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Turn 153.0:  Guardians of Kilner’s Vault

Posted: 6/9/01

            Crayne quickly looks up from his spellbook as he hears the deep monotone voice.  Standing to his feet Crayne puts his spellbook away and moves his way over to Emma.  Addressing the two statues Crayne asks, "How long do we have to prepare ourselves before the challenge?"  He grips his magical staff with his two hands tightly.  He is shaking slightly but does his best to try and hide it.

            "Not very long, I would imagine..." Emma mumbles to the wizard, her eyes never leaving those of the statues.  Her every muscle is tensed, seemingly prepared to dive out of the way should the guardians decide to attack.  Her eyes glance at their stony fists and she doesn't like the thoughts of being on the receiving end of such a natural weapon.

            There is no response from the statues.

            "Crayne," she says, "Anhur granted me some insight into this situation.  The way across the bridge is most definitely challenged by these creatures.  I have no doubt they will violently oppose us if we try to cross without 'preparing' ourselves in a manner they deem acceptable.  Anhur's wisdom revealed that the statues are '...a lock to some, a key to others...'  Perhaps our Hathean ally might enlighten us about that?

            "Amos?" the Shield Maiden calls out, still not looking away from the guardians, "Anything you can do to help us out here?  These statues can serve a dual purpose.  They will either bar our way.  Or they will open it for us.  It all depends on whether we say or do the right things.  Was their anything in that inscription you copied off the door back at the other bridge?  I think the two are related somehow.  We were faced with a bridge in both situations...one in our 'real' world, and now one here.  I can only surmise that the words at the first one must give some kind of clue on how to pass this one.  It must be the preparation that the statues are talking about.

            "Um, guys?" she continues, "The rest of you might want to prepare yourselves for fighting or retreating in case I'm wrong.  But don't ready any weapons just yet.  They might interpret that the wrong way.  Just look...um, casual."

            The priestess finally mutters to Crayne again, "At least we don't have to worry about Covarc right now.  My last question of Anhur revealed that the mage won't be able to find his way here.  We might see him again upon our return, though...provided of course, we survive this..."

            Storm grumbles to himself as he creeps back up to a crouch.  He sleekly slips his swords back into their sheaths and instead knocks a bolt in his crossbow.  He grumbles some more as Emma asks her question of Amos, and waits on edge for something to happen.  At the first sign of aggression from the statues, Storm plans to fire at one, aiming at it's head.

            Hannibal mirrors Storm's moves, only on the other side of the platform. He, unlike his stout friend, does not draw any weapons however, leaving this up to the wisdom of the clerics Emma and Amos.  He was beginning to learn more and more as time went on in these dungeons that he was not well suited for his latest chosen profession.  A thief without infravision in these caves was much like a pretty troll...useless!

            Amos is shaken, literally.  His entire body is now quaking as he stares up at the massive sentinels guarding--and blocking--the bridge before them.  "I...I...I only had time to write the message down...not interpret it!  That would take more time, you'n know!"

            "I'm afraid we don't have more time, Amos," Canter warns, cracking his knuckles in preparation for the battle he predicts will soon begin.

            "Hatheans are a Caste of the arts, right?" Hannibal asks aloud to the others.  "Is there some kind of song we need to sing?"

            "A dance?" Skandor adds.

            "I don't know!" Amos replies, exasperated.  "These are the *Ancient Chambers*!  They'n date from a time long before the Caste as we know it today!"

            Emma turns, looking over her shoulder at the shouting priest behind her.  This situation was not to her liking, and was growing worse with each passing second.  "Fine," she says, blowing a few strands of hair out of her eyes, still looking behind her, "We'll just have to deal with this the best we can.  Make do.  We know we're in the right place, we just have to--"

            Before she can finish, one of the statues has reached out with its fist, striking Emma with an upward motion which sends the priestess hurled back toward the others awkwardly.  She lands on top of El, sending the elf to the ground with her.  (6 hp damage to Emma, 1 hp damage to El)

            Skandor's heart leaps into his throat as he sees his Shield Maiden launched into the air, her hair fanned out as her head spins back around, and as he hears the audible impact of her and El's bodies on the hard cave floor.  Narrowing his eyes, he reaches for his own weapon, ready to rush into battle.

            Storm is the first to retaliate, however, because his weapon was the first drawn.  But because of the statue's movement, the dwarf watches with frustration as the crossbow bolt he fires flies past the statue without hitting it.

            "He who raised a weapon upon the guardians of Kilner's Vault chooses the physical challenge," the statue's voice booms, echoing off the stone walls all around and between the two sides of the great chasm behind.

            "Storm!" Emma calls, pounding the floor with her palm in frustration.  'Had he only kept all his weapons away!'

