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Ember's Tale 98: Bait and Switch


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#1 Guest_Cel_*

Posted 25 May 2008 - 07:35 AM

Chapter 98: Bait and Switch


The Windspear Hills in summer were not much different from how they had been in late spring. The ground was decorated with tiny summer blossoms, too short-stemmed to be torn apart by the winds that had given the district its name, and wild strawberries were ripening in some of the more sheltered spots. On the exposed hilltops, grasses were already yellowing, the life bleached out of them by the summer sun. Several of the smaller creeks had dried up, not to return until the autumn rains replenished their sources, but a few larger streams, fed by snow melting in faraway mountains, still held water; clusters of wildflowers lined their banks. The sun burned down from a perfectly clear sky, and if not for the near-constant breezes, heat and lack of shelter would have made travelling in the rocky hills unbearable instead of merely unpleasant.

The werewolves had, of course, not been gracious enough to leave any obvious signs of their activities. There was no trace of them in the area where Ember, Minsc and Yoshimo had first encountered them, and even though the group did find the occasional pile of gnawed, sun-bleached bones, it was impossible to tell exactly what had been gnawing on the bones. They came across the remnants of campfires far more often than anything that could possibly be linked to werewolves, and when they did follow a trail in the afternoon of the second day of the hunt, it was not a trail that they expected to lead them to the creatures.

"It is on the move," Yoshimo murmured, his attention fixed on a small mound of dirt and rubble near the bank of a dried-up stream. The freshly disturbed soil, still collapsing back into the ground, might not get them any closer to their primary prey, but it did promise a welcome diversion from the fruitless hunt, and, with any luck, the possibility of getting Minsc a decent set of armour.

Without a word, Mazzy and Minsc trained their bows on the moving end of the soil bulge. The creature beneath it had noticed the group by now, and started to pick up speed as it burrowed through the dry, dusty ground, heading straight towards them. A few heartbeats later, the ankheg burst through the surface of the soil in a shower of dust and gravel, right in front of Ember and Yoshimo. Large green mandibles snapped at them, first at Yoshimo and then at Ember, but both of them dodged smoothly out of the creature's way, providing an opening for the group's two archers. The giant and the halfling peppered the ankheg with arrows; some deflected harmlessly off chitin plates, while others struck vulnerable flesh in between the segments of armour. Hissing with fury, the creature spat globs of acidic fluid in the direction of Minsc and Mazzy, but they were out of its reach; its acid spattered a patch of gravel a few feet in front of them.

Edwin spoke. A set of carefully aimed magic missiles struck the akheg's left side, shattering at least one limb. Another volley struck its jaw, breaking the creature's main weapon. Hissing and gargling, the ankheg tried to spit through its broken mouth; it twisted and turned as if trying to face all its attackers at once. It did not notice Anomen as he approached from behind; completely ignored by the creature, the cleric raised his war hammer and brought it down on the ankheg's skull. There was a loud crack, and its writhing body went limp.

"Well done, friends!" Mazzy cried, and Minsc roared with glee. The fight had gone exceedingly well; none of the group had been harmed, and most of the ankheg's hide was intact. There would be more than enough plates to make a decent set of armour, even for someone as large as Minsc. The blacksmith in Trademeet will certainly be able to assemble it, Ember mused, and we're more likely to get a good price from him than from anyone else in Amn.

Minsc drew a dagger from his belt and moved towards the fallen beast, ready and eager to start skinning it, then halted. "Boo says someone is coming!" he announced, looking around suspiciously.

Four figures were approaching. They wore a mixture of chainmail and plate, and had drawn swords in their hands; two of them also held shields. They ran towards Ember and her companions in an odd, loping gait, and long tufts of fur surrounded their elongated snouts.

"Helm's beard," Anomen gasped. His mouth fell open in surprise.

"Werewolves... in armour?" Mazzy said, sounding as confused as Ember felt at the strange sight.

"Beasts!" one of the werewolves snarled. "Curs! Your terror ends here!"

"It is you who are the terror!" Minsc shouted. "Be afraid, evil, for justice has come for you!"

"Brave words from one so foul!" another werewolf laughed. "Have at you!"

The strange, armed werewolves fell upon the group. Ember found herself in a duel with one of the shieldbearers, and to begin with, she seemed to have the upper hand; she even landed a few blows across the werewolf's shoulders. Then, the creature seemed to somehow adjust to her fighting style, and in the span of a few moments, Ember went from attacking to fighting for her life. The werewolf was far more skilled with a blade than she ever had been - at least now she could see why these werewolves would want to use swords, she thought frantically as she narrowly deflected a high, quick jab that would have skewered her chest - and attacked her with a methodical relentlessness that she'd never have expected from a creature that she'd always heard described as volatile and ferocious. It almost felt like fighting in a nightmare; nothing added up!

Ember and the werewolf danced around each other for what felt like ages, the creature blocking her at every turn, and continually forcing her to draw back with well-aimed jabs and slashes. One of the other werewolves fell to the ground with a gaping hole in its chest; Ember's opponent howled with rage, and lunged at her. She raised her shield to block the vicious blow, but met only air; with a quick twist, the werewolf had turned the strike into a feint, and the attack landed far lower on her body. Her left side exploded in agony as the werewolf's blade slashed through her armour, across her ribs, and into the softer tissues of her belly.

Deep. Blood. Too much blood...

Acting on instinct, she reached for the gaping wound and willed it to heal. A glow surrounded her hands as the fire of her essence coursed through her, and the severed flesh began to knit, slowing the bleeding to a trickle. The werewolf took a step backwards, a look of utter astonishment on its face.

It never saw Minsc rush up and bring his sword down on its neck.

Struggling to stand, Ember watched with relief as her enemy crumpled to the ground, all but cut in two. She let herself fall to her knees and began to cast healing spells, short ones at first, then more complicated ones as she felt more able to focus; her injury had to be dealt with as quickly as possible. Minsc hovered over her as she worked, distraught at the idea that he might lose yet another witch. "I'll be fine," she muttered to him, and started a longer healing spell -

"What have we done?!" Anomen cried, his voice ringing with horror and despair.

Startled, Ember looked up, and saw.

Four bodies lay on the ground around them, but it was not the bodies of werewolves. The armoured figures that she and her friends had just dispatched now held human forms; the forms of two squires and two knights of Anomen's Order. The one who had almost killed Ember stared up at the sky with pale blue eyes that had already taken on the dull, glassy look of death. His helmet had fallen off, leaving his face in plain view, and easily recognizable.

Ember's mind seemed to fill with muffled silence; she blocked out the sound of Minsc's hysterical screaming, watched without seeing as Mazzy pulled a stunned Anomen to the side of one of the fallen, and paid no heed to Edwin and Yoshimo's confused, angry denials of what had just happened.

It could not be denied, and it could not be undone.

They had killed Ajantis.

---

One moment, they had been werewolves. The next moment, they had been men.

As devastating as the sight that greeted the party when the illusion fell had been - for it was indeed an illusion, and not true lycanthropy - Mazzy took some small comfort in the fact that one of the knights had survived. The man, a paladin named Sir Cadril, was brought back from the brink of death through Anomen's healing spells. He and his troupe, he told the group, had been hunting orcs for Lord Firkraag, and had indeed thought themselves to be fighting a pack of orcs!

