Total XP: 4234 (level 5 at 5500xp)
Saturday, January 30, 2010
Friday, January 29, 2010
Traps and living statues
Next, we went to the force wall and Treble checked it out for traps. He noticed pressure plates in the floor and a hidden control panel. Treble assured everyone that the pressure plates were disabled, but when he stepped on it, he and Aurora were blown back. He managed to trigger the trap two or three times before managing to disable the force wall. At that point, we decided to head back up to rest. Brogar was laying on the trap door, but he let us in when Phelaia spoke to him with her mind. We rested there, and the next morning, under the ostensible cover of augmenting her weapon's accuracy, I got to take a good look at Phelaia's staff. By the creator's sigil imbued onto it, I could see that she is still using the weapon that Nasira made for her. I'm glad to see that it is still serving her well.
We went into the underground lair and again, we drank the magic water. This time, I got the power to discern lies, and Phelaia got the ability to speak with the dead. Colvin, on the other hand, didn't fare so well and ended up feeling quite ill. (That same night, Aurora, Brogar, and I healed him, so he did not have any lasting effects.) We proceeded through the now-disabled force wall and into another room. Through there, Treble told us that he saw a lightning trap ahead into the next room. So several of us crowded into the small anteroom to check it out, and found ourselves shot with poison needles. Ouch. In the end, I bolstered Phelaia with strength and she and Treble headed in to disable the lightning trap.
We found ourselves at another large room with runes on the floor. We were debating the best cautious and tactical approach to take, when Colvin exclaimed "It's time to be bold!" and charged in. Immediately four fire elementals appeared in the runes and all attacked him. He dropped and found himself dying, until I healed him. That's twice now that I've saved his life. Then, after I brought him back up, he was trying to find the best way out of the pickle he'd got himself into, and the best plan he could come up with was to roast the area before fleeing. Unfortunately, Brogar was standing there and wasn't looking too hot, and Colvin pretty much did him in, too. I brought Brogar back up, too, and together we all destroyed the fire elementals. Weaker ones kept appearing as time passed, and Aurora ran over to the brazier and pushed it over, causing it to break into rubble. The runes went dark and the summoning stopped.
We entered the next room, which was filled with statues and a grid of letters on the floor. We checked out the statues (except Aurora who was knocking them over and vandalizing the place). Between Phelaia and me, we weren't able to figure out how to work the puzzle or how to disable the trap. Treble got tired of waiting and put his foot on the letter "C," immediately causing five of the statues to come alive. The statues seemed pretty strong--one of the fist ones dealt a pretty devastating blow to Phelaia right off. I shot some bolts at the crossbow one, hindering its ability to attack, while boosting the abilities of my allies to attack and cause damage to their targets. The cobra statue poisoned Brogar and Mishaan, and after taking a bunch of hits, Brogar dropped again. This time, Colvin helped bring him back up, offering an apology as he healed the paladin.
After defeating the statues, we determined that the puzzle activated a magical teleportation device. After a number of unsuccessful tries, we finally decided to have four of us stand on a letter each spelling "CROW," and the statue that we had put into the teleporter disappeared. Now we know how to activate that when we are ready to come back and go into the vault tomorrow. In the meantime, we healed Colvin and Phelaia talked to the dead, asking them how to get safely to the vault and inquiring about their next planned quests before their deaths. I suggested moving the enchantment from our unused longsword to another weapon, and Aurora was interested in upgrading her mace, so I spent some time in the evening imbuing the magic onto her mace and removing the enchantment from the longsword. I'm happy with the finished product, and I think it will serve her needs well.
We went into the underground lair and again, we drank the magic water. This time, I got the power to discern lies, and Phelaia got the ability to speak with the dead. Colvin, on the other hand, didn't fare so well and ended up feeling quite ill. (That same night, Aurora, Brogar, and I healed him, so he did not have any lasting effects.) We proceeded through the now-disabled force wall and into another room. Through there, Treble told us that he saw a lightning trap ahead into the next room. So several of us crowded into the small anteroom to check it out, and found ourselves shot with poison needles. Ouch. In the end, I bolstered Phelaia with strength and she and Treble headed in to disable the lightning trap.