            Canter twists his torso quickly, slinging his bow around off his shoulder and reaching for a pair of arrows in one movement.  He calls out, "Emma, El: get up!  I'll cover you!"  Then, he fires the first of his arrows.  It appears to fly directly at it's target, striking the large and lumbering statue square in the chest.  But as it does, it simply cracks, the wooden arrow buckling in the middle, and falls to the floor.  Canter's second arrow meets the same fate.

            "Amos get back!" Crayne yells, pointing toward the far wall and looking the terrified priest in the eye.  'Certainly this must be too much action for the thespian!' the mage thinks to himself as he turns back to assess the situation, his robe following his movements gracefully.  It appeared as if only one of the statues had actually stepped forward and attacked.  The other simply moved to the center of the entranceway to the bridge, guarding it.

 

(153.1)

            Skandor sees Crayne looking the scene over.  He then looks to Hannibal, yelling, "arrows seem to be useless.  Shall we try the blade?!"  With that, he turns back to face the approaching animated stone statue, and raises his short sword to attack.  He aims for the thickest part he can reach, about around the statue's midsection.  He brings the sword down with all his strength, feeling the blade strike the stone, sending reverberations back up the paladin's arms.  But with the strike, many bits of stone chip away from the statue, and he can feel the statue's harsh gaze as it notices a new foe at its side.  Skandor looks up, seeing the color in the statue's eyes boring into his own.

            Rushing up on the other side is Canter, who also attacks with his sword.  With the statue distracted, Canter gets a good hit in, striking at the statue's arm (at about the elbow) and chipping away some stone there, as well.  "Ha ha!" the leatherman's son laughs as he is showered with the shards of stone.

            Canter can feel the blood rushing through his vains as he can see the second statue begin to stir from its position by the edge of the bridge.  Taking a step back from the statue he had just struck, the fighter looks back at the others.  He calls with a raised eyebrow, "Any of you want to join us over here?!"

 

1.  HP Status, according to my records and adjusted for hits during this turn:

            Canter: 22/44, Crayne: 24/16, Elloharin: 17/28, Emma: 22/47, Hannibal: 14/29, Skandor: 25/38, Storm: 23/50.

 

2.  CURRENT POSITIONS:  SKANDOR and CANTER are currently near (flanking) one of the statues, who stands about ten feet in front of the edge of the bridge after just striking Emma.  EMMA, ELLOHARIN, and HANNIBAL are in the middle of the area, about fifteen feet away.  CRAYNE, STORM, and AMOS are the farthest from the action, standing near the back wall (where the portal is).  The second statue is near the edge of the bridge, but is beginning to slowly move toward the melee.

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Turn 153.2: Guardians of Kilner’s Vault (continued)

Posted: 6/14/01

(153.1 -- note Skandor and Canter had attacks during 153.1 in the previous post)

 

            Storm stows his crossbow as he hears the statue's words.  "Challenge??  Arright, I be takin' yer stinkin' challenge, ye lumbering hunk o' rock!  I built stools outa yer cousins when I be a wee unbearded dwarf.  What ye be wantin' me ta do, make ye a full dinin' room set?"  He starts marching forward through his friends, approaching the statue head on.  He'll stop a few feet back from it, giving him enough room to draw steel and attack if the statue presses on, but close enough to let the statue know he's there.

            As the dwarf approaches, the statue (the one farther from the bridge, next to which Skandor and Canter stand) turns its stoney head to regard him.  Storm can swear he sees the statue's eyes narrow.  And that was all Storm needed.  Quickening his pace for the last few steps, he breaks into a short sprint and then launches himself at the large statue.  His feet connect with the statue's torso, slightly off-center.  He can feel the rock beneath his feet give a little, and as he lands on the cave floor and rolls away, he can hear little pieces of rock landing with him.  Looking up, he can see the imprints of where his feet impacted on the statue, but the statue itself is not toppled.

            Crayne looks glum as he sees the two statues attack.  Storm's drawn sword had triggered the trap.  Crayne acknowledged that it wasn't in Storm's nature to stand by and let Emma be punched.  There was no turning back now, though.  Somehow these statues had to be dispatched in order to get to the play. 

            Quickly Crayne moves to protect the priest Amos, "Get back Priest!"  He then quickly puts his mind into action.  These statues were large and cumbersome.  It would be a lot better for the group to fight them in a bigger battleground rather than a cramped space.  Crayne knew the obvious location--back through the gateway.  If the group could lure the statues through the gateway then they would stand a far better chance.

            Quickly Crayne shoots off three bright red magic missiles at the nearest statue (the one Storm had just attacked) in an attempt to buy the group some time.  The missiles light up the dim cave area with their glow, and strike the statue with great force.  By the time all three are finished, the statue's right arm is completely severed, having been blasted off and thrown into the chasm by Crayne's powerful missiles.

