With the dragon's departure under the cover of night, Trace hastily hopped on his horse and gave chase leaving the heroes with Malik and Reeser in the mages guild courtyard amongst the rubble. Talos and Vyreth went to work searching for victims in the debris, Fhasys wandered down to the Lonesome Lodestone to lighten the pockets of an unsuspecting drunk, and Doc turned in for the night.
In a surprising stroke of luck, Talos and Vyreth managed to find an older mage barely clinging on to life, buried under the debris. The man, in a delusional state, mumbled something about the Thanon mine--the next destination for the party--and Vyreth popped a health potion to bring him back to life. Turns out the man had been with the Order for some time as an apprentice and he divulged some juicy secrets in exchange for saving his life. Unfortunately, the depth of his secrets were limited to only what he knew of the Order during his brief stay: that they were a very old cult of sorts who came about during Quanlo's founding as architects of the stability of the realm. Back in the day, the realm was a crazy, chaotic, magical place and someone had to pull strings so everyone got along. According to this ex-member, the Order was no stranger to resorting to unscrupulous tactics when the situation warranted. After saving the mage, Talos rented the finest room in the shittiest inn in town while Vyreth made his way to the fanciest for a bit of music and R&R.
Upon arriving at the Lonesome Lodestone, Fhasys discovered a few late-night stragglers at the bar and decided to prey upon a dashing, albeit completely hammered man who clearly was down on his luck. In the lady department anyway. Turns out he'd just won a small fortune at an archery contest and was in the process of blowing it all at the bar. Fhasys turned on her charm which, while fiery, didn't seem straightforward enough to get through the man's inebriated conscious. They had a glass of wine, the man bought Fhasys a room at the inn, and she suggested maybe they go back to his place instead. What ensued was an awkward attempt at seducing a terribly drunk man who was teetering on the edge of unconsciousness. Frustrated, she decided to try and sneak up behind him to brain him with her crowbar... but the floor squeaked. Her next plan involved taking him to bed and suggesting she tie him up for fun. This spooked the man nearly sober, and realizing that her new-found loot might be in jeopardy she went ahead and clobbered him right where he lay. Fhasys left a sweet note behind and made off with his gems... Poor sod. On her way out, she also realized that the bartender had seen them together and would likely hear the story of his night fairly soon thereafter.
Vyreth arrived to the Lodestone shortly after Fhasys and the drunkard left. He pulled up a front-row seat to the bard, ordered a phat meal and passed out.
The next morning, the heroes and Malik headed out of Quanlo to the Thanon mine to see what this "strange discovery" was all about. They arrived to a puzzling scene--a group of guards huddled around a slave wagon to the east side of the quarry and a sole horse tied up outside the admin building to the west. Fearing the guards were awaiting their arrival, perhaps an Order ambush, they discussed options. But in the end, Doc managed to convince everyone just to be straightforward and approach them like nothing was wrong. One of the veteran guards got off his ass to greet the party, Vyreth and he traded barbs about the slave trade, and seeing no threat to his slave caravan the guard returned to his crew.
The heroes then turned their attention toward the admin house where they found Bruenor and a slave merchant named Clifford engaged in a rather testy exchange. Cliff was trying to (again) off-load women slaves and Bruenor was having none of it. Vyreth cut-in and asked about Varishna, his lost love, but Cliff had no recollection of any blonde slaves in his possession. Cliff also stressed that he only dealt in "volume" trades, but he'd ask his employer about it next time they met. They also managed to score a map of the mine from Bruenor, just before a whole lot of screaming happened outside.
Emerging from the ad-house, the heroes discovered a lone hill giant had descended upon the slavers and was trying to pop the lid of the cage like a Pez dispenser. For a moment, the party thought maybe they'd just let the giant and the guards sort things out... but then the true form of "good" alignment won them over and they engaged the brute. Combat ensued and the heroes quickly dispatched the oaf leaving the slaver caravan a couple guards shy of their original number.
Turning toward the mine, the heroes made quick work of the upper-levels (thanks to the map) and soon arrived at the "discovery"--a collapsed section of tunnel floor that dropped down into an abyss of a cavern shrouded in darkness. A faint greenish glow could be seen far below, likely some sort of ground cover, and they went to work trying to figure out how to get down there. Malik, perhaps being the only sane person in the group, decided he'd let the adventurers do their thing and head back to the guild for lunch.
Fhasys grabbed a crampon and began pounding it into the rocky tunnel floor while Vyreth worked on tying three 50' ropes together. Neither of them did a stellar job, but it seemed to have worked out. Talos, meanwhile, handed Doc his fine shirt of feather-falling and cast flight on himself. Vyreth took the lead climbing down the rope with Fhasys above him (good thing she wears pants) while the mage and paladin floated daintily down beside them. Once through the hole in the floor, it became obvious rather quickly that the heroes had once again found access to the Underdark. Gritting their teeth and trying to stave off memories of adventures past, they continued their descent.
About 40' down, Vyreth's hands slipped sending him plummeting to the cavern floor below. The druid fell a good 80' before plowing into a thick layer of gigantic, bio-luminescent fungi. What sounded like multiple air raid sirens began sounding all around him (shriekers), filling the cavern with a raucous noise so loud he couldn't hear Fhasys shouting down at him from above. He'd also apparently crushed several poisonous 'shrooms as a thick, greenish spore cloud began to settle all around him making him feel rather sick. Stunned and disoriented, Vyreth watched another similarly amusing scene unfold above him on the rope.
Several darkmantles bombed the trio from the cavern ceiling, two attaching themselves to Talos and engulfing his head in slimy darkness and a third which barreled down straight for Vyreth. Talos managed to keep his elven cool and stayed suspended despite his new-found friends, and used repeated chill-touch attempts to freeze-dry the squid. Doc, being in perpetual motion, quickly fell out of range toward the mushroom patch below. As talos struggled with the darkmantles, Fhasys was similarly accosted by one of her own. She tried to keep climbing down but, in a fit of rage, lashed out with her rapier and accidentally severed her own rope sending her plummeting down toward Vyreth.
Talos finally managed to shatter the squid on his head, just in time to see Fhasys falling to the cavern floor and Doc landing gingerly atop one of the gigantic spore caps like a ballerina. Vyreth, finally coming to, realized there was a squid heading for his own face and reflexively cast mirror-image, splitting his visage into 4. The darkmantle plowed through one of his illusions, smashing into the dirt and injuring it. Doc took the opportunity to cleave it with his glaive. Talos finally descended to ground-floor amidst the incessant shrieking, Fhasys got up and dusted herself off, and the heroes looked around apprehensively wondering what in the hell they'd just gotten themselves into. The hole through which they'd entered seemed now like a distant star in a dark night sky.
Welcome back to the Underdark.
Monday, November 30, 2015
Monday, November 23, 2015
Episode 22, "Uncovering the Past"
The heroes filed into the grand dining hall of the Quanlo mages guild and sat around a huge, ornately carved wooden table. On one end sat Reeser Cloudlake, headmaster of the guild; at the other, one Malik Everborne, guild historian and archivist. Trace joined the party for the feast as did a couple other apprentice mages who were there overseeing the entire dinner affair.
Upon Reeser's request, the heroes recounted whatever stories they could summon from their recent travels involving anything odd or supernatural in order to bring Malik up to speed. Beginning back in Lehren, they described the Embershale mine and the breach to the Underdark, the encounter with the aboleth, Quar Jezz't, the blighted ogre who--after rampaging through town--died and gave rise to ghasts amidst a pool of black ichor, various sightings involving the massive undead black dragon, the tomb of Urzaan and its strange illusory bubble, and the recent undead onslaught thought to have originated from a nearby lumber camp.
Malik listened to the historical recounts with intense fascination, and finally he and Reeser offered their own findings as the food finally arrived to the table: a handful of missing mages, a potential connection between the "eye" amulet found in the tomb and a rough sketch of some mages made during the early days of Quanlo, and another sketch of a dragon flying high above the countryside--again, created during the founding days of the city. Neither Malik nor Reeser found any direct mention of any sort of organization or cult revolving around the amulet's sigil, but Malik suggested a possible connection between the portal found in the tomb and another bizarre discovery in the Thanon mines.
While Malik and Reeser contemplated all of the disparate stories and goings-on, Vyreth and Malik suddenly and intensely took ill. Someone(s) had poisoned the food! Vyreth struggled to hold it together at the table but soon collapsed at the table. Malik, turning ghostly pale and weak, began to hemorrhage blood from his eyes and nose. Fhasys was first to notice the signs and alerted Reeser, who immediately called for a guild-wide lock down until they could sort out what was going on. The dwarven cooking crew was filed out of the kitchen and questioned by the guards while Doc set to work healing Malik and Vyreth. Once the chaos of the poisoning subsided, Reeser suggested the heroes search the vacant rooms for clues and then head to the Thanon mine with Malik to investigate whatever was discovered.
While searching the mage quarters, Talos discovered recently used ink and paper, took a coal rubbing, and a strange rhyme--written in Abyssal--emerged: "Ruby soul of heartless glass, callous, cruel, and treacherous past." Based on the language alone, the party assumed it had something to do with the tomb and the dragon as well... Collecting their things (and helping Malik to his feet, exhausted from the poisoning), the heroes left the guild for the Thanon mine.
Upon Reeser's request, the heroes recounted whatever stories they could summon from their recent travels involving anything odd or supernatural in order to bring Malik up to speed. Beginning back in Lehren, they described the Embershale mine and the breach to the Underdark, the encounter with the aboleth, Quar Jezz't, the blighted ogre who--after rampaging through town--died and gave rise to ghasts amidst a pool of black ichor, various sightings involving the massive undead black dragon, the tomb of Urzaan and its strange illusory bubble, and the recent undead onslaught thought to have originated from a nearby lumber camp.
Malik listened to the historical recounts with intense fascination, and finally he and Reeser offered their own findings as the food finally arrived to the table: a handful of missing mages, a potential connection between the "eye" amulet found in the tomb and a rough sketch of some mages made during the early days of Quanlo, and another sketch of a dragon flying high above the countryside--again, created during the founding days of the city. Neither Malik nor Reeser found any direct mention of any sort of organization or cult revolving around the amulet's sigil, but Malik suggested a possible connection between the portal found in the tomb and another bizarre discovery in the Thanon mines.
While Malik and Reeser contemplated all of the disparate stories and goings-on, Vyreth and Malik suddenly and intensely took ill. Someone(s) had poisoned the food! Vyreth struggled to hold it together at the table but soon collapsed at the table. Malik, turning ghostly pale and weak, began to hemorrhage blood from his eyes and nose. Fhasys was first to notice the signs and alerted Reeser, who immediately called for a guild-wide lock down until they could sort out what was going on. The dwarven cooking crew was filed out of the kitchen and questioned by the guards while Doc set to work healing Malik and Vyreth. Once the chaos of the poisoning subsided, Reeser suggested the heroes search the vacant rooms for clues and then head to the Thanon mine with Malik to investigate whatever was discovered.
While searching the mage quarters, Talos discovered recently used ink and paper, took a coal rubbing, and a strange rhyme--written in Abyssal--emerged: "Ruby soul of heartless glass, callous, cruel, and treacherous past." Based on the language alone, the party assumed it had something to do with the tomb and the dragon as well... Collecting their things (and helping Malik to his feet, exhausted from the poisoning), the heroes left the guild for the Thanon mine.
Monday, November 2, 2015
Episode 21, "Homecoming"
The heroes turn back toward the forest path to the South leaving Lake Sera, Peter, Elmsea, and Zizzle in their rearviews... Despite having discovered the "true" nature of Peter and Elmsea's love, most of the adventurers feel a twinge of regret for not staying behind and allowing themselves to become swept up in the magic of the dryad's glade. Ignorance, in this case, could certainly have spelled bliss. Doc is, perhaps, the most troubled as he is voluntarily leaving his childhood friend behind to a lifetime of being charmed by a fey. But, having tried on several occasions to snap Peter out of it, his friend simply saw nothing wrong with his situation in the glade and opted to stay put.
Returning to the riverside campsite from the night prior, the party discusses what to do next. Some express concern about treking it all the way back through the dense, hostile jungle and suggest a lengthy detour through the grasslands and up past Lehren to the West. Vyreth expresses his concern over his village and the state of the women who were stolen some time ago. He'd like to either go to Veir to find this "Gandrin" person (see previous journal notes) or to the Thanon mines to give Bruenor a talking-to. The crew eventually agrees to trudge forward along the forest path as it's the quickest way back to town.
Upon their return to the abandoned lumber camp, under the cover of darkness, the heroes encounter a small group of Iron Gate guards camping in the clearing. Relieved that they're no longer alone in the woods, the two groups come together for a fine night of drinking, banter, and story-telling. As the guards start to nod off, a strange visitor appears out of nowhere asking if anyone had bothered clearing the barracks (nope). It was a rhetorical question. The stranger's name is Trace, an elven ranger of some repute whose face everyone recognizes from the Ruins of Enra (see doppleganger). Once disbelief wears off, Fhasys finds her heart a'twittering once more for the shady character and they wander off for a late night chat. Fhasys, being the sharp cookie she is, discovers that Trace is in fact her long-lost father... The so-called "psycho" that her mother, Sybil, had driven away before giving birth.
While Fhasys and Trace caught up on history, the forest edge nearest the Gate campsite begins to warp and twist violently, eventually spewing forth two humanoid tangled masses of vine and leaf who charge the camp. Combat ensues.
The strange creatures turn out to be quite tough, and one manages to grapple and squish two of the Gate guards! Vyreth tries his hand at lightning, but to everyone's surprise what's expected to damage the creatures only ends up healing them. Doc valiantly puts himself between one of the shambling mounds and Fhasys/Trace, and he takes a solid beating for it. Finally, with no more of the guards remaining, the heroes triumph. Clearly sick and tired of the forest at this point, the group high-tails it out of the forest and back to Quanlo.
Returning to the Mages guild, Talos seeks out Reeser to discuss the situation in Lehren (sealing the mine) and whatever Reeser has managed to discover about the dragon, the tomb, and the strange "eye" medallions he'd found. Reeser presents a mixed-bag of results, but says there's much to discuss and offers to gather everyone over dinner at the guild hall.
For the next two hours or so, Fhasys finds a guild enchanter who charges way more than she can afford (always frustrating), Vyreth finds a potion store and stocks up, Talos spends some time in the guild library and Doc takes a nap.
Dinner time finally arrives and the heroes are greeted by Reeser once more, to be lead to the great dining hall where much will be divulged.
Returning to the riverside campsite from the night prior, the party discusses what to do next. Some express concern about treking it all the way back through the dense, hostile jungle and suggest a lengthy detour through the grasslands and up past Lehren to the West. Vyreth expresses his concern over his village and the state of the women who were stolen some time ago. He'd like to either go to Veir to find this "Gandrin" person (see previous journal notes) or to the Thanon mines to give Bruenor a talking-to. The crew eventually agrees to trudge forward along the forest path as it's the quickest way back to town.
Upon their return to the abandoned lumber camp, under the cover of darkness, the heroes encounter a small group of Iron Gate guards camping in the clearing. Relieved that they're no longer alone in the woods, the two groups come together for a fine night of drinking, banter, and story-telling. As the guards start to nod off, a strange visitor appears out of nowhere asking if anyone had bothered clearing the barracks (nope). It was a rhetorical question. The stranger's name is Trace, an elven ranger of some repute whose face everyone recognizes from the Ruins of Enra (see doppleganger). Once disbelief wears off, Fhasys finds her heart a'twittering once more for the shady character and they wander off for a late night chat. Fhasys, being the sharp cookie she is, discovers that Trace is in fact her long-lost father... The so-called "psycho" that her mother, Sybil, had driven away before giving birth.
While Fhasys and Trace caught up on history, the forest edge nearest the Gate campsite begins to warp and twist violently, eventually spewing forth two humanoid tangled masses of vine and leaf who charge the camp. Combat ensues.
The strange creatures turn out to be quite tough, and one manages to grapple and squish two of the Gate guards! Vyreth tries his hand at lightning, but to everyone's surprise what's expected to damage the creatures only ends up healing them. Doc valiantly puts himself between one of the shambling mounds and Fhasys/Trace, and he takes a solid beating for it. Finally, with no more of the guards remaining, the heroes triumph. Clearly sick and tired of the forest at this point, the group high-tails it out of the forest and back to Quanlo.
Returning to the Mages guild, Talos seeks out Reeser to discuss the situation in Lehren (sealing the mine) and whatever Reeser has managed to discover about the dragon, the tomb, and the strange "eye" medallions he'd found. Reeser presents a mixed-bag of results, but says there's much to discuss and offers to gather everyone over dinner at the guild hall.