We found ourselves at another large room with runes on the floor. We were debating the best cautious and tactical approach to take, when Colvin exclaimed "It's time to be bold!" and charged in. Immediately four fire elementals appeared in the runes and all attacked him. He dropped and found himself dying, until I healed him. That's twice now that I've saved his life. Then, after I brought him back up, he was trying to find the best way out of the pickle he'd got himself into, and the best plan he could come up with was to roast the area before fleeing. Unfortunately, Brogar was standing there and wasn't looking too hot, and Colvin pretty much did him in, too. I brought Brogar back up, too, and together we all destroyed the fire elementals. Weaker ones kept appearing as time passed, and Aurora ran over to the brazier and pushed it over, causing it to break into rubble. The runes went dark and the summoning stopped.
We entered the next room, which was filled with statues and a grid of letters on the floor. We checked out the statues (except Aurora who was knocking them over and vandalizing the place). Between Phelaia and me, we weren't able to figure out how to work the puzzle or how to disable the trap. Treble got tired of waiting and put his foot on the letter "C," immediately causing five of the statues to come alive. The statues seemed pretty strong--one of the fist ones dealt a pretty devastating blow to Phelaia right off. I shot some bolts at the crossbow one, hindering its ability to attack, while boosting the abilities of my allies to attack and cause damage to their targets. The cobra statue poisoned Brogar and Mishaan, and after taking a bunch of hits, Brogar dropped again. This time, Colvin helped bring him back up, offering an apology as he healed the paladin.
After defeating the statues, we determined that the puzzle activated a magical teleportation device. After a number of unsuccessful tries, we finally decided to have four of us stand on a letter each spelling "CROW," and the statue that we had put into the teleporter disappeared. Now we know how to activate that when we are ready to come back and go into the vault tomorrow. In the meantime, we healed Colvin and Phelaia talked to the dead, asking them how to get safely to the vault and inquiring about their next planned quests before their deaths. I suggested moving the enchantment from our unused longsword to another weapon, and Aurora was interested in upgrading her mace, so I spent some time in the evening imbuing the magic onto her mace and removing the enchantment from the longsword. I'm happy with the finished product, and I think it will serve her needs well.
Saturday, January 23, 2010
XP for Stormcrow Tor Session #3
Each player gained 372 experience for the session.
Total XP: 3796 (level 4)
Friday, January 22, 2010
Magic water
I found myself urgently awakened in the middle of the night by Colvin, who alerted me to two people descending upon our site. After a few tense moments, Mishaan told us that he had been expecting these two travellers, Phelaia and Brogar. I know Phelaia well, from an encounter several years back where we ended up spending a few months together, but she doesn't know me. She looks to be well, and I am glad to see that. I still carry a lot of gratitude for her for what she did for my mother. I'm still in a bit of shock that she'd wind up here with this lot, and I know I'll have to be careful. At least if I look out for 'er, then I can feel to myself somewhat like I am repaying some of the kindness she showed to my mother way back then. Anyway, she brought a dragonborn with her as well. His name is Brogar, and he said he is Rhogar's brother.
Brogar agreed to watch for attacks from the back, and we went into the underground. It was dark down there, and kind of stinky to boot. Aurora kept insisting that she heard a baby crying. We pursued our way in, and found ourselves up against a bunch of javelin-wielding crow men. They had a witchy type with 'em, who dazed me with force magic, but I retaliated by landing a vital shot with an exceptionally accurate bolt. Treble found himself eaten by a gelatinous cube. We finally took it out, and he saw a sword in the pit. I've never known Treble to pass by any loot, so he climbed into the pit after it, at which point he found himself engulfed in another gelatinous cube. Much cursing ensued on his part, and I did my best to cover my chuckling at 'is predicament. He found a magic longsword down there. None of us carry much interest in it, but when Brogar joins up with us, we might see if he is interested in it.
