Kongregate D&D - The Carpenter of Mistfront [Mephistopheles' Mirror Arc] page 5 (locked)

Volsung, Half-Elf Dragon Shaman

“Alright then, it is decided”, I say to my companions.

I turn to the priest: “Where does that portal lead anyways? I have never heard of this ‘Hellfire Lord’, so I doubt he has many followers. How can you expect to revive him with only five men in your group?”.

[Which reminds me: Should we designate a “face-man” to invest in bluff, gather information, and other such things?]
[Also, C_C has hinted at a possibility of the portal being destroyed; I think we should try to avoid that.]

[I have points in Bluff, so I’ll stick with that. I mean, I have a +8 in it, plus a +4 in Diplomacy]

.“Only five men? Lord Mephistopheles has hundreds of worshippers in the dark places across this realm… It’s just a matter of finding them. The portal will take you to what used to be a mighty hold for his followers… Before the fools of Heironius destroyed it.”

Volsung

I step towards the altar.

“We will continue through the portal”, I tell the priest. “…But first, we will dispose of you. You should have thought twice before getting someone else to do your dirty work, free of charge. Now, perish!”.

[Commence battle?]

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#.........P.........#
#...................#
#........===........#
#........===........#
#.........V.........#
#...*...*O.H*...*...#
#.........C.........#
#...................#
#.....C.......C.....#
#...................#
#...................#
#...................#
#...................#
##########-##########
#########...#########
#########...#########
#########...#########
#########...#########
#########...#########
#########---#########

Initiative Time:

V: 1
O: 3
H: 8
Priest: 2
Cultist 1: 8
Cultist 2: 8
Cultist 3: 1

Order: H, C1, C2, O, C3, P, V.

Harrion Karstark

I shout at the priest. “I’m not going to attack you or your priests, but I expect a return of rewards on my temporary loyalty and fro awakening your Devil.” And step through the portal.

[I like evil employers, much more fun than good ones.]

[Dammit, this is so awkward. What am I supposed to do now, run away? =/
I assumed the others were on board with killing the priest because they didn’t respond to

Originally posted by Nemoe:

Volsung

I say we kill him now.”

After a pause: “However, this…portal…sounds intriguing. We can get some more information before he loses his mind and we are forced to kill him.

Perhaps you should wait and see if he gives you a reward before you hop into the portal? I was hoping to be my own ‘employer’, you know, coming from an adventurer background. ]

[So you just assumed that I agree while I’m out and decide to attack him? Fine by me. Sure run or whatever. I don’t see the point in killing him, more trouble than it’s worth. (Just trying to stay in character, neutral.) Plus it could be dangerous.]

[I thought because you didn’t say something…
Also, I thought the priest made it clear that we were already fully paid and he wasn’t giving us any more. And Captain Catface referred to it as the “final boss fight”, so I doubt it’s something that is too hard because we’re not suppose to fight it…
Anyways, I’ll see what Nimbus decides to do and what the priest says, and take it from there.]

for those who serve the Lord of Hellfire are always greatly rewarded.

[I thought you meant you wanted something now. I was thinking we’d be able to do it alone. I guess I’m just playing my role too.]

[EDIT: I’d like to ask, can a dragon shaman change their totem dragon? Also, did we get EXP for killing the Carpenter?]

[Those who serve the Lord of Hellfire are always greatly rewarded. Those who kill those he rewards, are rather indirectly rewarded. And yes, you got XP for killing the carpenter. The priest and his companions are a ‘boss level’ encounter for you guys… But, if the battle goes badly, the portal could be cut off.]

[Alright, I need some way to circumnavigate this awkwardness. ocelot, quick, persuade me to not kill the priest! This is so cheesy…]

[…I could just DM-railroad it.]

[Sure, go ahead.]

Johann puts his hands on your shoulders, grinning widely. “Thank you! Thank you! You wont be disappointed with the power that our lord offers. Great riches await you, I promise!”

With that, he shoves you through the portal…

You arrive in a small dark room, roughly 10ft x 10ft x 10ft… The planks of black wood are laying near you, and the portal winks shut behind you… A small amount of flickering light comes from the cracks around a nearby door.

Volsung

“Where are we?”, I ask rhetorically. I am feeling a little dizzy. How many portals and ‘magic’ doors will I go through on this journey…
My first guess is that we are in a run-down shack in the middle of no-where.
“Well, we better pick up a few of these planks. They are an ingredient, after all.”, I pick up one plank, and (try to) open the nearby door.

[I’m going to start on an illustration of our characters, since I don’t have much else to do. Hope we’re somewhere interesting sometime soon.]

Harrion Karstark

I look around the room. “This is a hold? Looks more like a closet.” I open the door and stride through, looking around.

[You are somewhere interesting.]

As you exit the door, you find yourself in a long hallway… Many identical doors flank the sides. It seems to be some sort of storehouse. The hallway ends in one direction, and hits a 90 degree corner in the other direction.

Volsung

“That’s right, the priest said the portal would lead to one of the Hellfire Lord’s followers’ forts. There doesn’t seem to be anyone here…”
I check to see if the side doors are locked. If they are, I proceed down the hall and past the 90 degree corner.

Harrion Karstark

“Well we may as well search this place, but it’s doubtless that we wont get through all these rooms quickly.” I open the nearest door to the left and have a look inside.

All of the doors are locked… Suspiciously, even the one you just came from.

As you proceed around the corner, you find yourself at the base of a staircase. You climb up five flights (There being another identical hallway at the top of each one) before reaching the top. At you exit the stairwell, you find yourself in a massive throneroom; obviously proportioned for something far larger than a human. Elegant statues and artwork hang on the walls; and the floor itself seems to be inlaid with intricate lines of ruby. This room also seems largely devoid of life… Though you hear the sounds of combat and the discharge of spells coming from the massive set of double-doors opposite the throne.

Harrion Karstark

After trying all of the doorknobs (and even forced entry) to no avail, I move up the stairs after Volsung.

Volsung

“Now I’m really interested in where we are”, I say with amazement. “You might just get your reward after all, Harrion”.
As I start walking towards the throne, I hear the sounds of fighting coming from the adjacent room.
I turn around with alarm. “That can’t be good”.
I rush towards the doors and with a powerful push, fling them wide open.

Harrion Karstark

I also rush to the aide of whoever looks wealthiest / evilest, whichever takes precidence when I get them.