As Anomen put it, a most foul ruse had been played upon them all, and it had cost three worthy men their lives. There was only one course of action: Lord Firkraag must be questioned, and if he was the one responsible for the fatal illusion, he must be brought to justice. The honour of the deceased knights and that of the living demanded no less!

She did not know where they might find Lord Firkraag, and her companions had wounds, both emotional and physical, which needed attending, but Sir Cadril proved himself able to help with both those problems. He directed them to the home of Garren Windspear, who was once the baron of the region but now lived in a humble cabin with his young son and two servants. The erstwhile baron had aided the knights in their orc hunt, and when the group of beaten and bloodied adventurers arrived on his doorstep, he welcomed them all into his home. In no time, he and his servants provided a hot meal, clean water and bandages, and readied a large room for them all to sleep in. He instructed them all to rest; in the morning, he said, he would tell them all that he knew of Lord Jierdan Firkraag.

Mazzy glanced around the room. Sir Cadril was already asleep, and mercifully, so was Minsc; the giant ranger had all but lost his senses upon seeing that he had unwittingly killed a friend, and knowing that he had saved his charge's life in doing so was not much of a consolation. Ember sat on a bedroll, trying to mend the large tear in her armour, but Mazzy could tell it'd need the touch of an expert leatherworker to restore it to full quality. The girl herself looked a little feverish - not that that wasn't to be expected after an injury to the bowels - and her face was streaked with tears, but she said very little. Anomen sat beside her. He had said much earlier, lamenting the loss of his brothers-in-arms, bemoaning the stain on their honour, and cursing whomever was responsible, but now he was as quiet as Ember. Edwin... Mazzy sighed quietly. At first, the wizard had been very insulted that anyone would dare trick him in such a fashion, but by now he was absorbed in his research, just as he was every night. He did not appear to be significantly affected by the death of a former travelmate, she noted with no little displeasure.

Yoshimo stood by the window and looked out into the darkness. He held a small dagger in his hand, and absentmindedly fiddled with it.

"Do you see anything?" she asked.

"No," he replied. "But Yoshimo will not be caught off guard again." Mazzy nodded in understanding, and let him be.

Whatever their host could tell them in the morning, she sincerely hoped it would be useful.

#2 Guest_AlphaMonkey_*

Posted 25 May 2008 - 06:02 PM

On the exposed hilltops, grasses were already yellowing, the life bleached out of them by the summer sun.


Looks like my Mom's lawn when she went out and bought Weed & Grass killer instead of just Weed killer. ;)

The giant and the halfling peppered the ankheg with arrows; some deflected harmlessly off chitin plates, while others struck vulnerable flesh in between the segments of armour. Hissing with fury, the creature spat globs of acidic fluid in the direction of Minsc and Mazzy, but they were out of its reach; its acid spattered a patch of gravel a few feet in front of them.


Harlequin: "Man, I'm sure firing pointy things at other things is marginally effective, but explosive ordnance makes things so much easier."

Raven: "Yeah, but they're planning on salvaging the shell. Blowing it to pieces would probably defeat the purpose."

Harlequin: "Yeah, yeah."

and attacked her with a methodical relentlessness that she'd never have expected from a creature that she'd always heard described as volatile and ferocious.


No, but it's exactly what you'd expect from a highly trained and heavily drilled knight.

At first, the wizard had been very insulted that anyone would dare trick him in such a fashion, but by now he was absorbed in his research, just as he was every night. He did not appear to be significantly affected by the death of a former travelmate, she noted with no little displeasure.


Raven: "Which is fine with me. When he goes KIA, I won't even have to fill out the paperwork."

#3 Guest_Futurist_*

Posted 26 May 2008 - 06:39 AM

The werewolves had, of course, not been gracious enough to leave any obvious signs of their activities. There was no trace of them in the area where Ember, Minsc and Yoshimo had first encountered them, and even though the group did find the occasional pile of gnawed, sun-bleached bones, it was impossible to tell exactly what had been gnawing on the bones. They came across the remnants of campfires far more often than anything that could possibly be linked to werewolves, and when they did follow a trail in the afternoon of the second day of the hunt, it was not a trail that they expected to lead them to the creatures.


Not much luck to begin with then eh? Nice scenes BTW.

"Well done, friends!" Mazzy cried, and Minsc roared with glee. The fight had gone exceedingly well; none of the group had been harmed, and most of the ankheg's hide was intact. There would be more than enough plates to make a decent set of armour, even for someone as large as Minsc. The blacksmith in Trademeet will certainly be able to assemble it, Ember mused, and we're more likely to get a good price from him than from anyone else in Amn.


And those bugs where such a pain in BG 1...



Four figures were approaching. They wore a mixture of chainmail and plate, and had drawn swords in their hands; two of them also held shields. They ran towards Ember and her companions in an odd, loping gait, and long tufts of fur surrounded their elongated snouts.

"Helm's beard," Anomen gasped. His mouth fell open in surprise.

"Werewolves... in armour?" Mazzy said, sounding as confused as Ember felt at the strange sight.


Oho... That would be the knights then...

"Beasts!" one of the werewolves snarled. "Curs! Your terror ends here!"

"It is you who are the terror!" Minsc shouted. "Be afraid, evil, for justice has come for you!"

"Brave words from one so foul!" another werewolf laughed. "Have at you!"


Too bad nobody there grasps the "OMG we both speak like humans" thing...

The strange, armed werewolves fell upon the group. Ember found herself in a duel with one of the shieldbearers, and to begin with, she seemed to have the upper hand; she even landed a few blows across the werewolf's shoulders. Then, the creature seemed to somehow adjust to her fighting style, and in the span of a few moments, Ember went from attacking to fighting for her life. The werewolf was far more skilled with a blade than she ever had been - at least now she could see why these werewolves would want to use swords, she thought frantically as she narrowly deflected a high, quick jab that would have skewered her chest - and attacked her with a methodical relentlessness that she'd never have expected from a creature that she'd always heard described as volatile and ferocious. It almost felt like fighting in a nightmare; nothing added up!


Although armed werewolves is a cool idea. Not for Ember right now but in general.

Four bodies lay on the ground around them, but it was not the bodies of werewolves. The armoured figures that she and her friends had just dispatched now held human forms; the forms of two squires and two knights of Anomen's Order. The one who had almost killed Ember stared up at the sky with pale blue eyes that had already taken on the dull, glassy look of death. His helmet had fallen off, leaving his face in plain view, and easily recognizable.

Ember's mind seemed to fill with muffled silence; she blocked out the sound of Minsc's hysterical screaming, watched without seeing as Mazzy pulled a stunned Anomen to the side of one of the fallen, and paid no heed to Edwin and Yoshimo's confused, angry denials of what had just happened.

It could not be denied, and it could not be undone.

They had killed Ajantis.


Ouch... That has to be quite a shock...



As devastating as the sight that greeted the party when the illusion fell had been - for it was indeed an illusion, and not true lycanthropy - Mazzy took some small comfort in the fact that one of the knights had survived. The man, a paladin named Sir Cadril, was brought back from the brink of death through Anomen's healing spells. He and his troupe, he told the group, had been hunting orcs for Lord Firkraag, and had indeed thought themselves to be fighting a pack of orcs!