After clearing the room, we found ourselves with two choices on where to go. We were speculating which direction to take, when Colvin started incanting a ritual and a ghostly hand appeared and suggested that we go to the West. Immediately after getting that divine direction, Colvin decided to go to the East instead, to see what was there. A few of us were debating what to do, and someone mentioned that it could be an idea to seal one of the doors so that nothing would appear at our flank. Colvin exclaimed, "I know just the thing!" and pulled out a nail which he used to seal the East door. After a bit more grumbling we decided to go through the East door, which Colvin had just sealed, in which we found a bunch of stairs, and I could hear dripping water. After determining that it was not a dead end, we turned back, resealed the door, and went through the West set of doors. Through here, we found two rooms: one containing a water fountain, and one containing a bunch of coffins. I saw something hiding between one of the coffins, and I shouted out to it to identify itself. Since it didn't respond, I fired a warning shot and battle ensued. They started exclaiming about "Nobody touch the dragon!" and Aurora went in. A bunch of guys threw javelins at her, and she touched the dragon skeleton, which only succeeded in making them enraged.
I went in so I could help watch Aurora's back, and a bunch of the bastards shot javelins at me, too. One in particular caught me completely unawares since I couldn't see so well in there and I had to retreat and heal myself before going back in to keep an eye on Aurora. I intervened during a few of their attacks and shortly thereafter, the battle was over. We found two of the coffins to be labelled with the names of two of the dead adventurers from the Stormcrow Company: Ullugi Swordbreaker, and Emerald Warlock. After clearing the room, we went to check out the fountain. It was clear to me and to Phelaia that the water was magic. I speculated that drinking it would give us some magic effect, but couldn't be sure without more research what the effect would be. Phelaia's an impulsive young girl and went and took a big swallow. She told us that she felt great and thought she could resist elemental damage. I'm glad she was alright, and to be honest, I really wanted to see what it was like, too, so I drank some as well. I felt like I could commune with the dead.
Colvin didn't believe me, and challenged me to go ask them a question, so I went and asked Ullugi if he could hear me. He said "Yes," in a ghostly voice. That was all the reassurance that Colvin needed, so he drank as well, and said he felt like he could determine whether someone was being honest. I thought it'd be a good idea to take him with me as I went to ask Ullugi and Emerald another question, so he came as I asked them to recount the events of the past fifteen years. An argument ensued between the two of them, and I think I've broken it down to the following main facts:
1) It's a definite possibility that the Wrathstone, the artifact we're looking for, has been made into a necklace. If so, Agera took it.
2) They got the necklace from the lich; Ullugi took it from the Lich after killing it; Emerald had had it paralyzed and he and Agera were killing its bodyguards.
3) Agera killed both Ullugi (dagger) and Emerald (trap on the force wall)
4) Emerald trapped her in the vault and cursed her; likely resulting in her death.
5) The platinum key that we found is the last remaining key, either to the vault or to the force wall, they weren't terribly clear on this point.
I think I'll drink the water again tomorrow!
Brogar agreed to watch for attacks from the back, and we went into the underground. It was dark down there, and kind of stinky to boot. Aurora kept insisting that she heard a baby crying. We pursued our way in, and found ourselves up against a bunch of javelin-wielding crow men. They had a witchy type with 'em, who dazed me with force magic, but I retaliated by landing a vital shot with an exceptionally accurate bolt. Treble found himself eaten by a gelatinous cube. We finally took it out, and he saw a sword in the pit. I've never known Treble to pass by any loot, so he climbed into the pit after it, at which point he found himself engulfed in another gelatinous cube. Much cursing ensued on his part, and I did my best to cover my chuckling at 'is predicament. He found a magic longsword down there. None of us carry much interest in it, but when Brogar joins up with us, we might see if he is interested in it.
After clearing the room, we found ourselves with two choices on where to go. We were speculating which direction to take, when Colvin started incanting a ritual and a ghostly hand appeared and suggested that we go to the West. Immediately after getting that divine direction, Colvin decided to go to the East instead, to see what was there. A few of us were debating what to do, and someone mentioned that it could be an idea to seal one of the doors so that nothing would appear at our flank. Colvin exclaimed, "I know just the thing!" and pulled out a nail which he used to seal the East door. After a bit more grumbling we decided to go through the East door, which Colvin had just sealed, in which we found a bunch of stairs, and I could hear dripping water. After determining that it was not a dead end, we turned back, resealed the door, and went through the West set of doors. Through here, we found two rooms: one containing a water fountain, and one containing a bunch of coffins. I saw something hiding between one of the coffins, and I shouted out to it to identify itself. Since it didn't respond, I fired a warning shot and battle ensued. They started exclaiming about "Nobody touch the dragon!" and Aurora went in. A bunch of guys threw javelins at her, and she touched the dragon skeleton, which only succeeded in making them enraged.
