Hard Place

Of all the Elemental Planes, the Plane of Earth felt most like the real world. But Tarnum still struggled with his hatred of magic even as he began to realize that his own power was growing far beyond the Wizards in his command.

Scenario

Map description

Tarnum must now fight the Dungeon Overlords. All Heroes will be limited to level 25, but Tarnum and his three best Heroes will transfer to the next scenario along with all of their skills, spells and experience. The Orb of Silt will transfer to all scenarios.

Starting options

Give Crown of the Supreme Magi to TarnumTarnum Tarnum
Receive 5 Mercury, 5 Sulfur, 5 Crystals and 5 Gems

Timed events

Day 1 - Day 1
I welcomed our arrival in the Elemental Plane of Earth. Solid ground at last! But like everyone else the first thing I noticed was a feeling like there was a lead weight tied around my ankles, endlessly pulling me downward. The Mages complained of feeling heavier, or listless. Soon, I noticed they were tiring out quicker, forcing me to make more stops during the day.
Day 5 - Day 5
A band of Nagas who dwell in this plane have agreed to join our cause for the sake of the rest of the Nagas who still live in my world. Finally, I have swords in my ranks - and remarkable swordswomen these Nagas are! With a blade in each of their arms, I don't think that even I could keep up with their lightning attacks. It cheers my heart to see them go into battle.
Day 8 - Day 8
Barsolar's owl arrived today with a crudely drawn map of the region. "The Earth Lord has left some Dungeon Overlords behind to protect his realm while he's away," the owl said. About all I could determine from the map is that my enemy currently occupies two Dungeon towns far to the south. Between us, also to the south, is an unoccupied Dungeon town. Another town is located far to the east.
Day 17 - Day 17
I've fought these Dungeon creatures before, long ago. Since they spend most of their lives beneath the ground in their dark tunnels, they can fight well in the dark. In fact, they prefer it. They often ambush their foes instead of fight them face-to-face. There is no honor in them. They want only to win.
Day 23 - Day 23
Luckily, I was still awake. Last night, as I sat thinking about the magic that I now controlled, I caught a faint stench in the air. It took me a moment to recall it, but when I did I bolted from my tent and immediately cast a spell of sparkling blue light into the air above camp. Strewn throughout the camp was a horde of Troglodytes attempting to sneak into all of the tents! One stood just a few feet away from me, temporarily startled by the explosion of light. I punched it hard enough to crack its skull. "Up you lazy Wizards!" I shouted. "The enemy is here!" Even though the Troglodytes managed to get into the camp, we made short work of them with no losses and only a few injuries.
Day 32 - Day 32
I am getting my revenge for what the Mages did to me on the Plane of Water. There isn't a Wizard in my army that isn't covered in sweat by mid-day thanks to that unforgiving invisible weight that sits on us. With all the dust around here they are filthy as well as the dirt sticks to the perspiration. True, I am suffering as well, but I don't mind it. It feels like a hard day of labor, and I haven't had one of those in a long time. Make you feel alive!
Day 38 - Day 38
Barsolar entered camp today. He seemed exhausted, and he was covered in just as much grime as the other Wizards. However, I noticed Barsolar had lost some weight around the middle and his face seemed more defined. The exercise that came with long weeks of exploration must agree with the man. "So, do you have anything new to report?" I asked once he had a drink of cool water. "Not much," he said, then reached into his robe and pulled out a short length of wood, broken and splintered on one end. "Just this," he said. "What is it?" "The base of a Wizard's staff. I even recognize the symbols there at the bottom - it belonged to a famous Wizard who disappeared almost two hundred years ago." "What's it doing here then?" I asked. "Well, the story goes that a group of powerful Mages wanted to create the ultimate Golem, so they tried to find passage to the Plane of Earth, where they could possibly find the hardest substance in the universe. Many believe they died when they cast the spell - appeared at the bottom of the ocean or something - but others think they made it to the Plane of Earth but couldn't find a way back." "That sounds familiar," I said. "Yes. It doesn't matter, since this happened two hundred years ago - they'd all be dead by now," Barsolar said. "Unfortunate. We could've used the help."
Day 43 - Day 43
I stepped outside my tent this morning and immediately broke into laughter at what I saw. Apparently, to alleviate some of the weight they have to carry throughout the day, many of the Mages decided they would abandon their dusty robes and go shirtless. Never have I seen so much pale flesh at one time. But I have to admit, after nearly two months on the Plane of Earth, these scrawny men were beginning to show some signs of getting in shape. Their white bellies were a little smaller and their stick-like limbs starting to show some muscle. I tore off my robe and walked among them. "Who wants to wrestle?" I said. A few of the Mages even looked like they wanted to, but no one dared step forward. They almost found their courage. "Ha! I'll make Barbarians out of you yet!"
Day 57 - Day 57
We all assumed they would be dead, so when a group of rugged-looking Mages stepped from a large cave we never imagined they were the Mages who came to the Plane of Earth to make the ultimate Golems. We approached and introduced ourselves. "Greetings, Tarnum! We are happy to see other Mages. I am Reamus," said their leader. We sat down with the men, sharing a meal and much talk. To our amazement, Reamus and the others claimed to have been in this place for only sixteen years. Impossible, considering they have been missing for two hundred. Someone was wrong. "But you've been gone for…" began Ponific, the Golem Master. "So long!" I interrupted. If these men actually don't realize how long they've been away, blurting it out was not the way to tell them. "How did you survive?" Reamus explained that they constructed Golems as their soldiers - two guards for each Mage. Whenever one of the Golems was destroyed, they just made another. Unfortunately, they had not yet discovered a way to make the ultimate Golem.
Day 58 - Day 58
Last night, after our meal with Reamus and the missing Mages, I had a meeting with my advisors. "How is this possible? How can they believe that they've only been away for sixteen years?" I demanded. I had the sinking feeling that I wasn't going to like the answer. Hemoross, the Mage Instructor, shook his head. So did Ponific and the others. Only Barsolar seemed to have an idea, if his serious expression was any indication. "What is it, Barsolar?" I asked. He had been studying these Elemental Planes even as he explored them. "It would take some experiments to test my theory, Lord Tarnum," Barsolar said noncommittally. "I don't care about experiments, Barsolar! I want answers - even if you're not sure. What's going on here?" "Time, Lord Tarnum. The Elemental Planes are fundamentally different from our world. It would make sense that Time, too, would work differently here," Barsolar said. The other Wizards all nodded as they began to follow their colleague's path of thought. "So," I said, "are you telling me that everything moves slower here than in our world?" "Yes. Or you could say Time moves quicker in our world. Either way, two hundred years in our world is equivalent to sixteen here. We can expect that by the time we return to our world, at least a couple decades will have passed." Several of the advisors dropped their wine cups. I just closed my eyes and hoped that the Elemental Lords didn't destroy the world during that time.
Day 59 - Day 59
Today, I told Reamus and the others the truth about how long they have been missing from the world. I was as gentle as possible, but there is no good way to tell a man that his entire family, that everyone they knew, is long dead and buried. I know some of what they are feeling. My own family is long gone, my friends as well. Even the world has changed so much that I no longer remember what life had been like when I was a child.
Day 59: (3, 5, 0) Tower
Reamus's Mages and Golems have agreed to join our forces and fight the Elemental Lords. Creatures: 68 Stone Golems or Iron Golems, 34 Magi or Arch Magi