As Anomen put it, a most foul ruse had been played upon them all, and it had cost three worthy men their lives. There was only one course of action: Lord Firkraag must be questioned, and if he was the one responsible for the fatal illusion, he must be brought to justice. The honour of the deceased knights and that of the living demanded no less!


So one of them lived. That is good atleast.


Yoshimo stood by the window and looked out into the darkness. He held a small dagger in his hand, and absentmindedly fiddled with it.

"Do you see anything?" she asked.

"No," he replied. "But Yoshimo will not be caught off guard again." Mazzy nodded in understanding, and let him be.

Whatever their host could tell them in the morning, she sincerely hoped it would be useful.


Well, it leads to a dungeon filled with orcs and more orcs and a dragon

#4 Guest_Theodur_*

Posted 30 May 2008 - 08:17 AM

Without a word, Mazzy and Minsc trained their bows on the moving end of the soil bulge. The creature beneath it had noticed the group by now, and started to pick up speed as it burrowed through the dry, dusty ground, heading straight towards them. A few heartbeats later, the ankheg burst through the surface of the soil in a shower of dust and gravel, right in front of Ember and Yoshimo. Large green mandibles snapped at them, first at Yoshimo and then at Ember, but both of them dodged smoothly out of the creature's way, providing an opening for the group's two archers. The giant and the halfling peppered the ankheg with arrows; some deflected harmlessly off chitin plates, while others struck vulnerable flesh in between the segments of armour. Hissing with fury, the creature spat globs of acidic fluid in the direction of Minsc and Mazzy, but they were out of its reach; its acid spattered a patch of gravel a few feet in front of them.


Not sure I ever bothered to make ankheg armor in BG2. Was kind of silly to run into them in Windspear anyway, I mean, not much actual soil there, must be hard to burrow in a rock really…

"Helm's beard," Anomen gasped. His mouth fell open in surprise.


"Werewolves... in armour?" Mazzy said, sounding as confused as Ember felt at the strange sight.


Well, they’re obviously smart werewolves. ;)

"Beasts!" one of the werewolves snarled. "Curs! Your terror ends here!"


"It is you who are the terror!" Minsc shouted. "Be afraid, evil, for justice has come for you!"


"Brave words from one so foul!" another werewolf laughed. "Have at you!"


‘Have at thee!’ you mean. ;)

Ember and the werewolf danced around each other for what felt like ages, the creature blocking her at every turn, and continually forcing her to draw back with well-aimed jabs and slashes. One of the other werewolves fell to the ground with a gaping hole in its chest; Ember's opponent howled with rage, and lunged at her. She raised her shield to block the vicious blow, but met only air; with a quick twist, the werewolf had turned the strike into a feint, and the attack landed far lower on her body. Her left side exploded in agony as the werewolf's blade slashed through her armour, across her ribs, and into the softer tissues of her belly.


Yikes, that looks painful. :)

Four bodies lay on the ground around them, but it was not the bodies of werewolves. The armoured figures that she and her friends had just dispatched now held human forms; the forms of two squires and two knights of Anomen's Order. The one who had almost killed Ember stared up at the sky with pale blue eyes that had already taken on the dull, glassy look of death. His helmet had fallen off, leaving his face in plain view, and easily recognizable.


And she actually liked the silly paladin, didn’t she. This will hurt then. :)

As devastating as the sight that greeted the party when the illusion fell had been - for it was indeed an illusion, and not true lycanthropy - Mazzy took some small comfort in the fact that one of the knights had survived. The man, a paladin named Sir Cadril, was brought back from the brink of death through Anomen's healing spells. He and his troupe, he told the group, had been hunting orcs for Lord Firkraag, and had indeed thought themselves to be fighting a pack of orcs!


Well, at least they won’t have to fear the repercussions from the Order… good for them, but I think it might have brought in some more interesting tension in the tale.

Edwin... Mazzy sighed quietly. At first, the wizard had been very insulted that anyone would dare trick him in such a fashion, but by now he was absorbed in his research, just as he was every night. He did not appear to be significantly affected by the death of a former travelmate, she noted with no little displeasure.


Yes Mazzy, it was very likely that Edwin would be shedding bitter tears about the death of Ajantis, how wonderfully naïve.

"No," he replied. "But Yoshimo will not be caught off guard again." Mazzy nodded in understanding, and let him be.


Whatever their host could tell them in the morning, she sincerely hoped it would be useful.


Well, if you’d be a ‘real’ paladin, I’m sure your dragon-nearby senses would be tingling by now. :)

#5 Guest_Ananke_*

Posted 31 May 2008 - 05:09 PM

The werewolves had, of course, not been gracious enough to leave any obvious signs of their activities. There was no trace of them in the area where Ember, Minsc and Yoshimo had first encountered them, and even though the group did find the occasional pile of gnawed, sun-bleached bones, it was impossible to tell exactly what had been gnawing on the bones. They came across the remnants of campfires far more often than anything that could possibly be linked to werewolves, and when they did follow a trail in the afternoon of the second day of the hunt, it was not a trail that they expected to lead them to the creatures.

Dang. They only turn up when they aren't wanted. ;)

The giant and the halfling peppered the ankheg with arrows; some deflected harmlessly off chitin plates, while others struck vulnerable flesh in between the segments of armour. Hissing with fury, the creature spat globs of acidic fluid in the direction of Minsc and Mazzy, but they were out of its reach; its acid spattered a patch of gravel a few feet in front of them.

Did they fight ankhegs before? I forgot.

Also, maybe, just maybe, the ankheg ate the werewolves?

It did not notice Anomen as he approached from behind; completely ignored by the creature, the cleric raised his war hammer and brought it down on the ankheg's skull. There was a loud crack, and its writhing body went limp.

Er. Not to get too technical, but... head. Not skull. Exoskeleton. :)

and we're more likely to get a good price from him than from anyone else in Amn.

I dunno. Someone had to go and put an end to the whole 'iron shortage'...

"Werewolves... in armour?" Mazzy said, sounding as confused as Ember felt at the strange sight.


Sheesh, Mazzy. You're too suspicious. If they can wear clothes, then why not armour?

"Brave words from one so foul!" another werewolf laughed. "Have at you!"

...on the other hand, they certainly do speak strangely... :ponders:

Four bodies lay on the ground around them, but it was not the bodies of werewolves. The armoured figures that she and her friends had just dispatched now held human forms; the forms of two squires and two knights of Anomen's Order. The one who had almost killed Ember stared up at the sky with pale blue eyes that had already taken on the dull, glassy look of death. His helmet had fallen off, leaving his face in plain view, and easily recognizable.

Oh.

Ember's mind seemed to fill with muffled silence; she blocked out the sound of Minsc's hysterical screaming, watched without seeing as Mazzy pulled a stunned Anomen to the side of one of the fallen, and paid no heed to Edwin and Yoshimo's confused, angry denials of what had just happened.

She certainly does seem to notice much for someone who blocks out it all... :)

It could not be denied, and it could not be undone.

They had killed Ajantis.

Enough jokes, though. Firkraag. ;)

Mazzy glanced around the room. [...] At first, the wizard had been very insulted that anyone would dare trick him in such a fashion, but by now he was absorbed in his research, just as he was every night. He did not appear to be significantly affected by the death of a former travelmate, she noted with no little displeasure.