For the next two hours or so, Fhasys finds a guild enchanter who charges way more than she can afford (always frustrating), Vyreth finds a potion store and stocks up, Talos spends some time in the guild library and Doc takes a nap.
Dinner time finally arrives and the heroes are greeted by Reeser once more, to be lead to the great dining hall where much will be divulged.
Tuesday, October 20, 2015
Episode 20, "Love Entwined"
Feeling rested, the heroes trudge their way up-river to investigate the golden shimmering lake Serah. With absolutely idyllic ambient air temperatures, humidity, lighting, flora, fauna, and water quality, the lake and its surroundings immediately lulls the party into heavenly daze. Doc finds himself strangely alone in the group being the only one even remotely curious about the middle-aged man tending some flowers near a shack at the far side of the lake and goes to investigate. Meanwhile, Doc's comrades excitedly strip down to their skivvies and take a dip in the magical lake.
In a stunning turn of events, Doc discovers that the gardener is none other than Peter! His long-lost friend since believed to have been executed at the hands of Draven and Slabtown some time ago. Peter seems happy as can be, surrounded by nature and kept company by a wide assortment of bunnies, deer, birds, and other assorted forest animals. Peter is equally shocked at Doc's sudden arrival and invites the lot over for an early dinner.
While swimming in the lake, Vyreth gets hit by the desire to swim all the way out to the center where a large, ancient knotted tree sits idly bye atop a small, lush island. Once at the island, realizing there's nothing special to see here, Vyreth joins the rest of the non-Doc crew in a nice afternoon nap and wakes up after an hour or so lying on his back with a beautiful dryad standing over him smiling. The dryad introduces herself as Elmsea but gives Vyreth fairly little in the way of useful information. He begins swimming back to shore as Peter beckons everyone inside for linner and, to his surprise, the dryad walks the entire way beside him, on top of the water.
The lot sit down for some tasty home-cooked food inside Peter's cabin and the conversation turns serious... For Doc, anyhow. Doc starts digging into the nature of Peter's liberation from Slabtown (which Peter seems to have forgotten all about) as well as his "love" for Elmsea and Peter acts blissfully ignorant. According to Peter, he was out for a stroll in the forest and that's where he met Elmsea, the love of his life. Plain and simple. Fhasys seems more than happy for Peter and Elmsea and comes down somewhat harshly on Doc for questioning the whole thing. The others sit by quietly and focus on their food.
Finally, Doc hits his tolerance for delusion, brandishes his golden Apollo medallion and uses his powers to try and dispell the fey's influence over his friend. Elmsea quickly backs away from the table and leaves cursing Peter's friends under her breath. As they continue their debate as to the true nature of love everlasting, the ground begins to tremble. Heading outside to see about the commotion, Doc finds himself standing alone with Peter facing a gigantic treant slowly pushing its way across the lake toward the cabin. Elmsea chews out Doc for disturbing their love and questioning things, and suggests they return to the safety of the cabin before things get "out of hand". Doc acquiesces. Oddly, the trio return to the cabin to find the table empty and Doc's friends nowhere in sight.
The rest of the party (actually) wakes up at the river campsite in the middle of the afternoon sun wondering where the hell Doc got off to. Assuming that he already made is way to the lake, the stragglers begin the 3 hour walk. Upon arriving at the lake, they once again witness the magical scene before them. This time, however, Vyreth has his wits about him enough to reflexively cast dispel magic--cutting a 120' sphere out of the illusion surrounding them and pissing off the forest spirits deeply. In the wake of his spell, all of his mates also vanish from sight! Vyreth stands dumbfounded for a moment until Doc comes running out of the cabin to meet him.
Comparing notes, Doc and Vyreth sense that something's not right here despite Peter and Elmsea's continual gushing about love everlasting. Doc gives Peter more than enough chances to free himself of Elmsea's spell, including brandishing the pan pipes they'd shared as children, but Peter is too heavily influenced to leave voluntarily. Elmsea, furious at this point, urges the lot to leave them be in peace. Doc and Vyreth seriously consider the offer...
Fhasys, Talos and Bigzid wake up once more staring at the late-afternoon sun some ways up river, but not quite at the lake, wondering what the hell is going on. They'd just been heading North to find Doc when they blacked out and now Vyreth is gone as well! Continuing their walk, the entire party reunites just South of lake Serah to compare notes and share minds-blown. Apparently, the magic of an adept dryad proved too much for the wits of the party. Quite a day. Doc leaves the lake with mixed feelings, on one hand wishing Peter was more reality-focused and sober, but on the other simply happy to know that Peter is alive and well.
The heroes turn their attention back to Quanlo.
In a stunning turn of events, Doc discovers that the gardener is none other than Peter! His long-lost friend since believed to have been executed at the hands of Draven and Slabtown some time ago. Peter seems happy as can be, surrounded by nature and kept company by a wide assortment of bunnies, deer, birds, and other assorted forest animals. Peter is equally shocked at Doc's sudden arrival and invites the lot over for an early dinner.
While swimming in the lake, Vyreth gets hit by the desire to swim all the way out to the center where a large, ancient knotted tree sits idly bye atop a small, lush island. Once at the island, realizing there's nothing special to see here, Vyreth joins the rest of the non-Doc crew in a nice afternoon nap and wakes up after an hour or so lying on his back with a beautiful dryad standing over him smiling. The dryad introduces herself as Elmsea but gives Vyreth fairly little in the way of useful information. He begins swimming back to shore as Peter beckons everyone inside for linner and, to his surprise, the dryad walks the entire way beside him, on top of the water.
The lot sit down for some tasty home-cooked food inside Peter's cabin and the conversation turns serious... For Doc, anyhow. Doc starts digging into the nature of Peter's liberation from Slabtown (which Peter seems to have forgotten all about) as well as his "love" for Elmsea and Peter acts blissfully ignorant. According to Peter, he was out for a stroll in the forest and that's where he met Elmsea, the love of his life. Plain and simple. Fhasys seems more than happy for Peter and Elmsea and comes down somewhat harshly on Doc for questioning the whole thing. The others sit by quietly and focus on their food.
Finally, Doc hits his tolerance for delusion, brandishes his golden Apollo medallion and uses his powers to try and dispell the fey's influence over his friend. Elmsea quickly backs away from the table and leaves cursing Peter's friends under her breath. As they continue their debate as to the true nature of love everlasting, the ground begins to tremble. Heading outside to see about the commotion, Doc finds himself standing alone with Peter facing a gigantic treant slowly pushing its way across the lake toward the cabin. Elmsea chews out Doc for disturbing their love and questioning things, and suggests they return to the safety of the cabin before things get "out of hand". Doc acquiesces. Oddly, the trio return to the cabin to find the table empty and Doc's friends nowhere in sight.
The rest of the party (actually) wakes up at the river campsite in the middle of the afternoon sun wondering where the hell Doc got off to. Assuming that he already made is way to the lake, the stragglers begin the 3 hour walk. Upon arriving at the lake, they once again witness the magical scene before them. This time, however, Vyreth has his wits about him enough to reflexively cast dispel magic--cutting a 120' sphere out of the illusion surrounding them and pissing off the forest spirits deeply. In the wake of his spell, all of his mates also vanish from sight! Vyreth stands dumbfounded for a moment until Doc comes running out of the cabin to meet him.
Comparing notes, Doc and Vyreth sense that something's not right here despite Peter and Elmsea's continual gushing about love everlasting. Doc gives Peter more than enough chances to free himself of Elmsea's spell, including brandishing the pan pipes they'd shared as children, but Peter is too heavily influenced to leave voluntarily. Elmsea, furious at this point, urges the lot to leave them be in peace. Doc and Vyreth seriously consider the offer...
Fhasys, Talos and Bigzid wake up once more staring at the late-afternoon sun some ways up river, but not quite at the lake, wondering what the hell is going on. They'd just been heading North to find Doc when they blacked out and now Vyreth is gone as well! Continuing their walk, the entire party reunites just South of lake Serah to compare notes and share minds-blown. Apparently, the magic of an adept dryad proved too much for the wits of the party. Quite a day. Doc leaves the lake with mixed feelings, on one hand wishing Peter was more reality-focused and sober, but on the other simply happy to know that Peter is alive and well.
The heroes turn their attention back to Quanlo.
Monday, October 5, 2015
Episode 19, "A Willing Sacrifice"
The ruins of Enra proved a colossal disappointment for the heroes, especially for Talos who for once felt like he'd found his higher purpose. As the hideous, black, winged vulture-like creature summoned by the acolytes of Enra made its way through the newly formed rift, Fhasys looked around nervously for support and decided picking off the chanting acolytes one by one would be the best plan of action. The acolytes at first proved to be quite squishy targets, but once a couple had fallen the rest turned their attention toward the crossbow wielding rogue. Meanwhile, back at the stone platform, Vyreth had a stroke of genius and dispelled the curse holding Talos' mind hostage. As the curse's effects fell away, Talos took in the "true" scene around him. The creature eventually found its way through the rift, unfurled its huge black wings and took to the sky with a loud shriek... clearly upset about losing its prey to reality. The creature kicked up a vile cloud of toxic spores as its opening move, rendering Talos and Doc violently ill. Staving off waves of nausea and struggling to stay on his feet, Talos focused on the task at hand and started slinging spells. Unfortunately, after a few rounds Talos was overcome by sickness and collapsed into the demon's arms. The remaining heroes managed to dispatch the doppleganger, acolytes, and demon after an intense fight and regrouped to lick their wounds. Fhasys, getting a boost from Doc, took a moment to peer into the now closing portal and saw a bleak wasteland littered with twisted dead trees home to many more creatures like the one who tried to eat Talos. She (wisely) decided against jumping through.
Deciding to attempt a long rest in the heart of the forest, the party dug in for the night. During the last half of their slumber, a marauding troll exploded through the surrounding thicket and attacked. The heroes had had enough with the ruins and decided to head back toward the shimmering lake they'd passed by earlier. They stood around for a moment trying to get their bearings, found the path they'd arrived on, and began their return trip.
Soon, they arrived at the river leading north to the lake and again decided to pitch camp, hoping to recoup that final 4 hours the troll had so rudely stolen the night before. Once again, they were ambushed in the night... this time by another pair of displacer beasts. One beast tried to get the jump on Fhasys but couldn't manage to beat her keen senses. The other came from the forest to the north and handily pounced on Vyreth, digging its claws into his back. Combat ensued.
Once the fight had ended, the heroes came to the realization that the Ragneron forest wasn't a cozy place to camp. They gathered their gear and prepared for the trek upstream.
Deciding to attempt a long rest in the heart of the forest, the party dug in for the night. During the last half of their slumber, a marauding troll exploded through the surrounding thicket and attacked. The heroes had had enough with the ruins and decided to head back toward the shimmering lake they'd passed by earlier. They stood around for a moment trying to get their bearings, found the path they'd arrived on, and began their return trip.
Soon, they arrived at the river leading north to the lake and again decided to pitch camp, hoping to recoup that final 4 hours the troll had so rudely stolen the night before. Once again, they were ambushed in the night... this time by another pair of displacer beasts. One beast tried to get the jump on Fhasys but couldn't manage to beat her keen senses. The other came from the forest to the north and handily pounced on Vyreth, digging its claws into his back. Combat ensued.
Once the fight had ended, the heroes came to the realization that the Ragneron forest wasn't a cozy place to camp. They gathered their gear and prepared for the trek upstream.
Monday, September 21, 2015
Episode 18, "Connecting the Dots"
After the massive undead onslaught was beaten back outside the Quanlo city walls, the heroes spent a few minutes poking around the bodies for anything interesting. Quite a number of the slain undead were wearing forest worker outfits, and the party immediately made the connection between this and the rumors of a missing lumber shipment they'd overheard during their first night in Quanlo. They then slipped back inside the city gates for a little R&R and shopping as the Iron Gate cleaned up the aftermath while Reeser set to the task of assembling a crew to ward the Embershale mine and investigate the dragon-tomb-scepter connection.
The heroes stood around for a bit fussing over a strange ceramic jug that Doc had picked up in the Tomb of Urzaan that had yet to be identified. Despite feeling like it was empty, shaking the jug produced sloshing noises as if full of liquid. Popping the cork released a very strong stench of vinegar, and Fhasys once again volunteered to be a guinea pig by taking a sip; sure enough, vinegar, Still somewhat confused by this jug, Doc decided he'd wander around the Quanlo bazaar in search of a shopkeeper who might know more about the object. Talos followed suit and set out to see if he could find any unusual items in the bazaar for procurement while Fhasys scouted for crossbows and armor.
Doc had all but decided his search to be fruitless when an old lady at an herbalist stand called out to him. The shop keeper seemed very curious about his jug but was unable to glean any specifics from Doc in terms of where exactly he'd found it or the circumstances revolving around its procurement. She did volunteer some basic information about it, saying that the liquid contents changed every day, but did not know exactly which liquids this particular jug could contain. Mostly satisfied, Doc left the shop and noticed a cloud of billowing smoke filling the sky at the far end of the bazaar.
Talos had discovered a high-end clothing shop sporting oodles of finely crafted shirts and pants, one of which seemed to radiate magical energy. After snubbing his Elven nose at the shop keep on his way in, he immediately found himself on the short end of the stick when it came to bargaining. This particular shirt was far too expensive for his liking, so he decided to pay Fhasys to steal it for him.
Fhasys cased the shop and decided a distraction was necessary to sneak inside. Slipping into the shadows between the shop and one adjacent to it, she dribbled a trail of oil on the grass and lit it on fire. As the townsfolk began to panic and call the guards to help with the fire, she managed to slip inside the shop and steal the shirt. On the way out, however, a guard spotted her and gave chase. Doc arrived on the scene just as the two took off running. Fhasys ducked inside another clothing shop and ran into the owner, who asked what she was running from. Claiming some form of physical abuse by the pursuant guard, the shop owner felt overcome with compassion and hid Fhasys in her basement shelter. The guard got a talking-to by the owner for his inappropriate behavior and Fhasys was let out once he left.
Thanking Fhasys for her hard work, the trio decided to call it a night and turned-in. During the night, Talos was again plagued with dreams about the Ruins of Enra and woke up seriously compelled to begin the journey. Comparing notes, the heroes decided to head down into the Ragneron forest to scope out the lumber camp situation, see if they can locate Doc's friend Peter, and to hit up the ruins once and for all so Doc and Talos can get over their compulsions.
After an uneventful half-day walk, the crew found the lumber camp completely deserted. Doc and Fhasys poked around two smaller administrative buildings discovering a business log (last entry from several days prior) and some human footprints heading out and into the nearby forest. Talos, spotting a large barracks type structure at the far end of the camp, suggested they investigate. Several lumber worker corpses lay strewn about the entrance to the barracks, covered in green acidic slime. The entire front of the building had also been coated in a layer of this slime, suggesting that their favorite dragon had likely paid a visit. Poking her head inside, Fhasys heard multiple sources of guttural breathing, saw a figure standing in the corner of the main room repeatedly bumping into the wall, and decided it'd be best to leave the place as-is. Clearly, the barracks had been infested with undead.
Turning their attention back to the human tracks, the heroes followed them into the woods. After 10 min of walking, they encountered a corpse hunched against a tree that had clearly been munched upon. Continuing to follow the tracks, the dense forest opened up into a roughly carved path through the woods heading North/South. Wagon tracks were spotted, meaning that the path was likely used for some sort of travel or commerce. The party followed the path to the South and, just as darkness began to fall, stumbled upon the wreckage of a cart and the remains of the final two workers. Strangely, their bodies didn't show signs of struggle or wounds. Doc searched the cart and found, to his bewilderment, insignias from his old Slabtown crew emblazoned upon several small crates. As they investigated the scene, Talos heard the low rumble of a cat-type creature coming from the nearby forest. The sound seemed to travel every few minutes to different sides of the path, and the heroes quickly grew worried that they were being stalked. Sure enough, something lashed out from the forest striking Talos on the back with a rasping, sharp pain, yanking him toward the treeline and knocking him to his knees. As he collected himself, Talos found a pair of glowing yellow cat eyes staring at him through the thicket. A large, sleek-black feline creature with six legs and hovering tentacle-like appendages emerged from the forest and combat ensued.
The displacer beast made quick work of Talos (but not before he managed to hurl a lightning bolt igniting the forest). Doc and Fhasys found it incredibly difficult to hit the animal due to some strange "blurring" effect. The creature seemed to periodically phase-shift, making it hard to know where to aim. After a few rounds, another cat came bounding up the path to join the fray. Ultimately, the heroes were victorious albeit badly wounded. They limped their way further South, out of range of the now raging forest fire, and set up camp for a short rest.