            Once again, Hannibal thinks, Rinder's Six was faced with the daunting task of defeating an unknown enemy.  He cringed when Skandor and Canter slammed their swords into the creatures and decided that was not the way to go.  "C'mon Hannibal, think!"

            Then it hits him, reaching into his pack (sitting on the floor by his feet), he grabs his 50-foot length of hemp rope and his trusty grappling hook.  Looking at the time-worn metal hook, he thinks to himself, 'if this works, I won't be seeing you no more!'  But without dwelling, he secures the rope to the hook and darts into the nearest shadow...which isn't too difficult considering the party's two lanterns are the only illumination in the cave (aside from a faint glow from the portal itself).  Crawling along the side of the cave, Hannibal keeps his eye on the second statue--the one closer to the bridge--making that his target.

            Growing closer and closer to the statue, the former warrior heads directly for the statue's lumbering legs, moving as quickly as he can in an effort both to keep himself from harm and also to get rid of this enemy as soon as possible.  He reaches the statue's legs in no time and immediately sets the hook, digging in into his foe's stone.  Then, he begins running in circles...around the statue, running the rope behind him and keeping it tight.  He crosses his fingers, knowing it will take a few loops before the rope is tight and strong enough to have any effect, and hopefully the statue won't have clobbered him in the meantime!

            Emma shakes her head, trying to clear her mind after that powerful blow she'd suffered.  She looks around, seeing Storm, Canter, and Skandor at the foot of the lead statue and Hannibal doing something with the second one (it was hard to tell with such little light and with the lead statue in the way of her line of sight).  'This should have been so much easier...' she thinks to herself, rubbing what will surely be a large welt on the back of her neck.  Finally, she straightens up and turns to face the lead statue.

            "By Anhur's will you shall obey!" she says loudly, intoning the prayer Command upon their enemy.  "Stand aside!" she orders the statue.

            Curiously, however, it does not appear to be affected by her spell.

 

            The lead statue follows Storm’s landing with its eyes, a small smile appearing on its rock face.  It appears not to notice the fact that one of its arms is completely gone.  Instead, it steps forward and with its remaining stone fist, goes after the dwarf.  Storm tries to evade, but in these tight quarters he doesn't have very far to go without risking any of his companions.  The rock-fist strikes him, and strikes him hard.  Storm can feel the impact as if in slow motion, and feels himself lifted from the ground with the blow...even before the pain really sets in.  (9 hp damage)  Soon he is flying backwards, striking the back wall above the portal.  It is at this point, as his back is cracked against the rock wall, that the pain really hits him.  He exhales slowly as he slides down behind the portal, landing in a sitting position, propped up against the wall.

            The second statue catches on to Hannibal's antics, and reaches out with one of its hands for the human at its feet.  Hannibal, running at full-steam around the lumbering hulk, sees the hand coming for him, but is terrified as he tries to stop, but finds that he must slow down first!  His momentum carries him directly toward the open palm of the statue's hand, which swats him as if a fly.  Hannibal's entire front facade is struck, suddenly reversing his direction and sending him sliding backwards along the floor until he lands up against the side wall, just at the edge of the chasm.  (8 hp damage)  Looking down over the edge, he rubs his bleeding nose, thanking whichever gods were smiling upon him that he didn't end up over the edge and down there!

 

(153.2)

            The paladin regards his stoney advesary, and gives a wry smile when one of his powerful strikes gives only a small scratch on the surface of the statue.  He is glad to see Canter also striking at the foe, however, out of the corner of his eye, he sees the second statue bearing down on Hannibal.

            Things did not look good.

            "Quick!" Crayne shouts "Let us go back through the gateway and see if these statues will follow."

            Hearing Crane shout his order, Skandor thinks of the alternatives in a split second.  Somehow pushing a statue off the edge into the chasm would be the easier way to dispense of these guardians, however, the statues likely weighed a ton, and would not budge from the force of one man alone.  This is a 'test', and Rinder's Six have chosen to take this test.  It was too late for diplomacy or pleasantries.

            Opening his blurry eyes, Storm finds himself directly behind the portal.  Looking into the shiny oval surface, he can see some kind of movement.  It takes him a moment to focus and to realize what he is looking at, for the image is reverse (perhaps it would be clearer from the other side of the portal?).  But soon he is sure.

            "Uhh...I dunno if we be wantin' ta do that!" he shouts from his position.  "I think I be seein' Covarc on the other side!"

            "No...You'n can't let me go back there!" Amos shouts, hearing Storm's words.  "Not to Covarc!"

            Canter hefts his sword, planning his next attack.  "Someone's gotta choose...and soon!"

            Holding his shield aloft in a weak attempt to fend off the hammering fists of his enemy, Skandor glances back at his comrades.  "Quickly!  Do we press the attack, or do we retreat?  No telling what, if any, reinforcements they might have when we come back!!"

