End of the Line

After transporting to The Bed the GoG headed for the Vine.  They only had 2-3 more days before Ndulu would complete his Summoning Ritual.  It took the a full day to reach the city Thorn, and The Vine, which turned out to be a railroad line.   There was a mob of orcs and other evil races waiting in line to board the train that would take them to the pier where they would join Ndulu's army.  Apparently, they have legends that if the chain were ever to be undone that Scourge would mobilize his armies to conquer the material plane, now is that time.

   There was a second rail line, however, one that traveled in the opposite direction.  One that lead to Ndulu's castle.  That is the one that the GoG decided to board.  The line made several stops along the way at various locations, a massive library, a den of evil, a field of sacrificial statues and, finally, Scourge City.  The GoG had heard that the line only went as far as the city, that the rails that lead farther in, all the way to the castle, were blocked.  So, they intended to hijack the train and force it beyond the station.

   The door exiting the car next to the engine was locked  So, Bastion used his flute to unlock it, every other door in the car, and the latches connecting the cars to one another...  The GoG had to move fast as the engine begain to accelerate and separate the cars.  One by one they leapt over the gap, bastion barely made the jump, his boots scuffed the cross beams as Zorak pulled him to safety.

   A Vrock was controlling the engine, it was a simple matter to kill him and the others standing guard, it was something else entirely to control it.  Atriedes began pulling levers at random, hoping to learn how to control the machine.  With luck, he managed to find the accelerator.  He slowed the engine to a reasonable speed as they whizzed past the first station.  Slowing the engine meant that the cars behind began to catch up,  Kriskahn, using web, and Skia, using entangle, were able to slow them down enough to prevent them from crashing into the engine car.

        Next, was a switching station. The rails lead to a rotating platform that was currently in the process of rotating.  Again, luck was on their side for some reason (Bastion was holding a rubbing a lucky coin) and the rail lined up just in time for them to zip through the switching station.  The cars following them weren't as fortunate.  They hit the rails unevenly and were thrown into the air, wrecking the remainder of the train.

   The next stop would be Castle Scourge.  As they got closer they could see that the train was designed to enter the front gates of the castle but they were currently closed.  Massive iron gates blocked the path of the train.  Thinking quickly, Atreides pushed the accelerator to it's limit and the GoG bailed out of the rear of the engine.  The car barreled forwards and crashed into the gates making a train-sized hole for the GoG to enter.

   Without wasting time the team rushed for the gates and entered Castle Scourge.  After climbing over the wreckage they were greeted by a Vrock.  The demon told them that they were invited to speak with Scourge and that he expected them.  The GoG are prepared for battle.  The battle that will decide the fate of the entire plane.