
[f=32]Golgildir the Elf Medium (MV 12", AC 9, HD 1, hp 1/1, AL N) great cloak, lantern; spells: color spray; scrolls: sleep, sleep, charm person
Hirelings: Georges; torch[/f]

Posts: 16901
Joined: Thu Sep 05, 2013 1:15 am
Location: Melbourne, Australia

Post by waysoftheearth » Mon Apr 29, 2013 11:50 pm

(050) The Heart of Woe

tonneau wrote:
Gustave pauses momentarily to consider the bubbling tar, raising a brow to half-mast. Interesting...I must go to church more often.

He takes stock of the blackened room and considers which way might lead to his estranged companions.
[f=32]Golgildir the Elf Medium (MV 12", AC 9, HD 1, hp 1/1, AL N) great cloak, lantern; spells: color spray; scrolls: sleep, sleep, charm person
Hirelings: Georges; torch[/f]

Posts: 16901
Joined: Thu Sep 05, 2013 1:15 am
Location: Melbourne, Australia

Post by waysoftheearth » Thu May 02, 2013 5:07 am

(050) The Heart of Woe

waysoftheearth wrote:
The entire scene is alien to Gustave. There is no telling where the rest of the company might be but, presumably, the door immediately behind him would be a good start.
[f=32]Golgildir the Elf Medium (MV 12", AC 9, HD 1, hp 1/1, AL N) great cloak, lantern; spells: color spray; scrolls: sleep, sleep, charm person
Hirelings: Georges; torch[/f]

Posts: 16901
Joined: Thu Sep 05, 2013 1:15 am
Location: Melbourne, Australia

Post by waysoftheearth » Thu May 02, 2013 11:37 pm

(050) The Heart of Woe

mushgnome wrote:
"They went down into the tar," whispers the disembodied voice of Highbough.
[f=32]Golgildir the Elf Medium (MV 12", AC 9, HD 1, hp 1/1, AL N) great cloak, lantern; spells: color spray; scrolls: sleep, sleep, charm person
Hirelings: Georges; torch[/f]

Posts: 16901
Joined: Thu Sep 05, 2013 1:15 am
Location: Melbourne, Australia

Post by waysoftheearth » Sat May 04, 2013 4:09 am

(050) The Heart of Woe

waysoftheearth wrote:
Here is a scratch map of the abbey interior to assist in imagining...

  Code:
...............................................................
.....Outer Wall................................................
....========...................................................
......XXX../=======================================\...........
......XX../..............------.....................\..........
......XX./............./..........\..................H.<- door.
....XX../..smashed..../............\.....broken.......\........
....XX.|..altar......|.....tar.....|.....pews.........|........
...XX..|............|......crater...|.................|........
.....XX.\...........|.............../................./........
....XX.#..............\.........../................../.........
..XXX.#.<-- broken.....\......../...................H.<-- door.
..XXX#.....windows.......------..................../...........
XXX./.........=======================\......./====/............
.XX.\......./.........................\...../.......XXXX.......
.XXX.\...../...XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX...\=H=/...XXXXXX....Tar...
.XXX..\===/..XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX|.|XXXXXXXXXX....Moat..
...XXXXXXXXXXXX.X..................XXXXX|.|XXXXXX..............
....XXXXXXXX............................|.|<--.Plank bridge....
...............................................................
[f=32]Golgildir the Elf Medium (MV 12", AC 9, HD 1, hp 1/1, AL N) great cloak, lantern; spells: color spray; scrolls: sleep, sleep, charm person
Hirelings: Georges; torch[/f]

Posts: 16901
Joined: Thu Sep 05, 2013 1:15 am
Location: Melbourne, Australia

Post by waysoftheearth » Sat May 04, 2013 7:16 am

(050) The Heart of Woe

waysoftheearth wrote:
Still standing in near the doorway by which he entered, Gustave reckons that Dieter and Co. must be somewhere behind him and perhaps over his right shoulder. Exactly where they are is anyone's guess.

Then he hears Highbough's voice, but doesn't see him.
[f=32]Golgildir the Elf Medium (MV 12", AC 9, HD 1, hp 1/1, AL N) great cloak, lantern; spells: color spray; scrolls: sleep, sleep, charm person
Hirelings: Georges; torch[/f]

Posts: 16901
Joined: Thu Sep 05, 2013 1:15 am
Location: Melbourne, Australia

Post by waysoftheearth » Sat May 04, 2013 9:16 am

(050) The Heart of Woe

tonneau wrote:
While no stranger to voices in the head, to Gustave's ears (trained to the tune of only the the finest harpists and singers), this one sounds strangely familiar, and...elvish.

"A fine trick...", he says to the absence, "now show yourself before I get twitchy", flicking his blade for emphasis.
[f=32]Golgildir the Elf Medium (MV 12", AC 9, HD 1, hp 1/1, AL N) great cloak, lantern; spells: color spray; scrolls: sleep, sleep, charm person
Hirelings: Georges; torch[/f]

Return to “Hinterlands”

Powered by phpBB® Forum Software © phpBB Limited
Designed by ST Software.