Talos, still consumed by a compulsion to visit the ruins, took the party off-path toward the East. He seemed to intuitively know how to get to the ruins. As they traveled, they crossed a large stream leading from a lake far to the North. Talos noticed a warm, golden shimmer coming through the trees by the lake and they decided to visit on the way back. Further still, the forest opened up into another crude path on which the heroes encountered a lone, wandering half-elf ranger named Trace who seemed to know exactly where Talos was headed. Trace offered his assistance to get them through the last stretch of forest and to the ruins themselves, but once they got there things got weird.
Trace vanished and then re-appeared at the far end of the ruins dressed as a robed acolyte. Talos and Doc became overcome with a desire to move to the center of the ruins and stand on a large stone pedestal while the robed person began chanting in a strange language. The sky began to grow dark, the winds picked up swirling around the pedestal, and Fhasys got the heebie-jeebies. She launched a bolt at the acolyte but missed. Her second bolt hit the robed figure, momentarily staggering him and halting the chant. His form shape shifted into a strange, tall, hairless blue humanoid and the wound only increased his resolve to finish the ritual. With his final words, the veil of illusion around the ruins fell revealing a circle of acolytes surrounding the party and a far more dark and twisted forest. A rift appeared in the air above Doc and Talos and, as Fhasys stared skyward horrified of what was to come, a pair of large insectoid claws pushed their way through into their dimension. Doc and Talos lit up with excitement in anticipation of what was to come. They'd finally made it home.
The heroes stood around for a bit fussing over a strange ceramic jug that Doc had picked up in the Tomb of Urzaan that had yet to be identified. Despite feeling like it was empty, shaking the jug produced sloshing noises as if full of liquid. Popping the cork released a very strong stench of vinegar, and Fhasys once again volunteered to be a guinea pig by taking a sip; sure enough, vinegar, Still somewhat confused by this jug, Doc decided he'd wander around the Quanlo bazaar in search of a shopkeeper who might know more about the object. Talos followed suit and set out to see if he could find any unusual items in the bazaar for procurement while Fhasys scouted for crossbows and armor.
Doc had all but decided his search to be fruitless when an old lady at an herbalist stand called out to him. The shop keeper seemed very curious about his jug but was unable to glean any specifics from Doc in terms of where exactly he'd found it or the circumstances revolving around its procurement. She did volunteer some basic information about it, saying that the liquid contents changed every day, but did not know exactly which liquids this particular jug could contain. Mostly satisfied, Doc left the shop and noticed a cloud of billowing smoke filling the sky at the far end of the bazaar.
Talos had discovered a high-end clothing shop sporting oodles of finely crafted shirts and pants, one of which seemed to radiate magical energy. After snubbing his Elven nose at the shop keep on his way in, he immediately found himself on the short end of the stick when it came to bargaining. This particular shirt was far too expensive for his liking, so he decided to pay Fhasys to steal it for him.
Fhasys cased the shop and decided a distraction was necessary to sneak inside. Slipping into the shadows between the shop and one adjacent to it, she dribbled a trail of oil on the grass and lit it on fire. As the townsfolk began to panic and call the guards to help with the fire, she managed to slip inside the shop and steal the shirt. On the way out, however, a guard spotted her and gave chase. Doc arrived on the scene just as the two took off running. Fhasys ducked inside another clothing shop and ran into the owner, who asked what she was running from. Claiming some form of physical abuse by the pursuant guard, the shop owner felt overcome with compassion and hid Fhasys in her basement shelter. The guard got a talking-to by the owner for his inappropriate behavior and Fhasys was let out once he left.
Thanking Fhasys for her hard work, the trio decided to call it a night and turned-in. During the night, Talos was again plagued with dreams about the Ruins of Enra and woke up seriously compelled to begin the journey. Comparing notes, the heroes decided to head down into the Ragneron forest to scope out the lumber camp situation, see if they can locate Doc's friend Peter, and to hit up the ruins once and for all so Doc and Talos can get over their compulsions.
After an uneventful half-day walk, the crew found the lumber camp completely deserted. Doc and Fhasys poked around two smaller administrative buildings discovering a business log (last entry from several days prior) and some human footprints heading out and into the nearby forest. Talos, spotting a large barracks type structure at the far end of the camp, suggested they investigate. Several lumber worker corpses lay strewn about the entrance to the barracks, covered in green acidic slime. The entire front of the building had also been coated in a layer of this slime, suggesting that their favorite dragon had likely paid a visit. Poking her head inside, Fhasys heard multiple sources of guttural breathing, saw a figure standing in the corner of the main room repeatedly bumping into the wall, and decided it'd be best to leave the place as-is. Clearly, the barracks had been infested with undead.
Turning their attention back to the human tracks, the heroes followed them into the woods. After 10 min of walking, they encountered a corpse hunched against a tree that had clearly been munched upon. Continuing to follow the tracks, the dense forest opened up into a roughly carved path through the woods heading North/South. Wagon tracks were spotted, meaning that the path was likely used for some sort of travel or commerce. The party followed the path to the South and, just as darkness began to fall, stumbled upon the wreckage of a cart and the remains of the final two workers. Strangely, their bodies didn't show signs of struggle or wounds. Doc searched the cart and found, to his bewilderment, insignias from his old Slabtown crew emblazoned upon several small crates. As they investigated the scene, Talos heard the low rumble of a cat-type creature coming from the nearby forest. The sound seemed to travel every few minutes to different sides of the path, and the heroes quickly grew worried that they were being stalked. Sure enough, something lashed out from the forest striking Talos on the back with a rasping, sharp pain, yanking him toward the treeline and knocking him to his knees. As he collected himself, Talos found a pair of glowing yellow cat eyes staring at him through the thicket. A large, sleek-black feline creature with six legs and hovering tentacle-like appendages emerged from the forest and combat ensued.
The displacer beast made quick work of Talos (but not before he managed to hurl a lightning bolt igniting the forest). Doc and Fhasys found it incredibly difficult to hit the animal due to some strange "blurring" effect. The creature seemed to periodically phase-shift, making it hard to know where to aim. After a few rounds, another cat came bounding up the path to join the fray. Ultimately, the heroes were victorious albeit badly wounded. They limped their way further South, out of range of the now raging forest fire, and set up camp for a short rest.
Talos, still consumed by a compulsion to visit the ruins, took the party off-path toward the East. He seemed to intuitively know how to get to the ruins. As they traveled, they crossed a large stream leading from a lake far to the North. Talos noticed a warm, golden shimmer coming through the trees by the lake and they decided to visit on the way back. Further still, the forest opened up into another crude path on which the heroes encountered a lone, wandering half-elf ranger named Trace who seemed to know exactly where Talos was headed. Trace offered his assistance to get them through the last stretch of forest and to the ruins themselves, but once they got there things got weird.
Trace vanished and then re-appeared at the far end of the ruins dressed as a robed acolyte. Talos and Doc became overcome with a desire to move to the center of the ruins and stand on a large stone pedestal while the robed person began chanting in a strange language. The sky began to grow dark, the winds picked up swirling around the pedestal, and Fhasys got the heebie-jeebies. She launched a bolt at the acolyte but missed. Her second bolt hit the robed figure, momentarily staggering him and halting the chant. His form shape shifted into a strange, tall, hairless blue humanoid and the wound only increased his resolve to finish the ritual. With his final words, the veil of illusion around the ruins fell revealing a circle of acolytes surrounding the party and a far more dark and twisted forest. A rift appeared in the air above Doc and Talos and, as Fhasys stared skyward horrified of what was to come, a pair of large insectoid claws pushed their way through into their dimension. Doc and Talos lit up with excitement in anticipation of what was to come. They'd finally made it home.
Monday, July 27, 2015
The Story Of Bigzid
Clan Phiff was one of the largest and oldest Dragonborn tribes that had settled in the mountains north of Erenon after the Loosening that had freed them of their full-size dragon overseers. Known for their acid breath, Bigzid's line had held their territory for ten generations. Through guile and providence, they held a pinch point in the mountains where they would raid passersby and, as they became more civilized, traded with them. A settlement with three or four larger buildings with defensible gates slowly began to take foothold. The Dragonborn clans evolved into a strict patriarchy and the Phiff family was no exception.
Leadership in the family meant chieftainship of the town, and Bigzid was the second son to Tyee Ickfam, the current chief of Phifferary. Bigzid's elder brother had been born mentally handicapped, subject to fits, and was rarely to be seen in daylight. This might have been an easy succession for
Bigzid, but Ickfam had siblings and thus cousins arrived.
Molzahn was thought initially to suffer from the same mania as Gix, Bigzid's elder brother; he'd killed and eaten most of his litter mates when the opportunity arose. The difference, however, was that Gix didn't have the mind to wait until he was unwatched. Molzahn, ambitious from the beginning, was eldest of Ickfam's sister and possibly illegitimate as there were questions as to how her elderly husband could manage to sire children in his ill health. Molzahn, after coming of age, sought after the "prize of the mountain passes" -- a cold-breather from House Ouroborus named Llyra and a prize coveted by Bigzid as well.
Naturally, Molzahn and Bigzid both feuded over the hand of Llyra. These clashes grew increasingly bitter as they grew older and their enmity divided the tiny colony. There were those who cheered Molzahn's victory at all costs and envisioned his combining Phiff and Ouroboros for the good of both houses. Bigzid, the far superior physical specimen, appealed to those who adhered to the Dragonborn faith in the hunt. Hunting was among the first things necessary when the Dragonborn needed to fend for themselves and their affinity for the spear and halberd was a point of pride and religion for them. Bigzid had been training since boyhood to embark on his Provenance, which would take place at 25 (in human years) to the south in the Sands of Olais. The Provenance hunt was the most certain method to ascend to Tyee. Bagging the legendary giant purple worm would seal Bigzid's rulership and secure Llyra's hand, despite her taste for Molzahn's words and ambition.
Ickfam, for his part, simply wanted the best for the Clan. No challenges would a soft leader make. His son's success in his Provenance, in spite of Molzahn's politics and scheming, would be proof of his readiness and fortitude. He wasted no time in calling the ceremony after Bigzid's
25th birthday. It was a must that the drake in question ride out alone and encounter what he would on the way to the Sands. It had been three generations since a truly successful Provenance hunt. The giant worm was the symbol of freedom from the yoke of the Dragon and there was no better trophy for the future Tyee.
On the day of the departure, all of the Ouroboros clan arrived in Phifferary to join the festivities and revel in their shared peace. At sundown, a mounted Bigzid rode toward the gate. Molzahn, standing next to Llyra, wouldn't look in his direction as he rode by. Many ancestors didn't return from Provenances, eventually swallowed by the sands. Still, it was tough not to feel certain as the vibrating hisses of assent followed the son of Ickfam out the gate to the swirling Sands.
After several days of scouting and reading the land for signs of the giant worm, the creature finally made its presence known. Bigzid mounted his horse and gave chase. The worm was far more enormous and menacing than he could have ever dreamed, and somewhere in his gut he knew it would be too much for he alone to tackle, yet the Dragon blood drove him forward. Bigzid chased the worm for two days straight, driving his mount to near exhaustion, when he nearly trampled over a quartet of stranded adventurers in the desert.
Leadership in the family meant chieftainship of the town, and Bigzid was the second son to Tyee Ickfam, the current chief of Phifferary. Bigzid's elder brother had been born mentally handicapped, subject to fits, and was rarely to be seen in daylight. This might have been an easy succession for
Bigzid, but Ickfam had siblings and thus cousins arrived.
Molzahn was thought initially to suffer from the same mania as Gix, Bigzid's elder brother; he'd killed and eaten most of his litter mates when the opportunity arose. The difference, however, was that Gix didn't have the mind to wait until he was unwatched. Molzahn, ambitious from the beginning, was eldest of Ickfam's sister and possibly illegitimate as there were questions as to how her elderly husband could manage to sire children in his ill health. Molzahn, after coming of age, sought after the "prize of the mountain passes" -- a cold-breather from House Ouroborus named Llyra and a prize coveted by Bigzid as well.
Naturally, Molzahn and Bigzid both feuded over the hand of Llyra. These clashes grew increasingly bitter as they grew older and their enmity divided the tiny colony. There were those who cheered Molzahn's victory at all costs and envisioned his combining Phiff and Ouroboros for the good of both houses. Bigzid, the far superior physical specimen, appealed to those who adhered to the Dragonborn faith in the hunt. Hunting was among the first things necessary when the Dragonborn needed to fend for themselves and their affinity for the spear and halberd was a point of pride and religion for them. Bigzid had been training since boyhood to embark on his Provenance, which would take place at 25 (in human years) to the south in the Sands of Olais. The Provenance hunt was the most certain method to ascend to Tyee. Bagging the legendary giant purple worm would seal Bigzid's rulership and secure Llyra's hand, despite her taste for Molzahn's words and ambition.
Ickfam, for his part, simply wanted the best for the Clan. No challenges would a soft leader make. His son's success in his Provenance, in spite of Molzahn's politics and scheming, would be proof of his readiness and fortitude. He wasted no time in calling the ceremony after Bigzid's
25th birthday. It was a must that the drake in question ride out alone and encounter what he would on the way to the Sands. It had been three generations since a truly successful Provenance hunt. The giant worm was the symbol of freedom from the yoke of the Dragon and there was no better trophy for the future Tyee.
On the day of the departure, all of the Ouroboros clan arrived in Phifferary to join the festivities and revel in their shared peace. At sundown, a mounted Bigzid rode toward the gate. Molzahn, standing next to Llyra, wouldn't look in his direction as he rode by. Many ancestors didn't return from Provenances, eventually swallowed by the sands. Still, it was tough not to feel certain as the vibrating hisses of assent followed the son of Ickfam out the gate to the swirling Sands.
After several days of scouting and reading the land for signs of the giant worm, the creature finally made its presence known. Bigzid mounted his horse and gave chase. The worm was far more enormous and menacing than he could have ever dreamed, and somewhere in his gut he knew it would be too much for he alone to tackle, yet the Dragon blood drove him forward. Bigzid chased the worm for two days straight, driving his mount to near exhaustion, when he nearly trampled over a quartet of stranded adventurers in the desert.
Monday, July 20, 2015
Episode 17, "Not Like We Left It"
After checking their stocks of food and water, the heroes discussed options as to how to most safely travel back to Quanlo - a 30 mile walk South through the unforgiving desert. Deciding to accept the heightened risk of encounters, the party opted to travel under the cool blanket of night and set out on their trek.
The first night passed by fairly uneventful, and as day broke they set out to find shelter. Doc, scouring the mostly featureless and flat horizon, spotted a darkened spot in the shadow of a giant boulder nearby... likely some sort of burrow or hole. Fhasys headed over to investigate, and cautiously made her way down a long, rough-carved dirt tunnel sloping beneath the boulder overhead. After a brief walk, the tunnel leveled out and opened into a wider area, walls covered in a multitude of openings that were too dark to see into. As she investigated the holes in the dirt room, Fhasys was nearly struck by some type of blue metallic appendage, sharp and lethal, that jabbed out from one of the wall holes nearest her. Once she'd caught her breath, she took another careful look and saw the silhouette of a large spider.
Heading back out topside, Fhasys explained the predicament to the group-there was shelter enough for all, but they'd have to clear out some spiders first. The party agreed that a few spiders would be better than dying of heat exhaustion and headed down into the tunnel. Combat ensued.
Three phase spiders blinked into existence, immediately surrounding the party and attacking in a blur of razor-like teeth and claws. The heroes had never encountered these particular spiders before and were quite taken by surprise, but they ultimately prevailed. Vyreth searched the corpses for useful chitin or venom, but didn't possess the skill needed to properly extract either. They cleaned up a bit and set up shop for a day of sleep.
In the night, on Talos' watch, one final spider phased-in and ambushed the meditating elf. The last spider having been slain, the heroes tucked themselves in one more time in hopes of a solid night's sleep...
They woke up well rested and climbed out of their spider hole back into the blue moonlit desert for the final leg of their journey. As they stood around bickering and discussing the prior night's events, the ground beneath them began to vibrate and then shake. A huge dust cloud appeared on the distant horizon, and despite the continual shaking underfoot, the heroes stood their ground in curious anticipation. The shaking grew in intensity as they watched the cloud draw slowly closer and a few heroes struggled to stay on their feet. Then, just in front of the approaching dirt cloud, a giant purple worm breached the surface of the desert and-after a momentary arc up through the air-plowed back underground once more. The shaking intensified.
Bigzid, a dragonborn of a local mountain clan, was on the chase of his life! But, after pursuing this humongous worm for nearly two days straight, he and his horse were beginning to tire. He'd chucked a spear or two at the immense creature to no effect, and no matter how fast he rode the worm casually ambled onward just out of reach. Still, he was intent on bringing back this trophy to his peers to prove his value as a hunter.
