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Old 12-02-2009, 09:19 PM   #375
Abe Sargent
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Join Date: Dec 2001
Location: Catonsville, MD
The street continues beyond the mound, heading due south towards the great citadel, the shadow of this edifice looming ever larger. Soon the street opens out to a wide concourse which encircles the citadel and offers access to its great northern door. The entire door is made of black iron and streaked with rust. Turrets jut from either side, on top of which you see giant cannon-like weapons, similar to those once employed by the Darklords aboard their ironclad fleets.



From the cover of a ruined house, you watch the traffic of Giaks and Drakkarim, all clad in orange uniforms bearing the mark of a bloodied scythe. The more you stare at the citadel, the more you are sure that this is where Banedon is being held prisoner. However, entry into the citadel itself looks to be impossible, until, that is, an opportunity unexpectedly presents itself.

Directly across the street from where you are hiding, you see a square, flat-roofed tower, one of several which encircle the outer edge of the concourse. A flock of screeching Kraan are feeding on slabs of maggoty meat which have been left there by the Drakkarim guards. Once they have eaten their fill, they take to the air and return to their cave-like pens, located high up on the citadel's outer wall. Some of the returning Kraan are ridden by Drakkarim and other guards who steer their mounts towards landing platforms which jut like great steel tongues from the entrances to the pens.

It occurs to you that if you were able to mount one of the feeding Kraan, you could attempt to enter the citadel by the very same route.

Emboldened by your plan, you resolve to put it into action. Patiently you survey the feeding tower opposite and note that there are two ways to gain access to its roof. You could climb a staircase that runs directly from the street to the roof, or you could attempt to scale its wall.

(I use Grand Pathsmanship)


Your senses warn you that the tower stairs, although they look empty, are in fact guarded by Drakkarim stationed inside the tower. They offer the most convenient route to the roof, but it could also be the most perilous.

(I choose the wall)

You move quietly to a new position, directly opposite the tower, and wait for the traffic of Giaks and Drakkarim to disperse. The street is soon empty and you get ready to make your move.

You sprint across the now-empty street and crouch at the base of the tower wall. The brick surface is plastered with powdery grey cement and, as you look up at the roof twenty feet above, you steel yourself for what could prove to be a difficult climb.

(I roll a 7 and add 1 for having a rope and 2 for Grand Huntmastery)

Despite the treacherous condition of the tower wall, your natural skill and agility see you safely to the top. In less than a minute you manage to reach the level of the tower parapet.

You pull yourself over the parapet, only to be confronted immediately by a Drakkar guard. Unbeknown to you he has been sitting on the tower roof, quietly watching the spectacle of the feeding Kraan.

He grabs you by the throat and attempts to throw you off the tower. You counter this clumsy attack easily by turning his hand aside and grabbing hold of his battle tunic. A swift twist of your body sends him sailing over your shoulder to land, head first, in the street below.
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