Wolfen gazed across the causeway towards the distant ruins of Travincal, Fast, Fang and Fluffy curled at his feet. "There it is Amplisa, our final goal."
"It looks deserted." answered the loyal rogue.
"This whole place has looked deserted," Wolfen gazed back at the pile of zealot corpses behind him "but it wasn't. Let's move forward and see what we see. Fast! Fang! Fluffy! Up! Scout!" With a gesture the druid sent the dire wolves forward towards the walled ruin. Already he could see his raven companions circling over something on the causeway.
Abruptly a horde of doom apes boiled out of a temple to the right of the causeway. "Attack!" shouted Wolfen, setting the wolves on the apes. As the wolves chewed through the apes, a group of four-armed humanoids advanced towards the group along the central path, surrounded by a swarm of ravens. Amplisa and the druid held them off with missile fire as the wolves finished off the apes, then quickly tore through the remaining creatures.
"Well, that wasn't too bad. Maybe the worst is behind us," said Amplisa.
"I wouldn't count on it," returned Wolfen, "I wager there are more fanatics and zealots ahead. More of those damndable priests as well."
Amplisa shuddered. The healer priests had proven troublesome before, healing the endless hordes of zealots and fanatics faster than they could be slain. As the group reached the outer wall of the ruined city, her fears were confirmed. A group of five hierophants stood just within the walls. Suddenly shards of ice began to rain from the skies over the group. "Gaaa!" she cried as the first struck home.
"There's a leader in there! Target him while the wolves slay his minions!" Sending their master's thought, the wolves charged into the fray, concentrating their attacks on the weakest of the foul priest's followers. more ice rained from the sky, followed by large chunks of burning stone. "Amplisa! Watch where you drop those meteors!"
"They're not mine boss!" returned the rogue. "Look to the left, under that ruin. Nightlords!" As she spoke the first group of fanatics burst from cover on the right.
Wolfen scowled as he surveyed the battle. They were fast being overwhelmed. One of the hierophant minions had fallen but Fast had been distracted by the approaching fanatics while Fang had taken off towards the nightlords. Loyal Fluffy continued to chew on the next minion, but the others were free to heal their allies. With a sigh Wolfen made the decision. They would have to lure some of these foes out of the city and take them piecemeal. "Fang! Fast! Fluffy! Heel! Amplisa, back up to the center of the causeway. We'll pull some of these away and take them down that way."
The group retreated in good order, and regrouped at the center of the causeway. Sure enough the fanatics followed along, and as Wolfen renewed the murder of ravens overhead the last fanatic fell beneath Fluffy's fangs. Wolfen called the advance and the group entered the city once again. Immediately they were beset with ice and fire, but without the fanatics as a distraction the wolves made quick work of the hierophants.
The group turned to the left and worked their way through the ruins. The wolves quickly sniffed out several nightlords and cut them down, but as the group approached the last building a horde of fanatics and zealots burst forth. "This is going to be ugly!" cried Amplisa as she loosed her first shot into the crowd.
Together the group managed to slay their pole-arm wielding foes, this despite the fact that several hierophants stood within the cover of the building healing them. Once the front line fell the priests quickly followed suit, and the group took a breather. As the wolves feasted on the remains of the fallen, Wolfen examined his dwindling potion supply. "That's not good," he muttered.
After a short break the party crossed over to the right-hand side of the entry area. The carnage quickly resumed as a nightlord leader advanced on the group. The creature was stationed atop a raised platform that circled the ruin, so the ravens had the honor of slaying it while Fast, Fang and Fluffy took down yet another group of zealots.
Wolfen gazed across the front of the ruined city. "It looks like this area is mostly clear now. How about we head towards the temple?"
Amplisa shrugged. "Anything you say. This hasn't been as bad as I thought it would be."
"Let's not get overconfident. Don't forget the high council is in here somewhere."
Together the pair followed the wolves and ravens across the center walkway of the ruin. As they crossed over, all hell broke loose. Icy shards rained down from all sides, interspersed with burning meteors and lightning bolts. Hordes of fanatics and zealots burst from every nook and cranny of the ruins, and the party was quickly surrounded.
"This is bad boss! Really bad!" cried Amplisa as another wave of ice decended from the skies. "Where is it coming fr...." the rogue's cry was cut off as she fell beneath a huge chunk of ice. Wolfen tore his gaze from the fallen rogue in time to see both Fast and Fang fall to a meteor. Blast! This was getting dangerous. Suddenly Wolfen noticed movement within a ruin to his left. Aha! That's where the hierophants were hiding. He made a mad dash for the structure, recalling Fang and Fast from the void as he did so.