This is odd, these long descriptions... a departure from your usual style? Or maybe it's my perception that has changed. :/

Yoshimo stood by the window and looked out into the darkness. He held a small dagger in his hand, and absentmindedly fiddled with it.

"Do you see anything?" she asked.

"No," he replied. "But Yoshimo will not be caught off guard again." Mazzy nodded in understanding, and let him be.

Whatever their host could tell them in the morning, she sincerely hoped it would be useful.

And I love this end. It feels like fiction, not fan-fiction, so... real. Life-like!

#6 Laufey

Posted 04 June 2008 - 02:37 AM

"It is on the move," Yoshimo murmured, his attention fixed on a small mound of dirt and rubble near the bank of a dried-up stream. The freshly disturbed soil, still collapsing back into the ground, might not get them any closer to their primary prey, but it did promise a welcome diversion from the fruitless hunt, and, with any luck, the possibility of getting Minsc a decent set of armour.


The ankheg armor was really top of the line in BG1, but in BG2 I don't think I made it, so many other options around.


Four figures were approaching. They wore a mixture of chainmail and plate, and had drawn swords in their hands; two of them also held shields. They ran towards Ember and her companions in an odd, loping gait, and long tufts of fur surrounded their elongated snouts.


Doggies!


"It is you who are the terror!" Minsc shouted. "Be afraid, evil, for justice has come for you!"


"Brave words from one so foul!" another werewolf laughed. "Have at you!"


Sense Motive check...fail. Diplomacy check...fail.


Ember and the werewolf danced around each other for what felt like ages, the creature blocking her at every turn, and continually forcing her to draw back with well-aimed jabs and slashes. One of the other werewolves fell to the ground with a gaping hole in its chest; Ember's opponent howled with rage, and lunged at her. She raised her shield to block the vicious blow, but met only air; with a quick twist, the werewolf had turned the strike into a feint, and the attack landed far lower on her body. Her left side exploded in agony as the werewolf's blade slashed through her armour, across her ribs, and into the softer tissues of her belly.


Yeeeeooouch.


"What have we done?!" Anomen cried, his voice ringing with horror and despair.


Ah yes, poor Ano. :) I always felt very sorry for especially him and Keldorn in this situation.


It could not be denied, and it could not be undone.


They had killed Ajantis.


You bastards! Eh, sorry. ;)


Mazzy glanced around the room. Sir Cadril was already asleep, and mercifully, so was Minsc; the giant ranger had all but lost his senses upon seeing that he had unwittingly killed a friend, and knowing that he had saved his charge's life in doing so was not much of a consolation. Ember sat on a bedroll, trying to mend the large tear in her armour, but Mazzy could tell it'd need the touch of an expert leatherworker to restore it to full quality. The girl herself looked a little feverish - not that that wasn't to be expected after an injury to the bowels - and her face was streaked with tears, but she said very little. Anomen sat beside her. He had said much earlier, lamenting the loss of his brothers-in-arms, bemoaning the stain on their honour, and cursing whomever was responsible, but now he was as quiet as Ember. Edwin... Mazzy sighed quietly. At first, the wizard had been very insulted that anyone would dare trick him in such a fashion, but by now he was absorbed in his research, just as he was every night. He did not appear to be significantly affected by the death of a former travelmate, she noted with no little displeasure.


Heh, if Edwin had been broken up over killing a paladin I'd worry over his sanity for real. ;) Poor, poor Ano though.
Rogues do it from behind.

#7 Guest_VigaHrolf_*

Posted 04 June 2008 - 09:12 PM

The Windspear Hills in summer were not much different from how they had been in late spring. The ground was decorated with tiny summer blossoms, too short-stemmed to be torn apart by the winds that had given the district its name, and wild strawberries were ripening in some of the more sheltered spots. On the exposed hilltops, grasses were already yellowing, the life bleached out of them by the summer sun. Several of the smaller creeks had dried up, not to return until the autumn rains replenished their sources, but a few larger streams, fed by snow melting in faraway mountains, still held water; clusters of wildflowers lined their banks. The sun burned down from a perfectly clear sky, and if not for the near-constant breezes, heat and lack of shelter would have made travelling in the rocky hills unbearable instead of merely unpleasant.


Once again Cel, I'm just flat out impressed with your nature descriptions. They are just so -vivid-.

"It is on the move," Yoshimo murmured, his attention fixed on a small mound of dirt and rubble near the bank of a dried-up stream. The freshly disturbed soil, still collapsing back into the ground, might not get them any closer to their primary prey, but it did promise a welcome diversion from the fruitless hunt, and, with any luck, the possibility of getting Minsc a decent set of armour.


Bleech. Ankhegs.

Edwin spoke. A set of carefully aimed magic missiles struck the akheg's left side, shattering at least one limb. Another volley struck its jaw, breaking the creature's main weapon. Hissing and gargling, the ankheg tried to spit through its broken mouth; it twisted and turned as if trying to face all its attackers at once. It did not notice Anomen as he approached from behind; completely ignored by the creature, the cleric raised his war hammer and brought it down on the ankheg's skull. There was a loud crack, and its writhing body went limp.


Ankheg brain go splat!

Aleria: "While they are animals and thus have some rudementary intelligence, they often seem..."

Imoen: "Retarded?"

Aleria: "While not the word I was thinking of, it works."

"Werewolves... in armour?" Mazzy said, sounding as confused as Ember felt at the strange sight.


Werewolves of London!

saw a werewolf drinking a pina colada at Trader Vic's,
And his hair was perfect.
Ahhwooooo... Werewolves of London, Huh! Draw blood!
Ahhwooooo... Werewolves of London...!

Sorry... but Mazzy's exclamation just makes me think of the song.

"Beasts!" one of the werewolves snarled. "Curs! Your terror ends here!"


Strange... clear talking werewolves...

"It is you who are the terror!" Minsc shouted. "Be afraid, evil, for justice has come for you!"

"Brave words from one so foul!" another werewolf laughed. "Have at you!"


Have at you? Hmm. Yeah. These must be Werewolves from London. ;)

The strange, armed werewolves fell upon the group. Ember found herself in a duel with one of the shieldbearers, and to begin with, she seemed to have the upper hand; she even landed a few blows across the werewolf's shoulders. Then, the creature seemed to somehow adjust to her fighting style, and in the span of a few moments, Ember went from attacking to fighting for her life. The werewolf was far more skilled with a blade than she ever had been - at least now she could see why these werewolves would want to use swords, she thought frantically as she narrowly deflected a high, quick jab that would have skewered her chest - and attacked her with a methodical relentlessness that she'd never have expected from a creature that she'd always heard described as volatile and ferocious. It almost felt like fighting in a nightmare; nothing added up!


Aleria: "Unfortunately... it does not. The sums have been... foully altered. Twisted by the darkness of Firkraag."

Ember and the werewolf danced around each other for what felt like ages, the creature blocking her at every turn, and continually forcing her to draw back with well-aimed jabs and slashes. One of the other werewolves fell to the ground with a gaping hole in its chest; Ember's opponent howled with rage, and lunged at her. She raised her shield to block the vicious blow, but met only air; with a quick twist, the werewolf had turned the strike into a feint, and the attack landed far lower on her body. Her left side exploded in agony as the werewolf's blade slashed through her armour, across her ribs, and into the softer tissues of her belly.