In the flurry of dust being kicked up by the worm, not to mention the nearly deafening sound created by all the rocks breaking-up all around them, Bigzid barely heard someone yelling through the chaos. Then, in the blink of an eye, his horse instinctively veered off course to avoid four humanoid figures standing dumbfounded right in his path. The image stuck in his mind for a few moments, eliciting enough curiosity to derail him from the chase, and his horse skidded to a halt some hundred feet out. Knowing there really was no way in hell that he could actually bag this monster, Bigzid decided instead to discover these rare desert travelers.
Offering his skills as a desert guide, Bigzid lead the heroes the rest of the way to Quanlo safely. However, once the foothills appeared in the distance, it was clear that something was amiss. A huge swath of campsites dotted the area surrounding the canyon entrance to Quanlo-a strange sight to behold. Perhaps there was some sort of massive event going on in town? The heroes drew closer and Talos approached some random campers to inquire.
As it turned out, a small horde of undead had descended upon Quanlo, forcing the barring of the city gates and displacing hundreds of travelers heading that way. Doc, Vyreth, Fhasys and Bigzid headed into the canyons to investigate the situation while Talos looked for anyone who might be in charge of the ramshackle settlement. He found one old man, quite snarky and cynical, who rebuffed his initial attempts at persuasion to conscript a peasant army to fight the legions of undead. But, as Talos was full aware, this was a perfect situation for Suggestion. Eventually, the rest of the party reconvened in the encampment and the old man had set off (under Talos' advice) to find the best fighters among the civilians for an assault.
Bigzid gave a rabble-rousing speech to the conscripts and the crew headed into the canyons toward Quanlo. As they grew nearer to the city walls, the sound of screaming and clashing of metal echoed off the canyon walls. A black morass of undead globbed around the walls like some disease infesting the city, a handful of well armored Iron Gate guards hacked their way through the mob valiantly, and archers rained down arrows from the parapets. Even closer and the stench of rotting flesh became so overpowering that some heroes couldn't help but stagger and retch. By their estimates, there were around 60 undead-a mix of skeletons, zombies, and ghasts-and 12 soldiers defending the walls on the ground. Bigzid tried his best to "pull" onesie-twosies from the mob into his civilian defense force as Talos levitated himself (and a rope) up the side of the wall.
The archers atop the wall, upon seeing a robed elven mage casually levitating at their level, were a bit surprised to say the least. They trained their bows on Talos and summoned the sergeant, who ended up being highly skeptical of his honest approach. Eventually, the sergeant acquiesced, escorting Talos into the mages guild to meet with Reeser about the tomb. As they walked away, Talos anchored a long rope beneath the wall ledge using Mage Hand and all but Bigzid climbed to safety.
The black dragon circled overhead as a massive battle ensued. Fhasys joined the archers launching arrows down into the fray while Vyreth and Doc exhausted their spell supply. Huge lightning storms erupted above the mass of undead, frying dozens to a crisp, and Bigzid worked deliberately to pull small groups of undead into his conscript force.
Talos, meanwhile, me with Reeser to discuss the details of their findings in the Tomb of Urzaan. Reeser was confused and concerned by the mention of the scepter they'd handed over to the ancient black dragon, but admitted that he knew nothing of either. During this discussion, Talos spotted a mage standing near a doorway across the room suddenly grab his things and shuffle off down the hall muttering, "It can't be... It simply can't be!" Reeser committed to sending a group of mages to Lehren to seal the Embershale mine, as promised, and Talos headed back out to the walls.
Many of the Gate soldiers perished during the battle, but ultimately the wall was freed of the putrid invasion. The dragon, spotting the heroes below, dive-bombed and blasted a wide swath of acid across the path into the city immediately melting the conscripts and causing some damage to Bigzid. Talos, seeing the dragon come barreling down through the canyon, rushed down to the inner walls and persuaded the guards to crack the gate so he could come inside.
As the Quanlo guard gathered around the heroes cheering their victory, a knot formed in their stomachs... Was this invasion somehow related to the scepter they handed over to the dragon a couple nights prior, outside the tomb?
The first night passed by fairly uneventful, and as day broke they set out to find shelter. Doc, scouring the mostly featureless and flat horizon, spotted a darkened spot in the shadow of a giant boulder nearby... likely some sort of burrow or hole. Fhasys headed over to investigate, and cautiously made her way down a long, rough-carved dirt tunnel sloping beneath the boulder overhead. After a brief walk, the tunnel leveled out and opened into a wider area, walls covered in a multitude of openings that were too dark to see into. As she investigated the holes in the dirt room, Fhasys was nearly struck by some type of blue metallic appendage, sharp and lethal, that jabbed out from one of the wall holes nearest her. Once she'd caught her breath, she took another careful look and saw the silhouette of a large spider.
Heading back out topside, Fhasys explained the predicament to the group-there was shelter enough for all, but they'd have to clear out some spiders first. The party agreed that a few spiders would be better than dying of heat exhaustion and headed down into the tunnel. Combat ensued.
Three phase spiders blinked into existence, immediately surrounding the party and attacking in a blur of razor-like teeth and claws. The heroes had never encountered these particular spiders before and were quite taken by surprise, but they ultimately prevailed. Vyreth searched the corpses for useful chitin or venom, but didn't possess the skill needed to properly extract either. They cleaned up a bit and set up shop for a day of sleep.
In the night, on Talos' watch, one final spider phased-in and ambushed the meditating elf. The last spider having been slain, the heroes tucked themselves in one more time in hopes of a solid night's sleep...
They woke up well rested and climbed out of their spider hole back into the blue moonlit desert for the final leg of their journey. As they stood around bickering and discussing the prior night's events, the ground beneath them began to vibrate and then shake. A huge dust cloud appeared on the distant horizon, and despite the continual shaking underfoot, the heroes stood their ground in curious anticipation. The shaking grew in intensity as they watched the cloud draw slowly closer and a few heroes struggled to stay on their feet. Then, just in front of the approaching dirt cloud, a giant purple worm breached the surface of the desert and-after a momentary arc up through the air-plowed back underground once more. The shaking intensified.
Bigzid, a dragonborn of a local mountain clan, was on the chase of his life! But, after pursuing this humongous worm for nearly two days straight, he and his horse were beginning to tire. He'd chucked a spear or two at the immense creature to no effect, and no matter how fast he rode the worm casually ambled onward just out of reach. Still, he was intent on bringing back this trophy to his peers to prove his value as a hunter.
In the flurry of dust being kicked up by the worm, not to mention the nearly deafening sound created by all the rocks breaking-up all around them, Bigzid barely heard someone yelling through the chaos. Then, in the blink of an eye, his horse instinctively veered off course to avoid four humanoid figures standing dumbfounded right in his path. The image stuck in his mind for a few moments, eliciting enough curiosity to derail him from the chase, and his horse skidded to a halt some hundred feet out. Knowing there really was no way in hell that he could actually bag this monster, Bigzid decided instead to discover these rare desert travelers.
Offering his skills as a desert guide, Bigzid lead the heroes the rest of the way to Quanlo safely. However, once the foothills appeared in the distance, it was clear that something was amiss. A huge swath of campsites dotted the area surrounding the canyon entrance to Quanlo-a strange sight to behold. Perhaps there was some sort of massive event going on in town? The heroes drew closer and Talos approached some random campers to inquire.
As it turned out, a small horde of undead had descended upon Quanlo, forcing the barring of the city gates and displacing hundreds of travelers heading that way. Doc, Vyreth, Fhasys and Bigzid headed into the canyons to investigate the situation while Talos looked for anyone who might be in charge of the ramshackle settlement. He found one old man, quite snarky and cynical, who rebuffed his initial attempts at persuasion to conscript a peasant army to fight the legions of undead. But, as Talos was full aware, this was a perfect situation for Suggestion. Eventually, the rest of the party reconvened in the encampment and the old man had set off (under Talos' advice) to find the best fighters among the civilians for an assault.
Bigzid gave a rabble-rousing speech to the conscripts and the crew headed into the canyons toward Quanlo. As they grew nearer to the city walls, the sound of screaming and clashing of metal echoed off the canyon walls. A black morass of undead globbed around the walls like some disease infesting the city, a handful of well armored Iron Gate guards hacked their way through the mob valiantly, and archers rained down arrows from the parapets. Even closer and the stench of rotting flesh became so overpowering that some heroes couldn't help but stagger and retch. By their estimates, there were around 60 undead-a mix of skeletons, zombies, and ghasts-and 12 soldiers defending the walls on the ground. Bigzid tried his best to "pull" onesie-twosies from the mob into his civilian defense force as Talos levitated himself (and a rope) up the side of the wall.
The archers atop the wall, upon seeing a robed elven mage casually levitating at their level, were a bit surprised to say the least. They trained their bows on Talos and summoned the sergeant, who ended up being highly skeptical of his honest approach. Eventually, the sergeant acquiesced, escorting Talos into the mages guild to meet with Reeser about the tomb. As they walked away, Talos anchored a long rope beneath the wall ledge using Mage Hand and all but Bigzid climbed to safety.
The black dragon circled overhead as a massive battle ensued. Fhasys joined the archers launching arrows down into the fray while Vyreth and Doc exhausted their spell supply. Huge lightning storms erupted above the mass of undead, frying dozens to a crisp, and Bigzid worked deliberately to pull small groups of undead into his conscript force.
Talos, meanwhile, me with Reeser to discuss the details of their findings in the Tomb of Urzaan. Reeser was confused and concerned by the mention of the scepter they'd handed over to the ancient black dragon, but admitted that he knew nothing of either. During this discussion, Talos spotted a mage standing near a doorway across the room suddenly grab his things and shuffle off down the hall muttering, "It can't be... It simply can't be!" Reeser committed to sending a group of mages to Lehren to seal the Embershale mine, as promised, and Talos headed back out to the walls.
Many of the Gate soldiers perished during the battle, but ultimately the wall was freed of the putrid invasion. The dragon, spotting the heroes below, dive-bombed and blasted a wide swath of acid across the path into the city immediately melting the conscripts and causing some damage to Bigzid. Talos, seeing the dragon come barreling down through the canyon, rushed down to the inner walls and persuaded the guards to crack the gate so he could come inside.
As the Quanlo guard gathered around the heroes cheering their victory, a knot formed in their stomachs... Was this invasion somehow related to the scepter they handed over to the dragon a couple nights prior, outside the tomb?
Monday, June 29, 2015
Episode 16, "A Soul Reunion"
The heroes. somewhat bruised from their recent battle with a handful of specters and wights in the throne room, decide to try and squeeze in another long rest before tackling the last stretch of the tomb. Unfortunately, Urzaan's tomb is a fairly active place... During the second half of their rest, Talos is alerted (during his meditation) to the presence of two specters and combat ensues. The party goes back to sleep again hoping for 4 hours of R&R, this time with Talos and Fhasys on watch. A lone skeleton makes an appearance in the yet-to-be-explored tunnel past the demolished wooden doorway. Talos and Fhasys decide to handle it themselves without waking the rest, and Fhasys handily destroys the pile of animated bones with a couple crossbow bolts.
As Fhasys searches the remains of the skeleton, the rest of the party wakes up feeling refreshed. Doc takes to investigating the wrought iron bramble throne and spots three onyx crossbow bolts woven into the metal framework. Talos, curiosity piqued, provides assistance via Mage Hand, which manages to dislodge one of the bolts but can't thread it all the way out of the tangled iron structure. Doc flexes his muscles and bends some of the ironwork out of the way--just enough for the Mage Hand to lift the bolts out... and into Fhasys' open and eager hand.
Upon contact, the shiny black bolts radiate a searing cold through her hand and the veins on her palm begin to turn purple, radiating some sort of poison or disease. Fhasys immediately chucks the bolts into her quiver, and the cold can even be felt through the leather bindings into her shoulder! Doc attends to her now pale and spidery hand by asking Apollo for a blessing. In a stunning turn of fortune, Apollo listens and her hand returns to normal. Fhasys' curiosity remains piqued.
The group presses onward, through the ruined doorway and into another rough carved tunnel that soon opens into a small, shallow muddy creek bisecting the tunnel floor, roughly 20' across. As they stood at the shore of the creek pondering how to cross, Vyreth spots some purpleish fabric flowing in the water in a small alcove upstream and decides to investigate. He discovers two old, robed corpses smashed into the far side of the alcove and reports his findings to the others.
Talos, deciding that he needs a more dedicated and trustworthy friend, animates one of the corpses. The figure manages to crawl out of the alcove, shuffles over to Talos, and stands upright awaiting command. Around its neck hangs another of the "eye" medallions, similar to one found earlier on in the tomb. Talos decides to use his new friend to hold his belongings like some undead pack mule, and--not having a will or conscious of its own--the corpse obeys. Watching this interaction, the rest of the party grows somewhat uneasy with Talos' new found fetish for the undead. First an imp, now a zombie... What next?
Talos sends his zombie back into the alcove to drag out his long-since-deceased companion. The other corpse is significantly disfigured, limbs twisted and contorted as if having been slammed by an immense blunt force. While Talos investigates the second corpse, Doc crawls into the alcove to make sure nothing's been left behind. Scraping some rocks and mud away, he discovers a deep red crystal ball affixed to some sort of ancient bird-like claw, the orb itself slowly pulsing with a red glow. Showing the new trinket to the group, Talos immediately recognizes it as some sort of phylactery--a container for some ancient dragon's soul. After a few minutes of brainstorming the significance of the find, some unseen force slams Doc 10' forward into the tunnel ahead and staggers him. The party, suddenly terrified and not being able to identify the source of the impact, ready their weapons. Combat ensues.
The heroes lash out in the space between Doc and the rest using both weapons and magic in an attempt to hit their invisible enemy. Some hits land, most do not, and the only clue to this being's existence is an intermittent shimmer when it moves into a new space. Doc gets slammed once more before Talos takes aim with Scorching Ray, illuminating the entirety of this strange, hulking enemy for a brief moment. The creature turns to Fhasys and plows her into the nearby tunnel wall, knocking her immediately unconscious. Every time the creature connects with an attack, a deep, windy voice seems to groan, "Urzaan". Apparently this thing and Urzaan are friends?
Talos, in a deft display of tactical maneuvering and spell casting talent, whips just out of LoS with the party and unleashes a nasty lightning bolt which completely incinerates their assailant on the spot. Stunned in disbelief, the heroes pause to catch their breath and figure out what just happened. Vyreth manages to bring Fhasys back to consciousness using healing magic, and Talos casually offers up one of his unidentified purple potions to top her off. Fhasys throws caution to the wind and quaffs the brew, immediately puffing out of corporeal form and into a cloud of fog. Delighted with the turn of events, Fhasys floats away down the tunnel to scout and reports back using a series of jiggles and bounces (she can't speak in this form). The group continues onward, but forgets that Fhasys was their key trap finder... Doc steps on another pressure plate and is hit with several poison darts. Luckily, his stout constitution prevents any significant damage. Talos sends his zombie to the front of the party to absorb the next round of poison darts, and the crew finally emerges into a large open chamber.
A jagged, blackened rock formation seems to sprout from the floor on the opposite side of the room, in which has been carved an ornate stone gateway of sorts. Through the gateway is nothing but a dirt wall, confounding the party for a moment until Talos realizes it's some sort of deactivated portal. The heroes light two large braziers hoping that it will somehow awaken the portal, but nothing happens. Having had reached the end of the final tunnel in Urzaan's tomb, the party turns back and makes the long trek back to the surface.
The crew emerges into the darkness of night, and immediately notices that the illusory bubble that had been swirling around the tomb entrance is no more. Looking around for their ride back to Quanlo, they find only the silhouette of a humongous ancient undead dragon lying in wait. The dragon awakens and casually welcomes the heroes, thanking them for their "help". Recognizing the dragon as the same who visited them back in Lehren during the funeral pyre, the heroes humbly ask for a ride back to town as the remains of their cart and driver now lay smashed beneath one of the dragon's claws. Unfortunately, the dragon is here for one thing... the phylactery.
Stretching its gigantic, decaying neck and head toward the heroes, the dragon takes a massive sniff and locates the object in Doc's pack. Realizing he has little recourse, Doc hands the dragon the phylactery... The dragon pops the crystal ball like candy between two huge teeth and the heroes watch, helpless, as its soul reunites with its body. Once again, Vyreth asks for a ride back to town but the dragon clearly has better things to do. It takes flight kicking up a huge sandstorm and disappears into the night, leaving the party with only a few remaining hours of cool night before the scorching heat of the desert will return in an attempt to claim their lives.