Within the building things got worse. There were four or five Hierophants within, and combined with the hordes of zealots and fanatics, it was overwhelming. Suddenly Wolfen realized there were no crows overhead. With a curse he recalled the murder as he gulped down another potion.
With the ravens returned the group managed to carve up the rest of the forces arrayed against them. Barely. The druid returned to town to restore Amplisa and sell off the meagre loot recovered from the fallen. "Barely enough to pay for arrows," muttered Wolfen as he approached Deckard.
"Stay a while and listen!"
"No time today Deckard. I've seen the temple of the high council."
The group returned to the depths of the ruins, this time cutting across the center of the city. After dispatching the few foes remaining in the middle of the city they crossed over and quickly discovered the waypoint. Moving clockwise around the outer wall they encountered another hierophant leader. As the wolves approached lightning poured forth from the evil priest. "Mind the lightning!" cried Amplisa as the first bolt skittered past Wolfen.
Luckily the wolves' coat protected them from the worst of the electrical damage and after a struggle the leader fell, along with his minions and several zealots. As the party circled the temple at a distance they noted one of the high council's minions on patrol out front. "Bloody hell," muttered Wolfen. "Lightning immune. I like that not."
On the far side of the temple, hell broke loose once again. ANOTHER hierophant leader! The wolves advanced in a now familiar pattern while the two bowmen picked off various approaching zealots and fanatics. Abruptly a blob of poisonous spittle struck Amplisa in the side.
"Take cover girl! You're getting to close to the front of the temple!"
"Yeah, I noticed," returned the rogue.
The last hierophant fell. The zealots were slain. The fanatics felled. All that remained was the temple itself. The party circled the pools out front and picked off the guardian nessies one by one. Then it happened. Fang wandered towards the entrance to the temple and the first of the high council advanced upon the party.
Wolfen and Amplisa retreated, followed closely by the wolves and ravens. The council leader followed along accompanied by his minions. When the party was safely isolated from the temple they turned and began the attack. Wolfen was surprised to see the wolves were having little effect on the leader of the pack. "Immune to physical! Blast! This is going to take a while." He unlimbered his elemental bow and started firing at the boss, occasionally pausing to restore one or the other of the wolves from the void. Eventually (several hundred arrows later) the boss fell, and the wolves sat panting on his remains. "My fingers are sore from the bowstring," muttered Amplisa.
"Mine too, but no time to wait. Look!" Wolfen pointed towards the temple. Sure enough, another of the high council was coming out. "Let's see.. Ack! Another physical immune!"
With a sigh the pair started firing at the new threat, and after another endless barrage, he fell. The fight had been barely worthy of remembering. "One more?" asked Amplisa.
Wolfen nodded. "Let's just hope the wolves can help with this one. I'm almost out of arrows." The group advanced towards the temple, hoping to lure the last leader into the open. Without hesitation he came forth, glowing faintly with electrical energies. "Watch the..." Wolfen stared in horror as furious blobs of electrical energy struck the wolves, slaying each instantly. "MSLEB! MSLEB! RUN!" Seldom had the ancient druidic bane been seen, but all feared the terrible power of the MSLEB.
The party ran, circling a pool to put some distance between themselves and the hideous blobs of electrical energy. "What should we do?" asked Amplisa.
"I'm not sure. Let's see if we can find a good spot to pin him and set up an ambush." The pair circled the ruins and finally agreed upon a long pool in front of the temple as the ideal ambush spot. "Just remember to dodge," muttered the druid as they advanced towards the council member's last location.
Quickly the tainted being advanced on the party. They moved off towards their chosen spot, and quietly circled the pool. As the creature approached, Wolfen opened the way for mighty Ursa, hoping his greater vitality would allow him to withstand the deadly bolts longer than the wolves.
It worked. As the bowmen rained arrows into the foul priest while Ursa hammered him with mighty blows. Electrical blobs flew, but by some miracle they missed everyone. Finally, the air grew still as the tainted priest breathed his last. The group stared at the charred remains and Wolfen kicked aside the corpse to retrieve Kalim's Flail.
Returning to town, the party regrouped and healed while Wolfen transmuted the flail using Kalim's heart, eye and brain. Then, flail in hand, the group returned to the temple and smashed the compelling orb. A cloud of vapors and mist gathered over the altar and when it cleared the seal was broken. The Durance lay open at their feet.
Wolfen sniffed. "Demon spawn," he muttered. "There lies our next task Amplisa. He turned and surveyed the carnage behind him, then returned his gaze to the gaping pit. "Our way lies ahead. But not today."
Just a spot report of an afternoon in Travincal (hell difficulty). This covers about 2 hours of off and on play using the Ancestral Recall mod. I hope you enjoyed it.