Aleria: *grimaces* "This one is skilled. But aid will come swiftly."

Deep. Blood. Too much blood...

Acting on instinct, she reached for the gaping wound and willed it to heal. A glow surrounded her hands as the fire of her essence coursed through her, and the severed flesh began to knit, slowing the bleeding to a trickle. The werewolf took a step backwards, a look of utter astonishment on its face.


Her taking the time to heal... stuns.

It never saw Minsc rush up and bring his sword down on its neck.


And Minsc fells him for assaulting his witch.

Struggling to stand, Ember watched with relief as her enemy crumpled to the ground, all but cut in two. She let herself fall to her knees and began to cast healing spells, short ones at first, then more complicated ones as she felt more able to focus; her injury had to be dealt with as quickly as possible. Minsc hovered over her as she worked, distraught at the idea that he might lose yet another witch. "I'll be fine," she muttered to him, and started a longer healing spell -


That's an interesting thought... that the slighter healing spells might be need to stabilize before hitting things with the Heal.

"What have we done?!" Anomen cried, his voice ringing with horror and despair.


Aleria: *grimaces sadly* "A horror, my friend. A horror. And for it, I grieve with you."

Startled, Ember looked up, and saw.

Four bodies lay on the ground around them, but it was not the bodies of werewolves. The armoured figures that she and her friends had just dispatched now held human forms; the forms of two squires and two knights of Anomen's Order. The one who had almost killed Ember stared up at the sky with pale blue eyes that had already taken on the dull, glassy look of death. His helmet had fallen off, leaving his face in plain view, and easily recognizable.


She... had been fighting Ajantis.

Oh... that's just mean. :)

Ember's mind seemed to fill with muffled silence; she blocked out the sound of Minsc's hysterical screaming, watched without seeing as Mazzy pulled a stunned Anomen to the side of one of the fallen, and paid no heed to Edwin and Yoshimo's confused, angry denials of what had just happened.

It could not be denied, and it could not be undone.

They had killed Ajantis.


Poor Ember...

As devastating as the sight that greeted the party when the illusion fell had been - for it was indeed an illusion, and not true lycanthropy - Mazzy took some small comfort in the fact that one of the knights had survived. The man, a paladin named Sir Cadril, was brought back from the brink of death through Anomen's healing spells. He and his troupe, he told the group, had been hunting orcs for Lord Firkraag, and had indeed thought themselves to be fighting a pack of orcs!

As Anomen put it, a most foul ruse had been played upon them all, and it had cost three worthy men their lives. There was only one course of action: Lord Firkraag must be questioned, and if he was the one responsible for the fatal illusion, he must be brought to justice. The honour of the deceased knights and that of the living demanded no less!


That will be a very interesting and unfortunate interview.

And at least one lives to corroborate their story.

Mazzy glanced around the room. Sir Cadril was already asleep, and mercifully, so was Minsc; the giant ranger had all but lost his senses upon seeing that he had unwittingly killed a friend, and knowing that he had saved his charge's life in doing so was not much of a consolation. Ember sat on a bedroll, trying to mend the large tear in her armour, but Mazzy could tell it'd need the touch of an expert leatherworker to restore it to full quality. The girl herself looked a little feverish - not that that wasn't to be expected after an injury to the bowels - and her face was streaked with tears, but she said very little. Anomen sat beside her. He had said much earlier, lamenting the loss of his brothers-in-arms, bemoaning the stain on their honour, and cursing whomever was responsible, but now he was as quiet as Ember. Edwin... Mazzy sighed quietly. At first, the wizard had been very insulted that anyone would dare trick him in such a fashion, but by now he was absorbed in his research, just as he was every night. He did not appear to be significantly affected by the death of a former travelmate, she noted with no little displeasure.


Touching scene... so sad and so... right. And poor, poor Minsc. Not even Boo will be able to help.

Yoshimo stood by the window and looked out into the darkness. He held a small dagger in his hand, and absentmindedly fiddled with it.

"Do you see anything?" she asked.

"No," he replied. "But Yoshimo will not be caught off guard again." Mazzy nodded in understanding, and let him be.


Good line from Yoshimo. ;)

Whatever their host could tell them in the morning, she sincerely hoped it would be useful.


It's a doozy. And then there's the real truth. Which is bigger, nastier and breathes fire. Of course, it also makes for some very nice armor. Aleria quite likes her dragonscale. Very stylish.

A great and powerful chapter Cel. You handled that scene excellently.

VH

#8 Guest_Cel_*

Posted 13 June 2008 - 12:58 PM

Let me tell you, going back to school after three years is hard, especially when it's for an intensive course. (And I get to do it again in september and november, but then only for two weeks)

On the exposed hilltops, grasses were already yellowing, the life bleached out of them by the summer sun.


Looks like my Mom's lawn when she went out and bought Weed & Grass killer instead of just Weed killer. ;)


What I had in mind was the drier parts of Inland Northwest USA.

The giant and the halfling peppered the ankheg with arrows; some deflected harmlessly off chitin plates, while others struck vulnerable flesh in between the segments of armour. Hissing with fury, the creature spat globs of acidic fluid in the direction of Minsc and Mazzy, but they were out of its reach; its acid spattered a patch of gravel a few feet in front of them.


Harlequin: "Man, I'm sure firing pointy things at other things is marginally effective, but explosive ordnance makes things so much easier."

Raven: "Yeah, but they're planning on salvaging the shell. Blowing it to pieces would probably defeat the purpose."

Harlequin: "Yeah, yeah."


Besides, the group isn't made of newbies anymore :)

and attacked her with a methodical relentlessness that she'd never have expected from a creature that she'd always heard described as volatile and ferocious.


No, but it's exactly what you'd expect from a highly trained and heavily drilled knight.


Yep.

At first, the wizard had been very insulted that anyone would dare trick him in such a fashion, but by now he was absorbed in his research, just as he was every night. He did not appear to be significantly affected by the death of a former travelmate, she noted with no little displeasure.


Raven: "Which is fine with me. When he goes KIA, I won't even have to fill out the paperwork."


Edwin: *too absorbed in Nether scroll to notice slight of his own brilliant self*

#9 Guest_Cel_*

Posted 13 June 2008 - 01:01 PM


The werewolves had, of course, not been gracious enough to leave any obvious signs of their activities. There was no trace of them in the area where Ember, Minsc and Yoshimo had first encountered them, and even though the group did find the occasional pile of gnawed, sun-bleached bones, it was impossible to tell exactly what had been gnawing on the bones. They came across the remnants of campfires far more often than anything that could possibly be linked to werewolves, and when they did follow a trail in the afternoon of the second day of the hunt, it was not a trail that they expected to lead them to the creatures.


Not much luck to begin with then eh? Nice scenes BTW.


Thanks!


"Well done, friends!" Mazzy cried, and Minsc roared with glee. The fight had gone exceedingly well; none of the group had been harmed, and most of the ankheg's hide was intact. There would be more than enough plates to make a decent set of armour, even for someone as large as Minsc. The blacksmith in Trademeet will certainly be able to assemble it, Ember mused, and we're more likely to get a good price from him than from anyone else in Amn.