As Fhasys searches the remains of the skeleton, the rest of the party wakes up feeling refreshed. Doc takes to investigating the wrought iron bramble throne and spots three onyx crossbow bolts woven into the metal framework. Talos, curiosity piqued, provides assistance via Mage Hand, which manages to dislodge one of the bolts but can't thread it all the way out of the tangled iron structure. Doc flexes his muscles and bends some of the ironwork out of the way--just enough for the Mage Hand to lift the bolts out... and into Fhasys' open and eager hand.
Upon contact, the shiny black bolts radiate a searing cold through her hand and the veins on her palm begin to turn purple, radiating some sort of poison or disease. Fhasys immediately chucks the bolts into her quiver, and the cold can even be felt through the leather bindings into her shoulder! Doc attends to her now pale and spidery hand by asking Apollo for a blessing. In a stunning turn of fortune, Apollo listens and her hand returns to normal. Fhasys' curiosity remains piqued.
The group presses onward, through the ruined doorway and into another rough carved tunnel that soon opens into a small, shallow muddy creek bisecting the tunnel floor, roughly 20' across. As they stood at the shore of the creek pondering how to cross, Vyreth spots some purpleish fabric flowing in the water in a small alcove upstream and decides to investigate. He discovers two old, robed corpses smashed into the far side of the alcove and reports his findings to the others.
Talos, deciding that he needs a more dedicated and trustworthy friend, animates one of the corpses. The figure manages to crawl out of the alcove, shuffles over to Talos, and stands upright awaiting command. Around its neck hangs another of the "eye" medallions, similar to one found earlier on in the tomb. Talos decides to use his new friend to hold his belongings like some undead pack mule, and--not having a will or conscious of its own--the corpse obeys. Watching this interaction, the rest of the party grows somewhat uneasy with Talos' new found fetish for the undead. First an imp, now a zombie... What next?
Talos sends his zombie back into the alcove to drag out his long-since-deceased companion. The other corpse is significantly disfigured, limbs twisted and contorted as if having been slammed by an immense blunt force. While Talos investigates the second corpse, Doc crawls into the alcove to make sure nothing's been left behind. Scraping some rocks and mud away, he discovers a deep red crystal ball affixed to some sort of ancient bird-like claw, the orb itself slowly pulsing with a red glow. Showing the new trinket to the group, Talos immediately recognizes it as some sort of phylactery--a container for some ancient dragon's soul. After a few minutes of brainstorming the significance of the find, some unseen force slams Doc 10' forward into the tunnel ahead and staggers him. The party, suddenly terrified and not being able to identify the source of the impact, ready their weapons. Combat ensues.
The heroes lash out in the space between Doc and the rest using both weapons and magic in an attempt to hit their invisible enemy. Some hits land, most do not, and the only clue to this being's existence is an intermittent shimmer when it moves into a new space. Doc gets slammed once more before Talos takes aim with Scorching Ray, illuminating the entirety of this strange, hulking enemy for a brief moment. The creature turns to Fhasys and plows her into the nearby tunnel wall, knocking her immediately unconscious. Every time the creature connects with an attack, a deep, windy voice seems to groan, "Urzaan". Apparently this thing and Urzaan are friends?
Talos, in a deft display of tactical maneuvering and spell casting talent, whips just out of LoS with the party and unleashes a nasty lightning bolt which completely incinerates their assailant on the spot. Stunned in disbelief, the heroes pause to catch their breath and figure out what just happened. Vyreth manages to bring Fhasys back to consciousness using healing magic, and Talos casually offers up one of his unidentified purple potions to top her off. Fhasys throws caution to the wind and quaffs the brew, immediately puffing out of corporeal form and into a cloud of fog. Delighted with the turn of events, Fhasys floats away down the tunnel to scout and reports back using a series of jiggles and bounces (she can't speak in this form). The group continues onward, but forgets that Fhasys was their key trap finder... Doc steps on another pressure plate and is hit with several poison darts. Luckily, his stout constitution prevents any significant damage. Talos sends his zombie to the front of the party to absorb the next round of poison darts, and the crew finally emerges into a large open chamber.
A jagged, blackened rock formation seems to sprout from the floor on the opposite side of the room, in which has been carved an ornate stone gateway of sorts. Through the gateway is nothing but a dirt wall, confounding the party for a moment until Talos realizes it's some sort of deactivated portal. The heroes light two large braziers hoping that it will somehow awaken the portal, but nothing happens. Having had reached the end of the final tunnel in Urzaan's tomb, the party turns back and makes the long trek back to the surface.
The crew emerges into the darkness of night, and immediately notices that the illusory bubble that had been swirling around the tomb entrance is no more. Looking around for their ride back to Quanlo, they find only the silhouette of a humongous ancient undead dragon lying in wait. The dragon awakens and casually welcomes the heroes, thanking them for their "help". Recognizing the dragon as the same who visited them back in Lehren during the funeral pyre, the heroes humbly ask for a ride back to town as the remains of their cart and driver now lay smashed beneath one of the dragon's claws. Unfortunately, the dragon is here for one thing... the phylactery.
Stretching its gigantic, decaying neck and head toward the heroes, the dragon takes a massive sniff and locates the object in Doc's pack. Realizing he has little recourse, Doc hands the dragon the phylactery... The dragon pops the crystal ball like candy between two huge teeth and the heroes watch, helpless, as its soul reunites with its body. Once again, Vyreth asks for a ride back to town but the dragon clearly has better things to do. It takes flight kicking up a huge sandstorm and disappears into the night, leaving the party with only a few remaining hours of cool night before the scorching heat of the desert will return in an attempt to claim their lives.
Thursday, June 18, 2015
Episode 15, "Ph4t L3wt and Onward!"
The heroes awoke from a quiet, long rest deep within Urzaan's tomb feeling refreshed and ready to press forward. Talos and Doc shared a strange dream of traveling to the Ruins of Enra together and awakened with an odd compulsion to head to the forest, ASAP. After making their desires known, the lot fiddled around in their packs, suddenly realizing that they had amassed quite a pile of ph4t l3wt that hadn't yet been identified. The crew spent roughly an hour sorting, identifying, and bickering over ownership rights before finally heading back out into the tunnels toward the last junction.
Fhasys turned her attention to her new found rust colored fabric pouch. She found nothing but darkness inside the bag, and when she shook it out a small pink fuzz ball floated out and down to the ground. Using his keen knowledge of arcana, Talos was able to provide some "insight" as to the nature of the pouch and suggested he take it for safe keeping without really explaining why.
Next up was the creepy silver/onyx dagger that Fhasys had picked up, and Talos was able to discern some sort of poisonous, disease-type effect. Finally, Talos placed the "eye" medallion they'd found as being a very old symbol of a fledgling cult or guild.
Doc, having slept with his creepy set of pan flutes, woke up feeling like he knew how to activate them but not quite sure as to what they actually do. Blowing a little ditty, his friends were suddenly overcome with feelings of fear and mistrust which passed as soon as the music abated. The other heroes glared suspiciously at the paladin and advised him not to do that again.
Redistributing and stashing their loot back in their packs, the heroes made their way back to the last junction they could recall, dead-ending at another magically sealed door. Vyreth cast dispel magic and shoved the slab to the side, causing a back draft of foul, putrid and heavy air to wash over them. Save for the few who are immune to disease and poison, the remaining heroes collapsed to the ground retching. As they collected their senses and peered down the dark stairway, they heard the distant sounds of bones scraping against the floor. Feeling significantly more cautious than usual, Talos illuminated a rock with Light and tossed it down the stairs. The rock bounced down for quite a ways until coming to rest at the base, facing a wall where the tunnel veered left. Steeling themselves for yet another encounter, the lot headed downstairs.
The tunnel at the bottom of the stairs opened into a large, dark cavern. Those with darkvision were able to make out a bookshelf and an alchemy table at the far end of the room. Fhasys, in a stunning display of hand-eye coordination, hurled a handful of ball bearings through the entrance and toward the other side, shattering several ceramic dishes sitting on the bookshelf. Nothing stirred.
They tip-toed slowly into the cavern and discovered, laying off to one side, the skeletal remains of a humongous snake! Wasting no time, Fhasys used the element of surprise to blast a crossbow bolt through its neck and combat ensued.
The giant skeletal snake animated and attacked the party with a dark ferocity, casting Sleep and Lightning Bolt to decimate the intruders. Two specters joined the fray, lashing through their flesh with cold icy claws and draining their strength. Fortunately, the heroes prevailed and scored some interesting trinkets from the laboratory.
At this point, there was a heated discussion about whether or not they ought to continue sticking their noses in places of such evil... Talos and Doc, once again, urged the group to abandon the dungeon in light of their dreams the night prior. Fhasys mentioned that "the DM" would want them to continue exploring the rest of the dungeon, a reference mostly lost on the party at-large but likely merely a projection of her own inner desires, and they all seemed in agreement. Onward. But, maybe after another long rest...
Fhasys turned her attention to her new found rust colored fabric pouch. She found nothing but darkness inside the bag, and when she shook it out a small pink fuzz ball floated out and down to the ground. Using his keen knowledge of arcana, Talos was able to provide some "insight" as to the nature of the pouch and suggested he take it for safe keeping without really explaining why.
Next up was the creepy silver/onyx dagger that Fhasys had picked up, and Talos was able to discern some sort of poisonous, disease-type effect. Finally, Talos placed the "eye" medallion they'd found as being a very old symbol of a fledgling cult or guild.
Doc, having slept with his creepy set of pan flutes, woke up feeling like he knew how to activate them but not quite sure as to what they actually do. Blowing a little ditty, his friends were suddenly overcome with feelings of fear and mistrust which passed as soon as the music abated. The other heroes glared suspiciously at the paladin and advised him not to do that again.
Redistributing and stashing their loot back in their packs, the heroes made their way back to the last junction they could recall, dead-ending at another magically sealed door. Vyreth cast dispel magic and shoved the slab to the side, causing a back draft of foul, putrid and heavy air to wash over them. Save for the few who are immune to disease and poison, the remaining heroes collapsed to the ground retching. As they collected their senses and peered down the dark stairway, they heard the distant sounds of bones scraping against the floor. Feeling significantly more cautious than usual, Talos illuminated a rock with Light and tossed it down the stairs. The rock bounced down for quite a ways until coming to rest at the base, facing a wall where the tunnel veered left. Steeling themselves for yet another encounter, the lot headed downstairs.
The tunnel at the bottom of the stairs opened into a large, dark cavern. Those with darkvision were able to make out a bookshelf and an alchemy table at the far end of the room. Fhasys, in a stunning display of hand-eye coordination, hurled a handful of ball bearings through the entrance and toward the other side, shattering several ceramic dishes sitting on the bookshelf. Nothing stirred.
They tip-toed slowly into the cavern and discovered, laying off to one side, the skeletal remains of a humongous snake! Wasting no time, Fhasys used the element of surprise to blast a crossbow bolt through its neck and combat ensued.
The giant skeletal snake animated and attacked the party with a dark ferocity, casting Sleep and Lightning Bolt to decimate the intruders. Two specters joined the fray, lashing through their flesh with cold icy claws and draining their strength. Fortunately, the heroes prevailed and scored some interesting trinkets from the laboratory.
At this point, there was a heated discussion about whether or not they ought to continue sticking their noses in places of such evil... Talos and Doc, once again, urged the group to abandon the dungeon in light of their dreams the night prior. Fhasys mentioned that "the DM" would want them to continue exploring the rest of the dungeon, a reference mostly lost on the party at-large but likely merely a projection of her own inner desires, and they all seemed in agreement. Onward. But, maybe after another long rest...
Tuesday, May 26, 2015
Episode 14, "Master of the House"
The heroes manage to scrape together a long rest while barricaded in the guard room. Upon waking, they set to trying to open the magically locked door on the other side of the room. Doc and Vyreth give it the 'ol heave-ho! with Fhasys' crow bar to no avail. Talos, watching the brutes with great amusement, notices a fine blue glow emanating from the seams of the doorway and realizes that it's magically locked. He fumbles around his sack and procures his only scroll of Dispel Magic... but has a hard time letting go. The group discuss options and even entertain the idea of exploring the rest of the dungeon instead, but eventually sober up and dispel the lock.
The door swings open revealing a long, dark stonework tunnel with another--this time deeper--chasm splitting the ground. Fhasys impulsively takes a running leap, nearly loses her finger hold on the far ledge, but manages to scramble up. Doc, impressed with Fhasys' performance, follows suit... only to lose his grip and tumble down the cliff to the powdery ground below. He lands with a muffled "thud". The remaining heroes scrounge around for a rope and places to tie it up, but only find one such thing on the side from whence they came. Using his Mage Hand, Talos lifts the far end of the rope up to the ground level on the opposite side while Doc summons the last of his energy to scale up the cliff. Doc holds the rope securely for the other two as they high-tail it across the chasm.
The tunnel bends to the left, opening up into a wider tunnel adorned with stone pillars and an ornately carved stone doorway. Fhasys takes lead and absorbs a nasty poison dart trap for the group. They press onward toward the doorway. The door itself is a massive stone slab, polished with more infernal inscriptions, and Vyreth and Doc get to shoving the thing out of the way... but they push the wrong way. Nothing. The other two heroes decide to try the other direction and meet success! The door slides out of the way equalizing the air pressure between the two chambers with a back draft of stagnant air. The room is small, dark, and very cold, containing a decorated chest sitting next to a sacrophagus. Black wisps of smoke-like trails dance around the floor of the room, climbing up the walls and the sarcophagus. The heroes begin to feel the weight of dark emotions--hate and envy and despair begin to settle in. Talos discovers more infernal inscriptions along the lid of the sarcophagus reading simply, "Here lies Urzaan".
Doc jumps the gun and slides the cover off the sarcophagus, the room goes dark, and a tower of black smoke erupts from within forming the visage of a crowned, emaciated, undead king with hollow red orbs for eyes. Urzaan asks why he was summoned, but gets a glib response from the heroes prompting him to attack. The party engages in a brutal encounter with two shadows and the wraith, all of which drain max HP and STR upon contact. The heroes slowly wither away with every hit and begin to worry for their safety. The battle finally ends with the heroes (barely) victorious, struggling to stand and winded from the loss of constitution, and they search the chest. Clearly needing a rest, the heroes once again brave the dungeon depths and turn in. Their first long rest is broken by a couple wights banging at the door. They try and wait it out, hoping for the unwelcome guests to go away, but no dice... The heroes open the door and face the threat. Their second attempt at a long rest is broken by a couple more shadows and combat ensues once again. The party decides they've had enough healing to get by and huddle to figure out the next course of action.
The door swings open revealing a long, dark stonework tunnel with another--this time deeper--chasm splitting the ground. Fhasys impulsively takes a running leap, nearly loses her finger hold on the far ledge, but manages to scramble up. Doc, impressed with Fhasys' performance, follows suit... only to lose his grip and tumble down the cliff to the powdery ground below. He lands with a muffled "thud". The remaining heroes scrounge around for a rope and places to tie it up, but only find one such thing on the side from whence they came. Using his Mage Hand, Talos lifts the far end of the rope up to the ground level on the opposite side while Doc summons the last of his energy to scale up the cliff. Doc holds the rope securely for the other two as they high-tail it across the chasm.
The tunnel bends to the left, opening up into a wider tunnel adorned with stone pillars and an ornately carved stone doorway. Fhasys takes lead and absorbs a nasty poison dart trap for the group. They press onward toward the doorway. The door itself is a massive stone slab, polished with more infernal inscriptions, and Vyreth and Doc get to shoving the thing out of the way... but they push the wrong way. Nothing. The other two heroes decide to try the other direction and meet success! The door slides out of the way equalizing the air pressure between the two chambers with a back draft of stagnant air. The room is small, dark, and very cold, containing a decorated chest sitting next to a sacrophagus. Black wisps of smoke-like trails dance around the floor of the room, climbing up the walls and the sarcophagus. The heroes begin to feel the weight of dark emotions--hate and envy and despair begin to settle in. Talos discovers more infernal inscriptions along the lid of the sarcophagus reading simply, "Here lies Urzaan".
Doc jumps the gun and slides the cover off the sarcophagus, the room goes dark, and a tower of black smoke erupts from within forming the visage of a crowned, emaciated, undead king with hollow red orbs for eyes. Urzaan asks why he was summoned, but gets a glib response from the heroes prompting him to attack. The party engages in a brutal encounter with two shadows and the wraith, all of which drain max HP and STR upon contact. The heroes slowly wither away with every hit and begin to worry for their safety. The battle finally ends with the heroes (barely) victorious, struggling to stand and winded from the loss of constitution, and they search the chest. Clearly needing a rest, the heroes once again brave the dungeon depths and turn in. Their first long rest is broken by a couple wights banging at the door. They try and wait it out, hoping for the unwelcome guests to go away, but no dice... The heroes open the door and face the threat. Their second attempt at a long rest is broken by a couple more shadows and combat ensues once again. The party decides they've had enough healing to get by and huddle to figure out the next course of action.