Objects

Events

Location	Message
25, 4, 0	Passing through such a tight area I remember something about these underground types. They love to set up ambushes. Fortunately, there aren't any around now, but that doesn't mean we won't encounter any later.
56, 15, 0	Up ahead is the Pyramid, guarded by Gold and Diamond Golems, protecting the secrets of a powerful level five spell. Whoever enters must have the wisdom to learn fifth level spells or it will be lost forever.
59, 18, 0	From the cracks in the nearby walls spring a horde of Troglodytes. Guardians: 20 Troglodytes, 20 Troglodytes, 20 Troglodytes, 20 Troglodytes Contents: 5000 Experience points

Towns

Location	Type	Name
3, 5, 0	Tower
18, 64, 0	Dungeon
22, 38, 0	Dungeon	Sodville
60, 49, 0	Dungeon
65, 6, 0	Dungeon	Nortown

Colors

Blue	Player
Tan	Enemy

Heroes

Location	Color	Hero
3, 6, 0		Your most powerful hero from Don't Drink the Water.
10, 20, 0		Your 3rd most powerful hero from Don't Drink the Water.
15, 12, 0		Your 2nd most powerful hero from Don't Drink the Water.
28, 5, 0		TarnumTarnum Tarnum the Wizard

Resources

Location	Type	Message
59, 10, 0	5000 Gold	You notice this pile of Gold is a little larger than most. The slightest hiss of snakes alerts you to nearby Medusas who must prey upon unwary travelers. Are you really interested in this Gold to face lots of Medusas? Guardians: 10 Medusas, 10 Medusas, 10 Medusas

Signs

Location	Message
21, 23, 0	South to Sodville North-east to Nortown
36, 2, 0	Go east to take the Dungeon town.

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