And those bugs where such a pain in BG 1...


Yeah. Come BG2 and you can kill them without much of a thought. I think that's the thing where I most notice how the characters develop, powerwise.


Four figures were approaching. They wore a mixture of chainmail and plate, and had drawn swords in their hands; two of them also held shields. They ran towards Ember and her companions in an odd, loping gait, and long tufts of fur surrounded their elongated snouts.

"Helm's beard," Anomen gasped. His mouth fell open in surprise.

"Werewolves... in armour?" Mazzy said, sounding as confused as Ember felt at the strange sight.


Oho... That would be the knights then...


Yeah. I couldn't come up with a good way to make their weapons and armour disappear, so this was my solution ;)


"Beasts!" one of the werewolves snarled. "Curs! Your terror ends here!"

"It is you who are the terror!" Minsc shouted. "Be afraid, evil, for justice has come for you!"

"Brave words from one so foul!" another werewolf laughed. "Have at you!"


Too bad nobody there grasps the "OMG we both speak like humans" thing...


Well, they do know that werewolves can talk, in their human form at least :)


It could not be denied, and it could not be undone.

They had killed Ajantis.


Ouch... That has to be quite a shock...


Oh yeah.

I haven't decided yet how much angst will result.


As Anomen put it, a most foul ruse had been played upon them all, and it had cost three worthy men their lives. There was only one course of action: Lord Firkraag must be questioned, and if he was the one responsible for the fatal illusion, he must be brought to justice. The honour of the deceased knights and that of the living demanded no less!


So one of them lived. That is good atleast.


I am slightly kind.

#10 Guest_Cel_*

Posted 13 June 2008 - 01:06 PM

Without a word, Mazzy and Minsc trained their bows on the moving end of the soil bulge. The creature beneath it had noticed the group by now, and started to pick up speed as it burrowed through the dry, dusty ground, heading straight towards them. A few heartbeats later, the ankheg burst through the surface of the soil in a shower of dust and gravel, right in front of Ember and Yoshimo. Large green mandibles snapped at them, first at Yoshimo and then at Ember, but both of them dodged smoothly out of the creature's way, providing an opening for the group's two archers. The giant and the halfling peppered the ankheg with arrows; some deflected harmlessly off chitin plates, while others struck vulnerable flesh in between the segments of armour. Hissing with fury, the creature spat globs of acidic fluid in the direction of Minsc and Mazzy, but they were out of its reach; its acid spattered a patch of gravel a few feet in front of them.


Not sure I ever bothered to make ankheg armor in BG2. Was kind of silly to run into them in Windspear anyway, I mean, not much actual soil there, must be hard to burrow in a rock really…


I imagine what soil there is is quite dry and loose.
And I'm trying to keep my group from being super rich immediately, and also trying to avoid one size fits all armour. But yeah, I think I only ever made the ankheg armour in BG2 once :)

"Helm's beard," Anomen gasped. His mouth fell open in surprise.

"Werewolves... in armour?" Mazzy said, sounding as confused as Ember felt at the strange sight.


Well, they’re obviously smart werewolves. ;)


Did you just call paladins smart? :)

Ember and the werewolf danced around each other for what felt like ages, the creature blocking her at every turn, and continually forcing her to draw back with well-aimed jabs and slashes. One of the other werewolves fell to the ground with a gaping hole in its chest; Ember's opponent howled with rage, and lunged at her. She raised her shield to block the vicious blow, but met only air; with a quick twist, the werewolf had turned the strike into a feint, and the attack landed far lower on her body. Her left side exploded in agony as the werewolf's blade slashed through her armour, across her ribs, and into the softer tissues of her belly.


Yikes, that looks painful. :)


Yep, very. It's the kind of cut where you'll have intestines spilling out if you're not very careful.

Four bodies lay on the ground around them, but it was not the bodies of werewolves. The armoured figures that she and her friends had just dispatched now held human forms; the forms of two squires and two knights of Anomen's Order. The one who had almost killed Ember stared up at the sky with pale blue eyes that had already taken on the dull, glassy look of death. His helmet had fallen off, leaving his face in plain view, and easily recognizable.


And she actually liked the silly paladin, didn’t she. This will hurt then. :)


Yes, and yes :)

As devastating as the sight that greeted the party when the illusion fell had been - for it was indeed an illusion, and not true lycanthropy - Mazzy took some small comfort in the fact that one of the knights had survived. The man, a paladin named Sir Cadril, was brought back from the brink of death through Anomen's healing spells. He and his troupe, he told the group, had been hunting orcs for Lord Firkraag, and had indeed thought themselves to be fighting a pack of orcs!


Well, at least they won’t have to fear the repercussions from the Order… good for them, but I think it might have brought in some more interesting tension in the tale.


I'm going to try for some alternative tension, and I never really liked the whole 'the Order will kill us!' angle.

Edwin... Mazzy sighed quietly. At first, the wizard had been very insulted that anyone would dare trick him in such a fashion, but by now he was absorbed in his research, just as he was every night. He did not appear to be significantly affected by the death of a former travelmate, she noted with no little displeasure.


Yes Mazzy, it was very likely that Edwin would be shedding bitter tears about the death of Ajantis, how wonderfully naïve.


You can't fault her for her disapproval, really.

Whatever their host could tell them in the morning, she sincerely hoped it would be useful.


Well, if you’d be a ‘real’ paladin, I’m sure your dragon-nearby senses would be tingling by now. ;)


I don't believe in handing out superpowers :)

#11 Guest_Cel_*

Posted 13 June 2008 - 01:12 PM

The werewolves had, of course, not been gracious enough to leave any obvious signs of their activities. There was no trace of them in the area where Ember, Minsc and Yoshimo had first encountered them, and even though the group did find the occasional pile of gnawed, sun-bleached bones, it was impossible to tell exactly what had been gnawing on the bones. They came across the remnants of campfires far more often than anything that could possibly be linked to werewolves, and when they did follow a trail in the afternoon of the second day of the hunt, it was not a trail that they expected to lead them to the creatures.

Dang. They only turn up when they aren't wanted. ;)


As most things do.

The giant and the halfling peppered the ankheg with arrows; some deflected harmlessly off chitin plates, while others struck vulnerable flesh in between the segments of armour. Hissing with fury, the creature spat globs of acidic fluid in the direction of Minsc and Mazzy, but they were out of its reach; its acid spattered a patch of gravel a few feet in front of them.

Did they fight ankhegs before? I forgot.


Long time ago, in BG1. I had both Minsc and Kivan in ankheg armour.

Also, maybe, just maybe, the ankheg ate the werewolves?


...No.

It did not notice Anomen as he approached from behind; completely ignored by the creature, the cleric raised his war hammer and brought it down on the ankheg's skull. There was a loud crack, and its writhing body went limp.

Er. Not to get too technical, but... head. Not skull. Exoskeleton. :)


Heh. I'll amend it :)

and we're more likely to get a good price from him than from anyone else in Amn.

I dunno. Someone had to go and put an end to the whole 'iron shortage'...


Except that nobody in Amn knows who that was.

"Werewolves... in armour?" Mazzy said, sounding as confused as Ember felt at the strange sight.


Sheesh, Mazzy. You're too suspicious. If they can wear clothes, then why not armour?