Monday, May 11, 2015
Episode 13, "Unearthing the Past" p1
Squinting to make out any detail in the pitch black hall, Vyreth realizes he's going to need a light source to be able to see a damned thing. Talos magically lights Vyreth's sword, and the scene opens up to all... The huge hall is adorned with tall, stone pillars on each side and a sarcophagus sits at the far end of the room guarded by some form of dog-like statue. Four sets of full-plate armor stand watch in the middle of the hall, arms resting on huge swords. Doc, after recognizing two of the sets as being roughly dwarf size, skirts around the side of the hall for a closer look and the rest follow suit. Doc inspects the armor and, once satisfied as to its quality and condition, decides to grab it on the way back out. The heroes, stressed from the desert journey and the encounter with the skeletons outside the tomb, decide to once again take a rest in the great hall.
While the rest of the party sleeps, Talos' curiosity overtakes him and he wanders toward the sarcophagus to inspect. Stepping on a hidden pressure plate just in front of the canine statue, a torrent of flame erupts badly singing his robe. The party is startled awake by the wave of heat and noise, and the suits of armor awaken--climbing off their pedestals advancing on the heroes in a slow, steady march. The swords they were once resting on also take flight and combat ensues.
The animated armors pack a wallop, and a couple of the heroes end up quite battered from their steel fists. Vyreth summons a pack of giant spiders to help the cause, and Talos blasts a bolt of lightning through two suits and a flying sword. Since the heroes decided (rightly so) to steer clear of the main floor and instead stick to the walls while crossing, they didn't run into the spiked pit trap lying in wait... but a spider did. With a loud metallic slam, the center of the hall opens up into a large pit, swallowing one of the spiders and locking it inside. The party watches with a mix of apprehension and relief knowing that it could well have been one of them.
Once the battle ends, Talos apologizes for waking the lot and gets to investigating the sarcophagus. Doc, in a moment of keen awareness, spots century-old foot prints in the dusty ground leading toward the sarcophagus implying prior visitors to the tomb. He goes to work sliding the heavy stone lid off and reveals an empty space inside. Fhasys pokes around inside for latches or levers and discovers that the entire base panel lifts out revealing a ladder down into a small, uninteresting room with a closed door.
Pressing onward, the heroes listen for activity beyond the door and upon hearing nothing, open the door into a long set of descending steps. The stairs eventually level into a slightly larger room split in two likely by geological movement. A 10' wide chasm stands between the party and the other side, and they set out to find a way across. While Fhasys, Vyreth, and Doc examine the drop itself, Talos spots some rock outcroppings on each side of the chasm along the northern wall and manages to lasso the far side with his rope creating a way across. Fhasys eagerly jumps down and attempts to swing her way across, hand-over-hand. Halfway across, she loses her grip and falls, her tether keeping her from hitting the ground but slamming her into the close wall instead. While dangling upside down waiting for her friends to pull her back up, she spots an old scroll laying in the dust and dirt. She asks to be let down instead and fetches the scroll. After a series of attempts, the entire party manages to make it across the chasm hand-over-hand while Talos opts to tight rope walk.
The crew comes to a tunnel junction and Doc once more spots the old footprints, now leading into a tunnel to the north. Instead of investigating the footprints further, they decide to take the path less traveled and head into the southern tunnel. The door is locked.
Fhasys fails an attempt at picking the lock, but Vyreth and Doc manage to force it open with a crowbar. They enter an old storage room complete with a small shelf, aged wooden barrels, and a chest. Fhasys immediately bolts over to the chest to see whats inside. She begins to open the lid, but the lid opens the rest of the way by itself revealing a huge maw of razor sharp teeth. The chest sprouts legs and tentacle-like arms, and lashes out at Fhasys. Combat ensues.
Once the mimic is killed, a search of the room reveals some trinkets: x7 refined crossbow bolts, a suit of chainmail, x3 potions of greater healing, a long green crystal of some sort, a pouch w/some gold, and an old black leather bound tome which instills knowledge of the Infernal language to Talos when read. Not a bad find!
The heroes continue through the closed door in the store room, out into another tunnel, and through a demolished doorway into what appears to be some type of guard room. At a table on one side of the room sits two long-since deceased humanoids face-down in their plates, and on the other lies an ornate tapestry flanked by two more suits of armor. Fhasys takes the lead into the room and triggers a tripwire, launching a poison dart into her side. Vyreth, captivated by the rug's craftsmanship, decides to investigate closer while Talos attempts to animate the corpses at the table.
As Vyreth strokes the soft fabric of the rug, it suddenly leaps into the air, wrapping itself tightly around Vyreth and suffocating him. The corpses stubbornly refuse to animate, to Talos' dismay, and his imp poofs into existence atop the table for a closer view. With a terrified shriek, the imp vanishes again and the corpses begin to breath long, guttural sighs. Combat ensues.
Two ghasts, two flying swords, and a rug of smothering later... The crew loots a pouch of gold and gems from the table and moves onward toward a locked door on the opposite side of the room. Doc attempts to kick the door in, but his foot is rebuffed by some sort of magical field. Talos, realizing that his spell book may be in dire need of retooling for this dungeon, suggests they use this room for a long rest. Doc bars the doorway they came in through as best he can and the party hunkers down for the night.
While the rest of the party sleeps, Talos' curiosity overtakes him and he wanders toward the sarcophagus to inspect. Stepping on a hidden pressure plate just in front of the canine statue, a torrent of flame erupts badly singing his robe. The party is startled awake by the wave of heat and noise, and the suits of armor awaken--climbing off their pedestals advancing on the heroes in a slow, steady march. The swords they were once resting on also take flight and combat ensues.
The animated armors pack a wallop, and a couple of the heroes end up quite battered from their steel fists. Vyreth summons a pack of giant spiders to help the cause, and Talos blasts a bolt of lightning through two suits and a flying sword. Since the heroes decided (rightly so) to steer clear of the main floor and instead stick to the walls while crossing, they didn't run into the spiked pit trap lying in wait... but a spider did. With a loud metallic slam, the center of the hall opens up into a large pit, swallowing one of the spiders and locking it inside. The party watches with a mix of apprehension and relief knowing that it could well have been one of them.
Once the battle ends, Talos apologizes for waking the lot and gets to investigating the sarcophagus. Doc, in a moment of keen awareness, spots century-old foot prints in the dusty ground leading toward the sarcophagus implying prior visitors to the tomb. He goes to work sliding the heavy stone lid off and reveals an empty space inside. Fhasys pokes around inside for latches or levers and discovers that the entire base panel lifts out revealing a ladder down into a small, uninteresting room with a closed door.
Pressing onward, the heroes listen for activity beyond the door and upon hearing nothing, open the door into a long set of descending steps. The stairs eventually level into a slightly larger room split in two likely by geological movement. A 10' wide chasm stands between the party and the other side, and they set out to find a way across. While Fhasys, Vyreth, and Doc examine the drop itself, Talos spots some rock outcroppings on each side of the chasm along the northern wall and manages to lasso the far side with his rope creating a way across. Fhasys eagerly jumps down and attempts to swing her way across, hand-over-hand. Halfway across, she loses her grip and falls, her tether keeping her from hitting the ground but slamming her into the close wall instead. While dangling upside down waiting for her friends to pull her back up, she spots an old scroll laying in the dust and dirt. She asks to be let down instead and fetches the scroll. After a series of attempts, the entire party manages to make it across the chasm hand-over-hand while Talos opts to tight rope walk.
The crew comes to a tunnel junction and Doc once more spots the old footprints, now leading into a tunnel to the north. Instead of investigating the footprints further, they decide to take the path less traveled and head into the southern tunnel. The door is locked.
Fhasys fails an attempt at picking the lock, but Vyreth and Doc manage to force it open with a crowbar. They enter an old storage room complete with a small shelf, aged wooden barrels, and a chest. Fhasys immediately bolts over to the chest to see whats inside. She begins to open the lid, but the lid opens the rest of the way by itself revealing a huge maw of razor sharp teeth. The chest sprouts legs and tentacle-like arms, and lashes out at Fhasys. Combat ensues.
Once the mimic is killed, a search of the room reveals some trinkets: x7 refined crossbow bolts, a suit of chainmail, x3 potions of greater healing, a long green crystal of some sort, a pouch w/some gold, and an old black leather bound tome which instills knowledge of the Infernal language to Talos when read. Not a bad find!
The heroes continue through the closed door in the store room, out into another tunnel, and through a demolished doorway into what appears to be some type of guard room. At a table on one side of the room sits two long-since deceased humanoids face-down in their plates, and on the other lies an ornate tapestry flanked by two more suits of armor. Fhasys takes the lead into the room and triggers a tripwire, launching a poison dart into her side. Vyreth, captivated by the rug's craftsmanship, decides to investigate closer while Talos attempts to animate the corpses at the table.
As Vyreth strokes the soft fabric of the rug, it suddenly leaps into the air, wrapping itself tightly around Vyreth and suffocating him. The corpses stubbornly refuse to animate, to Talos' dismay, and his imp poofs into existence atop the table for a closer view. With a terrified shriek, the imp vanishes again and the corpses begin to breath long, guttural sighs. Combat ensues.
Two ghasts, two flying swords, and a rug of smothering later... The crew loots a pouch of gold and gems from the table and moves onward toward a locked door on the opposite side of the room. Doc attempts to kick the door in, but his foot is rebuffed by some sort of magical field. Talos, realizing that his spell book may be in dire need of retooling for this dungeon, suggests they use this room for a long rest. Doc bars the doorway they came in through as best he can and the party hunkers down for the night.
Monday, May 4, 2015
Episode 12, "Plunging into Darkness"
Armed with a bag-full of artisan cakes, the heroes make their way back to the Bumblebrook Sanctuary to placate the fairy dragon (clearly frustrated by the party's lack of curiosity as to its name). The dragon pounces on the cakes, eating them all up like there's no tomorrow and then rolling around in the leftover icing. The cakes clearly made an impression! In exchange for the treats, the dragon shows Doc the path to find Peter (from the foothills by Quanlo, down through the Ragneron Forest, and near a lake). Doc struggles to recognize the terrain, but thinks he gets the gist and flings his recently purchased platinum coin at the dragon as a token of his gratitude. The dragon reflexively flies safely out of range of the flying coin, hisses, and vanishes out of sight, leaving the coin to fall haplessly back to the ground unattended. Curious reaction. With the disappearance of the dragon, the illusory terrain fades from existence all around the sanctuary revealing a plain old, grassy, overgrown marsh.
Since it's late evening and the party has a long ride ahead of them (to the desert tomb), they decide to park it at the Troublesome Troll for food and rest. During their dinner, the heroes overhear talk between two miners of some strange discovery deep within the Thanon mine... some sort of huge, ancient stone doorway blocking a newly dug tunnel. They get some much needed rest that night, and Talos awakens before dawn to the sound of a spinning coin falling close to his ear. Opening his eyes, it would seem a plain platinum coin has mysteriously found its way into his room. Talos inspects the premises for signs of intrusion but finds none, pockets the coin, and drifts off to sleep. His dreams are filled with wonderous imagery from a lush, overgrown ruin somewhere deep within a forest, and he's overcome with the desire to visit.
Over breakfast, Talos brings up the topic of the odd coin he found and Doc notices the similarity between this and his own coin. Rifling around in his pockets, Doc discovers that his own coin has gone missing and the two discuss just how it came to land in Talos' possession. Talos claims innocence and hands the coin back to Doc for safe keeping. The lot then begin discussing plans for the day. Most decide that catching the wagon out to the desert tomb sounds like the best thing to do first, and Talos mentions that he'd rather visit these ruins he'd dreamed about... overruled. The heroes head out of the town gates, meet the driver, and get to travelling.
The journey, according to the old man at the reigns, should take about 4 hours given smooth riding (ha). The driver is clearly wary of the journey and not looking forward to what may come of it, but the pay is good. An hour passes by uneventfully as the wagon heads NE away from the foothills and into the sandy desert, and with a few lurches and an exclamation or two from the driver, the whole thing comes to a stop. A wheel had gotten stuck in the hard, sandy, stone-ridden earth. The heroes pile out of the wagon to bitch and try and help push the wagon free of its bondage. Ultimately, after the driver sticks a wedge beneath the problem wheel, the crew manages to heave it free. This delay had cost them 2 more hours, and just as they started to ride again the lot is ambushed by a pack of giant hyenas! Combat ensues.
The driver manages to fend off a couple of the beasts with an old machete until they finally grow a pair and pounce, pinning him to the floor and nearly eviscerating him. Talos' imp dive-bombs the hyena nearest to its master, latching on to its side and stinging it with a nasty poison until it collapses. Showing a bit of its devious personality, the imp then decides to join the driver and three hyenas to "stir the pot" a bit. Eventually, the hyenas are slain, the driver is healed, and the crew gets back on the road.
The remaining couple hours pass by uneventfully, and the wagon rolls up to the site of a strange visual anomaly (the tomb). Large, neon-blue rimmed "bubbles" of space seem to swirl and rotate around the axis of some invisible hemisphere sitting atop the desert sand. When inspected closer, the bubbles appear more to be tears in the fabric of space-time, providing windows into a dark, moonlit landscape dotted with ruined ivory pillars and a sporting a great gaping maw of a hole protruding from the earth.
At first, some folks in the party are taken aback with the power and mystery of this place and consider heading back to Quanlo having had "investigated" the area thoroughly. Fhasys, feeling brave and restless, first wanders into the center of the bubble swarm for a looksee and then back out to attempt to jump through one of the bigger holes. Her first attempt ends up unsuccessful, but her second try vaults her through to the other side. Meanwhile, Doc discovers what appears to be a large humanoid lying face-down in the distance. Doc, Talos, and Vyreth head out to investigate and find what appears to be the scene of a small battle between a handful of red robed mages (identified as being from the mages guild of Quanlo) and a couple blighted ogres.
The rest of the crew ends up following Fhasys into the alternate dimension (through the bubble holes), and they all decide to set up camp for a short rest. Doc stands watch for the duration and the group is ambushed by 10 skeletons that burst from the hallowed grounds and attack. Despite a few knicks, the party makes it through unscathed. As the last skeleton falls, a great, foul mass of air belches forth from the opening in the ground filling the heroes with sadness and bitterness. Steeling themselves, they gather their gear and head down the tunnel leading into the earth.
After a long descent, the tunnel finally flattens out and dead-ends at a large onyx inscribed slab blocking the way. Talos, using his knowledge of lore and arcana, deciphers the inscriptions as being ancient dwarven and reads the text to his group; it's a poem dedicated to the nasty inhabitant of this tomb for which it was constructed, Urzaan. Whipping out a scroll of Dispel Magic, Talos releases the magical lock on the slab and Doc and Vyreth manage to slide it out of the way. Standing before a dimly lit great hallway lined with pillars and torches, the heroes spot a lone sarcophagus at the far-end and decide how to best approach.
Since it's late evening and the party has a long ride ahead of them (to the desert tomb), they decide to park it at the Troublesome Troll for food and rest. During their dinner, the heroes overhear talk between two miners of some strange discovery deep within the Thanon mine... some sort of huge, ancient stone doorway blocking a newly dug tunnel. They get some much needed rest that night, and Talos awakens before dawn to the sound of a spinning coin falling close to his ear. Opening his eyes, it would seem a plain platinum coin has mysteriously found its way into his room. Talos inspects the premises for signs of intrusion but finds none, pockets the coin, and drifts off to sleep. His dreams are filled with wonderous imagery from a lush, overgrown ruin somewhere deep within a forest, and he's overcome with the desire to visit.
Over breakfast, Talos brings up the topic of the odd coin he found and Doc notices the similarity between this and his own coin. Rifling around in his pockets, Doc discovers that his own coin has gone missing and the two discuss just how it came to land in Talos' possession. Talos claims innocence and hands the coin back to Doc for safe keeping. The lot then begin discussing plans for the day. Most decide that catching the wagon out to the desert tomb sounds like the best thing to do first, and Talos mentions that he'd rather visit these ruins he'd dreamed about... overruled. The heroes head out of the town gates, meet the driver, and get to travelling.
The journey, according to the old man at the reigns, should take about 4 hours given smooth riding (ha). The driver is clearly wary of the journey and not looking forward to what may come of it, but the pay is good. An hour passes by uneventfully as the wagon heads NE away from the foothills and into the sandy desert, and with a few lurches and an exclamation or two from the driver, the whole thing comes to a stop. A wheel had gotten stuck in the hard, sandy, stone-ridden earth. The heroes pile out of the wagon to bitch and try and help push the wagon free of its bondage. Ultimately, after the driver sticks a wedge beneath the problem wheel, the crew manages to heave it free. This delay had cost them 2 more hours, and just as they started to ride again the lot is ambushed by a pack of giant hyenas! Combat ensues.