I went in so I could help watch Aurora's back, and a bunch of the bastards shot javelins at me, too. One in particular caught me completely unawares since I couldn't see so well in there and I had to retreat and heal myself before going back in to keep an eye on Aurora. I intervened during a few of their attacks and shortly thereafter, the battle was over. We found two of the coffins to be labelled with the names of two of the dead adventurers from the Stormcrow Company: Ullugi Swordbreaker, and Emerald Warlock. After clearing the room, we went to check out the fountain. It was clear to me and to Phelaia that the water was magic. I speculated that drinking it would give us some magic effect, but couldn't be sure without more research what the effect would be. Phelaia's an impulsive young girl and went and took a big swallow. She told us that she felt great and thought she could resist elemental damage. I'm glad she was alright, and to be honest, I really wanted to see what it was like, too, so I drank some as well. I felt like I could commune with the dead.
Colvin didn't believe me, and challenged me to go ask them a question, so I went and asked Ullugi if he could hear me. He said "Yes," in a ghostly voice. That was all the reassurance that Colvin needed, so he drank as well, and said he felt like he could determine whether someone was being honest. I thought it'd be a good idea to take him with me as I went to ask Ullugi and Emerald another question, so he came as I asked them to recount the events of the past fifteen years. An argument ensued between the two of them, and I think I've broken it down to the following main facts:
1) It's a definite possibility that the Wrathstone, the artifact we're looking for, has been made into a necklace. If so, Agera took it.
2) They got the necklace from the lich; Ullugi took it from the Lich after killing it; Emerald had had it paralyzed and he and Agera were killing its bodyguards.
3) Agera killed both Ullugi (dagger) and Emerald (trap on the force wall)
4) Emerald trapped her in the vault and cursed her; likely resulting in her death.
5) The platinum key that we found is the last remaining key, either to the vault or to the force wall, they weren't terribly clear on this point.
I think I'll drink the water again tomorrow!
Saturday, January 16, 2010
Friday, January 15, 2010
An adventuring job
Last week, this fellow, Mishaan, who I've crafted items for several times in the past, came into the shop. He told me that he wanted me to craft him a Bag of Shielding of a particular size, that could help give him some protection against the contents of the bag. I told him I had just the thing in mind, and we settled on a price. This time, though, he said he was in a hurry to organize a mission, and instead of waiting for the item, he asked me if I would go to Greenwood Villa and deliver it to 'im. I told him that usually I charge a travel fee, but being as I appreciate repeat customers who pay promptly and in full, I'd waive the charges and do it for the cost of travel expenses. He agreed, and we made plans to meet in a tavern a week hence. He told me that actually, he was recruiting for the mission as well, and he invited me to join along as long as I was there delivering the bag. He said that I could expect a hefty sum if I joined along, and for me it was a safe investment to at least listen to his spiel, given that I know he pays as promised.
Then, Mishaan asked me if I knew any other adventurers that I could recommend recruiting. I told 'im about that time I went to the cemetery to go after Volkir, and about how of that lot we took along with us, only a few of 'em really would have the mettle for a serious mission. I told 'im that Treble has worked in this area a long time, so I was pretty sure I could find 'im and ask 'im if he was looking for a job from someone who pays reliably, and if so, I'd see if he wanted to come along with me. I told Mishaan that I don't know Colvin, Agathor, and Balthazar as well, but that he could get in touch with them by sending a message over to the Temple of the Silver Flame if he wanted to see if any of them were available. I told him that of the three, especially Colvin really hung in there with us when it got nasty in those crypts. He's a brave fellow even if I did have to save his life when he got himself in a pickle. I said that Agathor led the mission, but he and Balthazar went to stave the Children of Winter off of our flank, so they weren't there in the thick of the action, although I thought they would be useful if they were available. I told him that the other fellows, Horadric and Rhogar, were adventuring types who aren't from this area, so I don't know how he'd get in touch with them, but if he managed to find them, they would be worthy allies.