I think she's more baffled that they're wearing stuff in their wolfy form.

"Brave words from one so foul!" another werewolf laughed. "Have at you!"

...on the other hand, they certainly do speak strangely... :ponders:


Yes, quite strangely.

I decided that since half the group had been here and met werewolves before that it'd be boring and unrealistic to send them here and expect only orcs.

Four bodies lay on the ground around them, but it was not the bodies of werewolves. The armoured figures that she and her friends had just dispatched now held human forms; the forms of two squires and two knights of Anomen's Order. The one who had almost killed Ember stared up at the sky with pale blue eyes that had already taken on the dull, glassy look of death. His helmet had fallen off, leaving his face in plain view, and easily recognizable.

Oh.


Yep :)

Ember's mind seemed to fill with muffled silence; she blocked out the sound of Minsc's hysterical screaming, watched without seeing as Mazzy pulled a stunned Anomen to the side of one of the fallen, and paid no heed to Edwin and Yoshimo's confused, angry denials of what had just happened.

She certainly does seem to notice much for someone who blocks out it all... :)


Oh, hush :)

It could not be denied, and it could not be undone.

They had killed Ajantis.

Enough jokes, though. Firkraag. :)


Yep.

;)

Mazzy glanced around the room. [...] At first, the wizard had been very insulted that anyone would dare trick him in such a fashion, but by now he was absorbed in his research, just as he was every night. He did not appear to be significantly affected by the death of a former travelmate, she noted with no little displeasure.

This is odd, these long descriptions... a departure from your usual style? Or maybe it's my perception that has changed. :/


I don't remember, but this is the first time I've had a Mazzy point of view. To be honest, at this point I was just trying to get them to Garren's house in a timely fashion and get the chapter posted before I vanished for three weeks.

Yoshimo stood by the window and looked out into the darkness. He held a small dagger in his hand, and absentmindedly fiddled with it.

"Do you see anything?" she asked.

"No," he replied. "But Yoshimo will not be caught off guard again." Mazzy nodded in understanding, and let him be.

Whatever their host could tell them in the morning, she sincerely hoped it would be useful.

And I love this end. It feels like fiction, not fan-fiction, so... real. Life-like!


Thanks!

#12 Guest_Cel_*

Posted 13 June 2008 - 01:17 PM

[quote][quote]
"It is on the move," Yoshimo murmured, his attention fixed on a small mound of dirt and rubble near the bank of a dried-up stream. The freshly disturbed soil, still collapsing back into the ground, might not get them any closer to their primary prey, but it did promise a welcome diversion from the fruitless hunt, and, with any luck, the possibility of getting Minsc a decent set of armour.
[/quote]
[/quote]

The ankheg armor was really top of the line in BG1, but in BG2 I don't think I made it, so many other options around.
[/quote]

My group can't afford all the options at the moment, and Minsc won't fit into most of them.

[quote]
[quote]
Four figures were approaching. They wore a mixture of chainmail and plate, and had drawn swords in their hands; two of them also held shields. They ran towards Ember and her companions in an odd, loping gait, and long tufts of fur surrounded their elongated snouts.
[/quote]

Doggies!
[/quote]

Bad doggies!

[quote]
[quote]
Ember and the werewolf danced around each other for what felt like ages, the creature blocking her at every turn, and continually forcing her to draw back with well-aimed jabs and slashes. One of the other werewolves fell to the ground with a gaping hole in its chest; Ember's opponent howled with rage, and lunged at her. She raised her shield to block the vicious blow, but met only air; with a quick twist, the werewolf had turned the strike into a feint, and the attack landed far lower on her body. Her left side exploded in agony as the werewolf's blade slashed through her armour, across her ribs, and into the softer tissues of her belly.
[/quote]

Yeeeeooouch.
[/quote]

And just look what he did to her armour!

[quote]
[quote]
"What have we done?!" Anomen cried, his voice ringing with horror and despair.
[/quote]

Ah yes, poor Ano. :) I always felt very sorry for especially him and Keldorn in this situation.
[/quote]

Yeah :)

When I first patched my game, Anomen's string of dialogue vanished. Because of that, I started looking into fixes, discovered mods, and learned of this site on one of the mod sites :) (Oh, and I also figured out enough to make my own juryrigged patch to let both him and Garren talk)

[quote]
[quote]
It could not be denied, and it could not be undone.

They had killed Ajantis.
[/quote]

You bastards! Eh, sorry. :)
[/quote]

;)

[quote]
[quote]
Mazzy glanced around the room. Sir Cadril was already asleep, and mercifully, so was Minsc; the giant ranger had all but lost his senses upon seeing that he had unwittingly killed a friend, and knowing that he had saved his charge's life in doing so was not much of a consolation. Ember sat on a bedroll, trying to mend the large tear in her armour, but Mazzy could tell it'd need the touch of an expert leatherworker to restore it to full quality. The girl herself looked a little feverish - not that that wasn't to be expected after an injury to the bowels - and her face was streaked with tears, but she said very little. Anomen sat beside her. He had said much earlier, lamenting the loss of his brothers-in-arms, bemoaning the stain on their honour, and cursing whomever was responsible, but now he was as quiet as Ember. Edwin... Mazzy sighed quietly. At first, the wizard had been very insulted that anyone would dare trick him in such a fashion, but by now he was absorbed in his research, just as he was every night. He did not appear to be significantly affected by the death of a former travelmate, she noted with no little displeasure.
[/quote]

Heh, if Edwin had been broken up over killing a paladin I'd worry over his sanity for real. ;) Poor, poor Ano though.[/quote]

Ember and Minsc aren't too happy about it either :)

#13 Guest_Cel_*

Posted 13 June 2008 - 01:23 PM

[quote][quote]
The Windspear Hills in summer were not much different from how they had been in late spring. The ground was decorated with tiny summer blossoms, too short-stemmed to be torn apart by the winds that had given the district its name, and wild strawberries were ripening in some of the more sheltered spots. On the exposed hilltops, grasses were already yellowing, the life bleached out of them by the summer sun. Several of the smaller creeks had dried up, not to return until the autumn rains replenished their sources, but a few larger streams, fed by snow melting in faraway mountains, still held water; clusters of wildflowers lined their banks. The sun burned down from a perfectly clear sky, and if not for the near-constant breezes, heat and lack of shelter would have made travelling in the rocky hills unbearable instead of merely unpleasant.
[/quote]

Once again Cel, I'm just flat out impressed with your nature descriptions. They are just so -vivid-.
[/quote]

Thank you ;)

[quote]
[quote]
"It is on the move," Yoshimo murmured, his attention fixed on a small mound of dirt and rubble near the bank of a dried-up stream. The freshly disturbed soil, still collapsing back into the ground, might not get them any closer to their primary prey, but it did promise a welcome diversion from the fruitless hunt, and, with any luck, the possibility of getting Minsc a decent set of armour.
[/quote]

Bleech. Ankhegs.
[/quote]

Bleech: the sound they make when they spit acid.