The driver manages to fend off a couple of the beasts with an old machete until they finally grow a pair and pounce, pinning him to the floor and nearly eviscerating him. Talos' imp dive-bombs the hyena nearest to its master, latching on to its side and stinging it with a nasty poison until it collapses. Showing a bit of its devious personality, the imp then decides to join the driver and three hyenas to "stir the pot" a bit. Eventually, the hyenas are slain, the driver is healed, and the crew gets back on the road.
The remaining couple hours pass by uneventfully, and the wagon rolls up to the site of a strange visual anomaly (the tomb). Large, neon-blue rimmed "bubbles" of space seem to swirl and rotate around the axis of some invisible hemisphere sitting atop the desert sand. When inspected closer, the bubbles appear more to be tears in the fabric of space-time, providing windows into a dark, moonlit landscape dotted with ruined ivory pillars and a sporting a great gaping maw of a hole protruding from the earth.
At first, some folks in the party are taken aback with the power and mystery of this place and consider heading back to Quanlo having had "investigated" the area thoroughly. Fhasys, feeling brave and restless, first wanders into the center of the bubble swarm for a looksee and then back out to attempt to jump through one of the bigger holes. Her first attempt ends up unsuccessful, but her second try vaults her through to the other side. Meanwhile, Doc discovers what appears to be a large humanoid lying face-down in the distance. Doc, Talos, and Vyreth head out to investigate and find what appears to be the scene of a small battle between a handful of red robed mages (identified as being from the mages guild of Quanlo) and a couple blighted ogres.
The rest of the crew ends up following Fhasys into the alternate dimension (through the bubble holes), and they all decide to set up camp for a short rest. Doc stands watch for the duration and the group is ambushed by 10 skeletons that burst from the hallowed grounds and attack. Despite a few knicks, the party makes it through unscathed. As the last skeleton falls, a great, foul mass of air belches forth from the opening in the ground filling the heroes with sadness and bitterness. Steeling themselves, they gather their gear and head down the tunnel leading into the earth.
After a long descent, the tunnel finally flattens out and dead-ends at a large onyx inscribed slab blocking the way. Talos, using his knowledge of lore and arcana, deciphers the inscriptions as being ancient dwarven and reads the text to his group; it's a poem dedicated to the nasty inhabitant of this tomb for which it was constructed, Urzaan. Whipping out a scroll of Dispel Magic, Talos releases the magical lock on the slab and Doc and Vyreth manage to slide it out of the way. Standing before a dimly lit great hallway lined with pillars and torches, the heroes spot a lone sarcophagus at the far-end and decide how to best approach.
Monday, April 13, 2015
Episode 11, "On the Road Again"
Having cleared their names with the local authorities--courtesy of Raven and the thieves guild--the heroes spent one last night in the den eating, drinking, and being merry. Talos' strange disappearance was noticed by the party momentarily, but sleep seemed more of a pressing matter than finding their pretty-boy mage, so they turned in for the night.
Talos, meanwhile, had a run-in with the local prankster being talked about all over town. A fountain became a towering pillar of water drawing the attention of some Iron Gate guards, and Talos decided he'd be better off hidden in a nearby alleyway. It was in this alley that he came face to face with the prankster, a metallic purple, cat-sized faerie dragon who took quite an interest in his abilities. After a mostly useless conversation with the dragon, Talos was polymorphed into a dog and then compelled to chase an illusory cat straight into the Gate barracks, rudely awakening them. While pleading his case (as a dog) to the irritated guards, two of them got into a heated brawl. Talos used this opportunity to get out of Dodge. Once the polymorph wore off, he headed to the trail leading up to the mages guild and was met with yet another prankster trick. This time, the entire hillside transformed into a lush forest, making it difficult for him to find his way out. Using his keen sense of direction, however, Talos managed to get to the guild in just under an hour.
Talos engaged two acolytes standing in the guild courtyard in idle conversation, showing them his mysterious glass sphere and asking to speak with Reeser about it. They brought him to Reeser's quarters, had a little chit-chat, and then Talos spent the rest of the night with a summoner who bound the sphere's inhabitant--an imp--to his soul (at the cost of some Constitution).
In the morning, Talos and his new pet met up with Reeser and a few other guild mages in the dining hall for breakfast. They discussed Quar Jezz't and his request to consume Talos' ex-mentor's soul (Weshryn), where to find Weshryn, and a task that the guild asks in exchange for said information.
Meanwhile, the rest of the heroes awoke in the thieves guild fairly rested--except for Fhasys who woke up face-down in a food dish. During the night, Vyreth overheard some folks discussing recent happenings with a missing lumber shipment from a local camp and his curiosity was piqued. Noticing that Talos was still missing, the lot decided it was likely that he'd be at the mages guild... so they headed out to meet up with him.
Once at the mages guild, they inquired about their elven friend and were lead up into the dining hall where Reeser & co. were finishing up breakfast. Introductions were made, information was shared, items identified (werewolf tooth for Fhasys, Cannesh slave ring for Vyreth, and amulet of regeneration for Doc), and at a hefty expense, Fhasys finally had the aboleth's curse lifted from her shoulders. The heroes agreed to the exchange of services--investigate a strange exposed tomb deep in the desert of Olais in exchange for magically sealing the Embershale mine--and a covered wagon was dispatched to meet them outside of town for the journey.
Leaving the mages guild, the lot decided to take a small shopping detour whereupon Doc became enthralled by the faerie dragon. A magical glade suddenly sprung up in the seedier area of Quanlo, drawing Doc's attention and compelling him to wander inside, where he met a talking bunny who mentioned Peter. As the rest of the party caught up, Doc explained that they needed dessert and shiny trinkets for the dragon in exchange for more information on Peter. They decided to hit the bazaar.
Quite a few cakes were purchased from a baker, Vyreth found some spoiled pastries and a large fishing net--presumably to catch the dragon--and Doc stumbled into a mysterious tattooed vendor selling odd bits 'n pieces from a local ruin. Despite being given any real information on the various artifacts being sold, Doc purchased a platinum coin and a glass ring which radiated warmth when held. Shortly thereafter, Doc began to catch his mind wondering to the Ruins of Enra, imagining just how awesome it'd be to go exploring there.
The heroes reconvened outside of the bazaar with their newfound treats and trinkets, and paused for a moment to decide what to do next.
Talos, meanwhile, had a run-in with the local prankster being talked about all over town. A fountain became a towering pillar of water drawing the attention of some Iron Gate guards, and Talos decided he'd be better off hidden in a nearby alleyway. It was in this alley that he came face to face with the prankster, a metallic purple, cat-sized faerie dragon who took quite an interest in his abilities. After a mostly useless conversation with the dragon, Talos was polymorphed into a dog and then compelled to chase an illusory cat straight into the Gate barracks, rudely awakening them. While pleading his case (as a dog) to the irritated guards, two of them got into a heated brawl. Talos used this opportunity to get out of Dodge. Once the polymorph wore off, he headed to the trail leading up to the mages guild and was met with yet another prankster trick. This time, the entire hillside transformed into a lush forest, making it difficult for him to find his way out. Using his keen sense of direction, however, Talos managed to get to the guild in just under an hour.
Talos engaged two acolytes standing in the guild courtyard in idle conversation, showing them his mysterious glass sphere and asking to speak with Reeser about it. They brought him to Reeser's quarters, had a little chit-chat, and then Talos spent the rest of the night with a summoner who bound the sphere's inhabitant--an imp--to his soul (at the cost of some Constitution).
In the morning, Talos and his new pet met up with Reeser and a few other guild mages in the dining hall for breakfast. They discussed Quar Jezz't and his request to consume Talos' ex-mentor's soul (Weshryn), where to find Weshryn, and a task that the guild asks in exchange for said information.
Meanwhile, the rest of the heroes awoke in the thieves guild fairly rested--except for Fhasys who woke up face-down in a food dish. During the night, Vyreth overheard some folks discussing recent happenings with a missing lumber shipment from a local camp and his curiosity was piqued. Noticing that Talos was still missing, the lot decided it was likely that he'd be at the mages guild... so they headed out to meet up with him.
Once at the mages guild, they inquired about their elven friend and were lead up into the dining hall where Reeser & co. were finishing up breakfast. Introductions were made, information was shared, items identified (werewolf tooth for Fhasys, Cannesh slave ring for Vyreth, and amulet of regeneration for Doc), and at a hefty expense, Fhasys finally had the aboleth's curse lifted from her shoulders. The heroes agreed to the exchange of services--investigate a strange exposed tomb deep in the desert of Olais in exchange for magically sealing the Embershale mine--and a covered wagon was dispatched to meet them outside of town for the journey.
Leaving the mages guild, the lot decided to take a small shopping detour whereupon Doc became enthralled by the faerie dragon. A magical glade suddenly sprung up in the seedier area of Quanlo, drawing Doc's attention and compelling him to wander inside, where he met a talking bunny who mentioned Peter. As the rest of the party caught up, Doc explained that they needed dessert and shiny trinkets for the dragon in exchange for more information on Peter. They decided to hit the bazaar.
Quite a few cakes were purchased from a baker, Vyreth found some spoiled pastries and a large fishing net--presumably to catch the dragon--and Doc stumbled into a mysterious tattooed vendor selling odd bits 'n pieces from a local ruin. Despite being given any real information on the various artifacts being sold, Doc purchased a platinum coin and a glass ring which radiated warmth when held. Shortly thereafter, Doc began to catch his mind wondering to the Ruins of Enra, imagining just how awesome it'd be to go exploring there.
The heroes reconvened outside of the bazaar with their newfound treats and trinkets, and paused for a moment to decide what to do next.
Monday, March 30, 2015
Episode 10, "Pulling Strings"
Having been lead by a man named Levin into the den of the Red Hand--the infamous thieves guild of Quanlo--the heroes were treated to a curiously warm welcome by the guild's leader, Raven. Over dinner, the group discussed a growing web of intrigue and opportunity they'd unknowingly spun in their dealings with Quanlo and the Iron Gate.
The Red Hand had been made aware of Demetrius' return to Quanlo and had planned an elaborate scheme to profit off of his misfortunes. Since Doc was wanted in the murder of Draven Hensely--the head of a local strong arm organization called Slabtown--a sizable bounty was out for his arrest and the guild wanted a cut. A letter was drafted to a key witness in the murder, Orin Thren, aimed at using him to clear Doc's name in exchange for the bounty. Unfortunately, Doc had since become wrapped-up in a group of unlikely compatriots who took it upon themselves to stir up even more trouble with the Iron Gate by murdering a caravan of slavers and subsequently evading arrest. The Iron Gate was now on full alert and new bounties had been posted for each suspect, including one "mysteriously disappeared" mage (Talos). Needless to say, things had quickly become very complicated and the potential for profit quadrupled for the Red Hand.
Raven had dispatched Levin to secure Demetrius, but got a bit more than he'd bargained for. He decided to come clean with the (now defunct) plan to clear Doc's name in exchange for the bounty, trusting that the ragtag group had enough sense to invent a contingency plan. Putting the guilds' bargaining chips on the table--loaner equipment, contacts and information, access to the group's stolen belongings, and desire for both gold from the bounties as well as insider leverage into Slabtown (courtesy of Doc)--Raven asked that the party come up with a proposal in exchange for clearing all of their names. Finishing dinner, Raven offered to also return with a writ detailing the specific accusations and bounties within an hour's time and left the heroes to huddle.
This was clearly a complex and befuddling set of circumstances for the heroes. They sat around the table for a good hour, first learning more about Demetrius' history with Quanlo and Slabtown and then detailing their options. The first thing discussed was gold; specifically, how much of their own bounties they wanted for themselves once the deal was done. Doc quickly decided that he would be more than willing to provide insight into Slabtown as the primary bargaining chip, seeing as he wanted nothing to do with the seedy organization, and Vyreth expressed deep concerns over the authenticity of the Red Hand's offer. Vyreth asked for some sort of guarantee or collateral just in case the guild decided to pull a fast one over on them, and decided that their missing equipment could play such a role. An hour or so had passed by this time, at which point Raven returned to the table with the writ of accusations totaling nearly 1,700gp in total bounties! The group had a few questions answered and points clarified, then Raven retired for the night leaving them to finalize their proposal.
As the party slept, Fhasys' keen ears woke her to the sound of a muffled conversation involving some strange occurrences around town. It seemed as though pranks were being played on the townsfolk by some unseen creature or force, causing mischief and completely befuddling the local authorities.
Come morning, the group made their way out of the dirty common "cavern" space where they'd slept back into the dim lighting of the central chamber and found Raven awaiting them at a table. Over breakfast, they discussed the terms of their freedom. Demetrius was nominated as the chief negotiator, proposing that the party offer the following in exchange for clearing their names:
The Red Hand had been made aware of Demetrius' return to Quanlo and had planned an elaborate scheme to profit off of his misfortunes. Since Doc was wanted in the murder of Draven Hensely--the head of a local strong arm organization called Slabtown--a sizable bounty was out for his arrest and the guild wanted a cut. A letter was drafted to a key witness in the murder, Orin Thren, aimed at using him to clear Doc's name in exchange for the bounty. Unfortunately, Doc had since become wrapped-up in a group of unlikely compatriots who took it upon themselves to stir up even more trouble with the Iron Gate by murdering a caravan of slavers and subsequently evading arrest. The Iron Gate was now on full alert and new bounties had been posted for each suspect, including one "mysteriously disappeared" mage (Talos). Needless to say, things had quickly become very complicated and the potential for profit quadrupled for the Red Hand.
Raven had dispatched Levin to secure Demetrius, but got a bit more than he'd bargained for. He decided to come clean with the (now defunct) plan to clear Doc's name in exchange for the bounty, trusting that the ragtag group had enough sense to invent a contingency plan. Putting the guilds' bargaining chips on the table--loaner equipment, contacts and information, access to the group's stolen belongings, and desire for both gold from the bounties as well as insider leverage into Slabtown (courtesy of Doc)--Raven asked that the party come up with a proposal in exchange for clearing all of their names. Finishing dinner, Raven offered to also return with a writ detailing the specific accusations and bounties within an hour's time and left the heroes to huddle.
This was clearly a complex and befuddling set of circumstances for the heroes. They sat around the table for a good hour, first learning more about Demetrius' history with Quanlo and Slabtown and then detailing their options. The first thing discussed was gold; specifically, how much of their own bounties they wanted for themselves once the deal was done. Doc quickly decided that he would be more than willing to provide insight into Slabtown as the primary bargaining chip, seeing as he wanted nothing to do with the seedy organization, and Vyreth expressed deep concerns over the authenticity of the Red Hand's offer. Vyreth asked for some sort of guarantee or collateral just in case the guild decided to pull a fast one over on them, and decided that their missing equipment could play such a role. An hour or so had passed by this time, at which point Raven returned to the table with the writ of accusations totaling nearly 1,700gp in total bounties! The group had a few questions answered and points clarified, then Raven retired for the night leaving them to finalize their proposal.
As the party slept, Fhasys' keen ears woke her to the sound of a muffled conversation involving some strange occurrences around town. It seemed as though pranks were being played on the townsfolk by some unseen creature or force, causing mischief and completely befuddling the local authorities.
Come morning, the group made their way out of the dirty common "cavern" space where they'd slept back into the dim lighting of the central chamber and found Raven awaiting them at a table. Over breakfast, they discussed the terms of their freedom. Demetrius was nominated as the chief negotiator, proposing that the party offer the following in exchange for clearing their names:
- The Red Hand would first secure the party's equipment from the Iron Gate barracks as a down-payment on the deal.
- The heroes (except for Doc) would hand deliver the guild's letter to Orin, forcing his hand in admitting guilt for the murder of Draven and thus clearing Doc of the murder charges.
- Demetrius would remain in the den during this time and divulge the inner-workings of Slabtown so that the Red Hand could assume control of the organization.
- The party would take a 90/10 cut of the bounties (in their favor).
- The Red Hand would work their magic in clearing all remaining crimes.
Raven thought the supplies request made sense and immediately agreed to that provision, and salivated over the thought of being basically handed Slabtown on a silver platter, but the cut of the bounties was essentially the opposite of what he'd been thinking. After all, the guild's primary interest in orchestrating this whole deal was gold. Raven and Doc argued over the bounties for a good long while, both posturing and intimidating to gain advantage, but--taking advantage of a slip in Doc's resolve, Raven made a play which forced him to second-guess their position. In the end, the group agreed to a 50/50 split in addition to details on Slabtown, Raven drafted a contract which the party signed, and fetched the sealed letter for Orin.