            "Sounds to me like we're staying!" El shouts.  Having seen the effect the other arrows had, the elf stows his bow and draws his long sword instead.  Then, he breaks into a run, heading for the second statue.  He arrives and attacks, but as he approaches he twists to evade the statue's destructive fist, so his attack is thwarted.

            Canter then attacks the first statue.  His bastard sword swoops through the cool cave air, landing against the statue's thigh with a thundering crack.  He can see the ground peppered with chunks of rock violently torn from their place in the statue's leg as he follows through with his strike.  Quickly he swings his blade around for another, though the second attack misses; the statue begins to move away to move on Skandor.

            But Skandor is ready.  He whips his blade around defensively, and then thrusts it forward, slashing at the statue's remaining arm.  His blade meets with the statue's stone, taking off a few pebbles.

            Grinding his teeth at the latest turn of events, Crayne returns his attention to the statue's before him.  He had no desire to face Covarc again right now...that time would come.  And according to Emma's god, Covarc wouldn't find his way into this present chamber, so at least Crayne knew he only had the statues to deal with.  Only!  Seeing the success of his Magic Missile spell, he decides to cast the second one he had memorized.  He decides to send the missiles at the same statue, having seen Hannibal grab his rope and take off for the second one.

            Crayne steps away from Amos for a moment to cast his spell, raising his hands in the familiar fashion and speaking the usual arcane words.  Now he really felt in his element.  In no time, he fires off three more missiles, which fly truely toward their target.  Their red streaks once again light up the chamber, and with three fantastic explosions they strike the statue, this time blowing off the statue's other arm and taking a chunk out of its shoulder at the same time.  Strangely, there is no wail of pain from the enemy.  But that doesn't bother Crayne, and he smile as he sees the large chunks of rock fall from the statue.

            Frustrated at the effect of her Command spell (or lack thereof), Emma exhales loudly and draws her sword.  "Sometimes the situation needs to be addressed the old fashioned way..." she mutters as she approaches the melee.  'The lead statue appears to be closest to defeat.  If we can dispatch him, perhaps the other will be forced to stand down,' she reasons with herself.  Arriving at the lead statue (now armless), she attacks with her blade.  Unfortunately, she finds that her sword misses the statue's leg.  Though armless, the foe is still alive enough to evade!

 

            The armless statue, finding itself with a limited capacity to attack with fists, instead uses its large and cumbersome legs.  With a quick motion, it raises its foot and sends it careering toward Skandor.  The paladin raises his shield to deflect the blow, but the weight of the statue is too much.  It crashes into the shield, denting and deforming the metal, and sends Skandor hurled backwards, a large gash in his cheek where the metal from the shield was dented far enough to cut him.  The impact, itself, was painful, and as Skandor lands on the hard ground, he spits out a mouthful of blood.  (10 hp damage)  But he gets up as soon as he can, vowing not to leave his charge, who is now perilously close to the lead statue!

            The second statue turns its attention to the elf Elloharin.  With a powerful motion, the statue swings its arm like a club, catching the elf in its path.  El is lifted clear off the ground, and like Storm before him, is sent flying backwards through the air, only to be stopped by the side wall.  He strikes the wall with a thud, sliding back down to the ground, seeing stars all the while.  (10 hp damage)

            But the motion of striking El caused the statue to need to step forward.  It is at this point that the statue finds itself unable to do so...for Hannibal's rope has kept its legs bound tightly together!  Suddenly, the statue is teetering, unbalanced, and as if in slow motion, begins to lean backwards.  Slowly, through the dim light and shadows, the statue begins to fall.  There is no way to stop it now, it is headed over the edge of the chasm, off the cliff and into oblivion.  Hannibal rubs his bleary eyes just in time to see the last few feet of his rope follow the statue over the edge.  There is no sound of a crash at the bottom.

1.  HP Status:  Canter: 22/44, Crayne: 24/16, El: 7/28, Emma: 22/47, Hannibal: 6/29, Skandor: 15/38, Storm: 14/50.

 

2.  Positions:

            CANTER and EMMA are near the first (a.k.a. lead) statue.  SKANDOR has been thrown aside, but is close enough to return to the scene in the next round.  CRAYNE stands in the back, near AMOS, away from the statue.  ELLOHARIN sits slumped along one of the side walls, near HANNIBAL (who is in the same post-clobbered position).  STORM sits along the back wall, directly behind the portal (in which he can see an image of COVARC--though no one else has actually seen this image yet).

            The FIRST STATUE is now armless from Crayne's attacks, and thoroughly battered from the sword attacks, though it does have a powerful kick!  The SECOND STATUE has been toppled, sent over the edge of the chasm and no longer on the scene to attack.

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