[quote]
[quote]
Edwin spoke. A set of carefully aimed magic missiles struck the akheg's left side, shattering at least one limb. Another volley struck its jaw, breaking the creature's main weapon. Hissing and gargling, the ankheg tried to spit through its broken mouth; it twisted and turned as if trying to face all its attackers at once. It did not notice Anomen as he approached from behind; completely ignored by the creature, the cleric raised his war hammer and brought it down on the ankheg's skull. There was a loud crack, and its writhing body went limp.
[/quote]

Ankheg brain go splat!
[/quote]

And there was much rejoicing :)

[quote]
Aleria: "While they are animals and thus have some rudementary intelligence, they often seem..."

Imoen: "Retarded?"

Aleria: "While not the word I was thinking of, it works."
[/quote]

:)

[quote]
[quote]
"Werewolves... in armour?" Mazzy said, sounding as confused as Ember felt at the strange sight.
[/quote]

Werewolves of London!

saw a werewolf drinking a pina colada at Trader Vic's,
And his hair was perfect.
Ahhwooooo... Werewolves of London, Huh! Draw blood!
Ahhwooooo... Werewolves of London...!

Sorry... but Mazzy's exclamation just makes me think of the song.
[/quote]

I... think I am glad I have never heard it :)


[quote]
[quote]
The strange, armed werewolves fell upon the group. Ember found herself in a duel with one of the shieldbearers, and to begin with, she seemed to have the upper hand; she even landed a few blows across the werewolf's shoulders. Then, the creature seemed to somehow adjust to her fighting style, and in the span of a few moments, Ember went from attacking to fighting for her life. The werewolf was far more skilled with a blade than she ever had been - at least now she could see why these werewolves would want to use swords, she thought frantically as she narrowly deflected a high, quick jab that would have skewered her chest - and attacked her with a methodical relentlessness that she'd never have expected from a creature that she'd always heard described as volatile and ferocious. It almost felt like fighting in a nightmare; nothing added up!
[/quote]

Aleria: "Unfortunately... it does not. The sums have been... foully altered. Twisted by the darkness of Firkraag."
[/quote]

Ember: :)

[quote]
[quote]
Ember and the werewolf danced around each other for what felt like ages, the creature blocking her at every turn, and continually forcing her to draw back with well-aimed jabs and slashes. One of the other werewolves fell to the ground with a gaping hole in its chest; Ember's opponent howled with rage, and lunged at her. She raised her shield to block the vicious blow, but met only air; with a quick twist, the werewolf had turned the strike into a feint, and the attack landed far lower on her body. Her left side exploded in agony as the werewolf's blade slashed through her armour, across her ribs, and into the softer tissues of her belly.
[/quote]

Aleria: *grimaces* "This one is skilled. But aid will come swiftly."
[/quote]

Unfortunately, there is such a thing as too much aid.

[quote]
[quote]
Deep. Blood. Too much blood...

Acting on instinct, she reached for the gaping wound and willed it to heal. A glow surrounded her hands as the fire of her essence coursed through her, and the severed flesh began to knit, slowing the bleeding to a trickle. The werewolf took a step backwards, a look of utter astonishment on its face.
[/quote]

Her taking the time to heal... stuns.
[/quote]

Instantaneous Bhaalspawn healing, and if she should make a sudden twist, her insides will become her outsides.

[quote]
[quote]
It never saw Minsc rush up and bring his sword down on its neck.
[/quote]

And Minsc fells him for assaulting his witch.
[/quote]

And feels... well, you can imagine, afterwards.

[quote]
[quote]
Struggling to stand, Ember watched with relief as her enemy crumpled to the ground, all but cut in two. She let herself fall to her knees and began to cast healing spells, short ones at first, then more complicated ones as she felt more able to focus; her injury had to be dealt with as quickly as possible. Minsc hovered over her as she worked, distraught at the idea that he might lose yet another witch. "I'll be fine," she muttered to him, and started a longer healing spell -
[/quote]

That's an interesting thought... that the slighter healing spells might be need to stabilize before hitting things with the Heal.
[/quote]

There is no point in passing out in the middle of casting Heal, after all.


[quote]
[quote]
Startled, Ember looked up, and saw.

Four bodies lay on the ground around them, but it was not the bodies of werewolves. The armoured figures that she and her friends had just dispatched now held human forms; the forms of two squires and two knights of Anomen's Order. The one who had almost killed Ember stared up at the sky with pale blue eyes that had already taken on the dull, glassy look of death. His helmet had fallen off, leaving his face in plain view, and easily recognizable.
[/quote]

She... had been fighting Ajantis.

Oh... that's just mean. :)
[/quote]

Yes, I am.

[quote]
[quote]
Ember's mind seemed to fill with muffled silence; she blocked out the sound of Minsc's hysterical screaming, watched without seeing as Mazzy pulled a stunned Anomen to the side of one of the fallen, and paid no heed to Edwin and Yoshimo's confused, angry denials of what had just happened.

It could not be denied, and it could not be undone.

They had killed Ajantis.
[/quote]
[/quote]

Poor Ember...
[/quote]

Poor Minsc.

[quote]
[quote]
As Anomen put it, a most foul ruse had been played upon them all, and it had cost three worthy men their lives. There was only one course of action: Lord Firkraag must be questioned, and if he was the one responsible for the fatal illusion, he must be brought to justice. The honour of the deceased knights and that of the living demanded no less!
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That will be a very interesting and unfortunate interview.
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Unfortunately, Firkraag always tends to pull the 'roar I am a dragon' card to distract from the issue at hand.

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And at least one lives to corroborate their story.
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Yeah. I wanted some alteration from the norm, and also wanted my group to be a mite less badass, even four against six.

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[quote]
Mazzy glanced around the room. Sir Cadril was already asleep, and mercifully, so was Minsc; the giant ranger had all but lost his senses upon seeing that he had unwittingly killed a friend, and knowing that he had saved his charge's life in doing so was not much of a consolation. Ember sat on a bedroll, trying to mend the large tear in her armour, but Mazzy could tell it'd need the touch of an expert leatherworker to restore it to full quality. The girl herself looked a little feverish - not that that wasn't to be expected after an injury to the bowels - and her face was streaked with tears, but she said very little. Anomen sat beside her. He had said much earlier, lamenting the loss of his brothers-in-arms, bemoaning the stain on their honour, and cursing whomever was responsible, but now he was as quiet as Ember. Edwin... Mazzy sighed quietly. At first, the wizard had been very insulted that anyone would dare trick him in such a fashion, but by now he was absorbed in his research, just as he was every night. He did not appear to be significantly affected by the death of a former travelmate, she noted with no little displeasure.
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Touching scene... so sad and so... right. And poor, poor Minsc. Not even Boo will be able to help.
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I hope I can do him justice in dealing with it.

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[quote]
Yoshimo stood by the window and looked out into the darkness. He held a small dagger in his hand, and absentmindedly fiddled with it.

"Do you see anything?" she asked.

"No," he replied. "But Yoshimo will not be caught off guard again." Mazzy nodded in understanding, and let him be.
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Good line from Yoshimo. ;)
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Thanks, I made it myself :)

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Whatever their host could tell them in the morning, she sincerely hoped it would be useful.[/quote]

It's a doozy. And then there's the real truth. Which is bigger, nastier and breathes fire. Of course, it also makes for some very nice armor. Aleria quite likes her dragonscale. Very stylish.
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If only I could figure out a good way to get said dragonscale :)

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A great and powerful chapter Cel. You handled that scene excellently.
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Thanks!




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