The heroes (sans Demetrius) headed out to deliver the letter while Doc stayed behind to have a chat with Raven. Talos took the lead some 20' ahead of Vyreth and Fhasys, all under cover of Vyreth's magical shroud. They encountered a heavily armored Gate guard along the way, accompanied by some type of mage, who seemed to notice Talos approaching. Talos, in a moment of fast-thinking, used Suggestion to motivate their hasty retreat and they made their way to Orin's home. Fhasys scouted the perimeter looking for alternate means of entry while Talos and Vyreth stood watch. All she ended up finding was a half-open window on the second story. Fhasys convinced Vyreth to give her a boost but she missed and the two collapsed to the ground. Determined to try again, Vyreth gave her another boost in which she barely hung on to the window sill and pulled herself inside.
Meanwhile, back in the den of the Red Hand, Doc had finished explaining which buttons and levers to pull in order to assume control of Slabtown to Raven. The two continued conversations over drinks talking about Quanlo, the Iron Gate, and catching up on current events and rumors. Doc was given more detail regarding the "Quanlo prankster" and, to his surprise, his old friend Peter. Some scouts that had come back from a lumber camp in the nearby Ragneron forest had stumbled upon the man strolling through a particularly pretty glade, whistling to himself and looking happy as can be. They positively identified Peter, but remained hidden until he'd passed so didn't have a chance to speak with him. As their conversation wound down, Doc was finally given access to the Red Hand equipment stores (at a discount) and was handed a gold religious medallion of mysterious origin that radiated warmth when hung from his neck.
Fhasys discovered a ransacked and mostly quiet second floor, but heard faint whispers and shuffling coming from downstairs. She descended to the first floor which, again looked as if it'd been ransacked, and proceeded to snoop around for hidden doors. Discovering a latched basement door beneath a rug, Fhasys finally opened the front door and let the others inside. She yanked the door open to the surprise of two guards standing at the base of the stairs (who immediately scattered), Talos sent a light-bubble into the darkness, and Vyreth cast sleep on... somebody.
Fhasys cautiously headed down the stairs and discovered four guards--two standing shaken, weapons partially drawn, and two trying to wake up the (now sleeping) Orin. Dialogue ensued. Fhasys repeatedly attempted to intimidate the guards to hand over Orin, while the guards postured to obtain the letter first. Hitting a stand-off, Vyreth pulled out his big guns and transformed into a bear, letting out a loud roar after poking his upper torso into the entrance. The roar was enough to snap Orin out of it, and he approached Fhasys to read the letter. Understanding what must be done, Orin sent one of the guards out to notify the Iron Gate of his whereabouts and the heroes headed back to the den to report to Raven.
On the way back to the thieves guild, the crew was nearly spotted by another regiment of guards, but something very odd happened as they walked past... In the blink of an eye, the well armored lot was reduced to their undergarments by some unseen force who then let out a devious cackle. The guards, in a moment of clear shock and embarrassment, took off running leaving the party completely confused.
The crew reassembled in the den, explained the goings-on to Raven who in turn gave them their equipment and supplies as-per the plan. Raven advised them to lay low for the rest of the day and through the night until word of their innocence made it up the food chain, so they ate and drank in good spirits. Talos slipped off at some point during the festivities to "go to the bathroom", and a couple hours later Fhasys begun to notice his absence. But, for the most part, the now inebriated lot really could care less and let him be. Talos, under a cloak of invisibility, made his way through town and to the gates of the mages guild to speak with Reeser about his strange little glass sphere.
Monday, February 23, 2015
Episode 9, "Consequences"
After the brutal squabble with the slaver caravan yesterday afternoon, the party had relocated the wagons, horses, slaves, and corpses south of the road in the foothills in order to stay out of the public eye and to get some R&R. Most enjoyed a quiet night of slumber in the wilderness, except for Fhasys who opted to take one of the horses behind a rock and mutilate it in her sleep (see curse). The heroes awoke early in the morning feeling rested, then set to the task of dealing with the dead guards' bodies.
Deciding against burning them due to concerns about smoke, Vyreth and Doc wheeled the cart of corpses out of sight, behind a huge boulder. While the duo dealt with the bodies, a heavily armored dwarf flanked by the two slaver guards who had fled the scene shortly before the battle sauntered into the camp and engaged Talos in conversation.
The dwarf had ridden from Quanlo representing the Iron Gate, Quanlo's local law enforcers, sent to investigate claims made by the two slaver guards that the caravan was under attack. The two guards set out to investigate the camp for signs of struggle and to locate the missing guards and Talon while the dwarf explained the situation to Talos. Unfortunately, Talos wasn't feeling so friendly this morning and decided to cut the conversation short by sending an arc of flames in the dwarf's general direction. Combat ensued.
Talos was readily cut down by the dwarf and the two guards rode into the melee to help subdue the rest. However, after a few blows were exchanged, Doc decided to try and talk some sense into the visitors and offer peaceful resolution. Explaining that Talos had been cursed and is under the influence of witch craft, he pleaded that the guards allow the party to continue their journey unimpeded. The dwarf offered his own suggestion, one which involved the heroes surrendering their weapons and waiting until the investigation was complete. Fhasys decided she'd had enough talk and combat resumed... for a short while anyhow, until the rest of the visitors made an appearance. An archer loosed a couple arrows from behind a rock, and a mage cast Hold Person on Vyreth thoroughly irritating him. In a sudden change of heart, Fhasys decided to be the first to put her weapons down and the remainder of the party followed suit. Doc was allowed to stabilize Talos, and the guards began securing the party's weapons, binding their hands, collecting the slaves, and resuming the investigation. It wasn't long before one of the scouts discovered the wagon of corpses and the investigation came to a close. Talos meanwhile, as a guard was attempting to bind his wrists, cast invisibility on himself and climbed atop the slave wagon. The guards scouted the area but couldn't locate him.
The heroes were stuffed into a single wagon alongside the slaves, and the entire crew rode back to Quanlo in formation, Talos still invisible and riding on top. During the short 15min ride back to Quanlo, Vyreth managed to loosen Fhasys' bindings and vice-versa. The caravan arrived to the city gates, was met by a regiment of Iron Gate guards and the mayor, and the heroes were ordered into the holding cells beneath the barracks until questioning. The wagon containing the slaves was turned around and sent to its original destination... something or some place referred to as "Thanon". All of the party's belongings remained in a pile in the courtyard while they were escorted through the city. Talos, still invisible, followed closely behind.
The group was lead through the various districts of Quanlo and eventually through the Iron Gate training grounds, through the barracks, and into the holding cells. Talos kept an eye on the system of gates that were unlocked and locked as they were lead to their cells, and lingered in the guard room deciding what course of action to take next. Using the power of Suggestion, he convinced the lead guard that better times were to be had at the local inn where a fresh shipment of whores and booze had just arrived. Thoroughly convinced, the lead guard convinced one of his lackeys to follow suit, and they headed out... much to the disapproval of the remaining guard. Talos then made quick work of the last guard by bludgeoning his head in with an iron poker, very unbecoming of him but... desperate times... As Talos set to removing the guard's armor, he suddenly was hit with an urge to search for keys! He found one.
As much commotion was being made outside in the barracks over the jailkeeper's sudden decision to abandon his post, Talos unlocked the holding cell gates and descended into the room where his friends were being held. The sound of voices and footsteps began to draw near and Talos readied his bow. A sound of astonishment erupted from the guard room above as the body was discovered, and Talos once again went invisible. The new guards came barreling down into the jail cell room only to find... nothing. Once their bewilderment wore off, they went back upstairs to sort out the situation. Talos followed the guards back out, through the barracks and into the training courtyard in search of a major distraction. He doused a nearby wooden awning with oil and lit it on fire, drawing the attention of most of the guards in the barracks. As the guards went to work dousing the fire, Talos resumed his rescue operation.
Zapping the locks of his friends' cells with a few strategically placed Magic Missiles, the party was once again united! Vyreth cloaked the entire crew with his own version of an invisibility blanket, and the heroes hastily made their retreat. Doc, recalling a shady hideout that he and his friends used to frequent--the Troublesome Troll--decided it'd be best to head there in search of shelter. The heroes wound their way back to the lower wards and toward the Troublesome Troll spotting several "wanted" posters for Doc along the way, but just as they came close were beckoned into a side alley by a stranger shrouded in shadow. Fhasys, putting two-and-two together, was struck by the fact that they were invisible yet this person could see them? Indeed.
The half-elf man, dressed to the nines in assassin-like garb, armor adorned with symbols of red painted hands, introduced himself as Laethin, member of the Red Hand--a group that Doc recognized as being the local thieves guild. Doc reassured the party of Lethin's qualifications and, given the current risk to themselves, they all decided to follow Laethin's advice. The group was lead through some more dingy back alleyways, into an old abandoned church, through a secret wall, and down into the nest of the Quanlo thieves guild to discuss "a proposal" with the guild's leader.
Despite their temporary shelter in the Red Hand den, the Iron Gate has intensified their search for the entire party. In addition to Doc's mug being posted all around town, the Gate now has reason to suspect them in the murders of the slaver guards (on Quanlo's payroll), the murder of one of the jail keepers, and now a mysterious fire that was set just outside the barracks. Things are not looking good for our friends this day, but they still have important business to attend to with Reeser in the mages guild... If they can manage to get there in one piece.
Despite their temporary shelter in the Red Hand den, the Iron Gate has intensified their search for the entire party. In addition to Doc's mug being posted all around town, the Gate now has reason to suspect them in the murders of the slaver guards (on Quanlo's payroll), the murder of one of the jail keepers, and now a mysterious fire that was set just outside the barracks. Things are not looking good for our friends this day, but they still have important business to attend to with Reeser in the mages guild... If they can manage to get there in one piece.
Monday, January 26, 2015
Episode 8, "Journey to Quanlo"
Having had successfully liberated three frightened horses from their sure demise at a nearby ranch, the party continued the remaining 60mi leg of their trek to Quanlo.
As the sun set upon the foothills, the heroes stumbled upon a campsite recently wiped out by some sort of green acidic slime. Talos attempted to identify the source of the slime, as did Doc, but came up empty handed. The only survivor was a man whose lower half had been disintegrated by the slime. Talos managed to eek some semblance of a conversation out of him before putting him out of his misery. According to the dying man, he'd heard some sort of terrifying roar from the sky just before the attack, leading the party to assume it was the dragon they'd seen the night before during the funeral pyre. Rummaging through the merchant's pack, Talos found an invoice of a handful of gems to be sold to one Orpheus Loraine of Cannesh. He also found a hand-drawn sketch of... something; what appears to be a desert landscape with strange "tears" superimposed.
That night, during Vyreth's (second) watch, the camp was assaulted by a small gnoll raiding party. The gnolls attacked from the darkness of night, as the party decided against lighting a campfire, and Vyreth was impaled by a spear from mob. Combat ensued.
The following day's ride was, for the most part, uneventful. Temperatures climbed hotter than the previous two days and the sun was out at full-blast. The terrain slowly started shifting away from grassland to more of a rocky, arid desert. Somewhere around noon, the party spotted a medium sized caravan far ahead on the trail kicking up dust. Scrambling to come up with the best course of action, Fhasys rode on ahead to meet the caravan with Talos "invisibubbled" and sitting behind her. Two of the caravan guards broke formation to speak with her and offered little in the way of useful information. They urged her to continue riding around the caravan and to pay no notice. Relaying this information back to the party, Vyreth and Doc decided that they should all approach the caravan and attempt to speak with the leader, a red-headed woman riding in front, dawning a fine set of splint mail armor and riding a well armored horse. As they were discussing how to proceed, two of the caravan guards broke formation and raced past the heroes, riding at full-clip toward Quanlo.
The woman in charge, who soon introduced herself as Talon, was equally as useless as the guards behind her. Giving up, the party rode on ahead and then slowed a bit to keep the caravan in their rear-sights while coming up with a new plan of action. During Vyreth and Talon's brief conversation, Vyreth noticed one or two slaves as being from his village, and he felt his blood start to boil. On what seemed like a whim, the entire party about-faced and charged the caravan, determined to lay waste to the guards and free the slaves.
The battle between the heroes and the slavers was likely the toughest the party had encountered to-date, and Talon was not a woman to be trifled with! She easily tore through Doc, then Vyreth, and then Fhasys before finally succumbing to her wounds. Vyreth, hanging on to a shred of his consciousness, managed to drag himself over to Doc in order to lay on hands. Doc, returning the favor, got back to his feet and helped finish off the last remaining guard who was chasing Talos down. Aside from a handful of well-maintained gear, the heroes discovered a scroll of revivify (3rd level), a handful of coin, and a slave invoice on which was both written the name of Vyreth's lost love, Varishna, as well as one Bruenor, headmaster of the Thanon mines. While Varishna wasn't amongst the slaves rescued today, Vyreth finally had a lead into his agonizing past.
Once combat had subsided, the reality of the situation hung heavy over the party's shoulders... They were standing right in the middle of a main thoroughfare surrounded by the bodies of 6 slain guards, Talon herself, and her badly injured horse, and now responsible for the lives of 8 slaves who had no idea where they've been, who they've been bought and sold by, or where they were going. Since it was still mid-day, the crew decided they'd better gather the bodies, horses, and wagons, and drive them South toward the foothills in order to hide the evidence and decide what to do with the slaves. Tomorrow, they would complete the journey to Quanlo.
As the sun set upon the foothills, the heroes stumbled upon a campsite recently wiped out by some sort of green acidic slime. Talos attempted to identify the source of the slime, as did Doc, but came up empty handed. The only survivor was a man whose lower half had been disintegrated by the slime. Talos managed to eek some semblance of a conversation out of him before putting him out of his misery. According to the dying man, he'd heard some sort of terrifying roar from the sky just before the attack, leading the party to assume it was the dragon they'd seen the night before during the funeral pyre. Rummaging through the merchant's pack, Talos found an invoice of a handful of gems to be sold to one Orpheus Loraine of Cannesh. He also found a hand-drawn sketch of... something; what appears to be a desert landscape with strange "tears" superimposed.
That night, during Vyreth's (second) watch, the camp was assaulted by a small gnoll raiding party. The gnolls attacked from the darkness of night, as the party decided against lighting a campfire, and Vyreth was impaled by a spear from mob. Combat ensued.
The following day's ride was, for the most part, uneventful. Temperatures climbed hotter than the previous two days and the sun was out at full-blast. The terrain slowly started shifting away from grassland to more of a rocky, arid desert. Somewhere around noon, the party spotted a medium sized caravan far ahead on the trail kicking up dust. Scrambling to come up with the best course of action, Fhasys rode on ahead to meet the caravan with Talos "invisibubbled" and sitting behind her. Two of the caravan guards broke formation to speak with her and offered little in the way of useful information. They urged her to continue riding around the caravan and to pay no notice. Relaying this information back to the party, Vyreth and Doc decided that they should all approach the caravan and attempt to speak with the leader, a red-headed woman riding in front, dawning a fine set of splint mail armor and riding a well armored horse. As they were discussing how to proceed, two of the caravan guards broke formation and raced past the heroes, riding at full-clip toward Quanlo.
The woman in charge, who soon introduced herself as Talon, was equally as useless as the guards behind her. Giving up, the party rode on ahead and then slowed a bit to keep the caravan in their rear-sights while coming up with a new plan of action. During Vyreth and Talon's brief conversation, Vyreth noticed one or two slaves as being from his village, and he felt his blood start to boil. On what seemed like a whim, the entire party about-faced and charged the caravan, determined to lay waste to the guards and free the slaves.
The battle between the heroes and the slavers was likely the toughest the party had encountered to-date, and Talon was not a woman to be trifled with! She easily tore through Doc, then Vyreth, and then Fhasys before finally succumbing to her wounds. Vyreth, hanging on to a shred of his consciousness, managed to drag himself over to Doc in order to lay on hands. Doc, returning the favor, got back to his feet and helped finish off the last remaining guard who was chasing Talos down. Aside from a handful of well-maintained gear, the heroes discovered a scroll of revivify (3rd level), a handful of coin, and a slave invoice on which was both written the name of Vyreth's lost love, Varishna, as well as one Bruenor, headmaster of the Thanon mines. While Varishna wasn't amongst the slaves rescued today, Vyreth finally had a lead into his agonizing past.
Once combat had subsided, the reality of the situation hung heavy over the party's shoulders... They were standing right in the middle of a main thoroughfare surrounded by the bodies of 6 slain guards, Talon herself, and her badly injured horse, and now responsible for the lives of 8 slaves who had no idea where they've been, who they've been bought and sold by, or where they were going. Since it was still mid-day, the crew decided they'd better gather the bodies, horses, and wagons, and drive them South toward the foothills in order to hide the evidence and decide what to do with the slaves. Tomorrow, they would complete the journey to Quanlo.
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