During the intervening week, I crafted Mishaan's bag, putting as much care into it as I do to all of the items that I craft. I met up with Treble and we headed out to Greenwood Villa to meet with Mishaan at the tavern for drinks and information. Colvin was there too, and sitting with them was Aurora, a strong-looking (if hairy) woman with a bunch of weapons at her disposal. Mishaan offered us hefty doses of excitement, fame, and most of all treasure if we joined him in his mission to retrieve an artifact from an old hideout. He promised us each 100 gold for our time and trouble even if the artifact was not there, which seemed fair enough, so we all agreed to join. He told us that the old hideout we would be looking for was that of the Stormcrow Company, a trio of disreputable adventurers who had disappeared fifteen years ago, and showed us a map he had drawn of the area where he thought we might be able to find it.
The next morning, we headed out toward the area that Mishaan had indicated on his map. It took us pretty much the whole day to get down there, and I suggested we make camp a little away from the woods and enter the woods in daylight. The others agreed, even Colvin, who was reluctant and had to be convinced not to make camp right in the middle of the woods with wolves all around. The next morning, Aurora and Treble climbed up a tree to look for the rock outcropping we were using as a landmark to decide from whither to enter the woods. They pointed the way and we all headed that direction and went into the woods. It was dark and the brush and undergrowth were overgrown in the woods, so it was slow going. We all tried to use our skills to the best of our abilities to help, but some of us were more successful than others. I especially gave a long look to Colvin, who told us all that he was skilled in Nature, and then instead of tracking his way through the woods he started incanting prayers and calling forth lightning from the sky and bring blasted trees down all around us. Poor Treble out in front there almost had a close call when a limb came crashing down right in front of him. Hopefully this was an anomaly, and Colvin will prove himself to be more useful in the future, or Mishaan might not give as much weight to my recommendations in the future.
As it neared dark, we found the outcropping. As dusk surrounded us, so did a pack of wolves, as we approached the clearing. Our team was somewhat divided on whether we should make a run for it or stand and fight, so our tactics were not ideal, as Mishaan and Treble tried to make a run for it while Colvin and I decided to choose a patch of ground and defend it. The fighter lady stayed with the two of us, and I planted my deep red battle standard in the ground to mark the ground as ours. Colvin and Aurora quickly found themselves surrounded by wolves, and so I conjured an arcane eye to help them see the weaknesses of their foes. At one point there, Aurora was knocked prone and rather than help her up, Colvin stepped aside and roasted the whole area with fire and hail. I had given her an elixir of protection, so she didn't seem too much worse off for the wear. While I have to admit that his fiery hailstorm was effective in dispatching several of the wolves, I can't help but think that the bloke must have been having an off-day, first bring trees down around our rogue and then bringing fiery hail down around our fighter. Off-days happen to the best of us, so let's hope that the lad learns from this to temper somewhat his youthful impulsiveness.
Anyway, the battle was over in short order, so we decided to sleep in the hideout ruins for the night. Aurora volunteered to sleep on the trap door, and Treble volunteered to keep watch, which worked for me. Tomorrow, we plan to go into the burrows underground and look for Mishaan's artifact.
Then, Mishaan asked me if I knew any other adventurers that I could recommend recruiting. I told 'im about that time I went to the cemetery to go after Volkir, and about how of that lot we took along with us, only a few of 'em really would have the mettle for a serious mission. I told 'im that Treble has worked in this area a long time, so I was pretty sure I could find 'im and ask 'im if he was looking for a job from someone who pays reliably, and if so, I'd see if he wanted to come along with me. I told Mishaan that I don't know Colvin, Agathor, and Balthazar as well, but that he could get in touch with them by sending a message over to the Temple of the Silver Flame if he wanted to see if any of them were available. I told him that of the three, especially Colvin really hung in there with us when it got nasty in those crypts. He's a brave fellow even if I did have to save his life when he got himself in a pickle. I said that Agathor led the mission, but he and Balthazar went to stave the Children of Winter off of our flank, so they weren't there in the thick of the action, although I thought they would be useful if they were available. I told him that the other fellows, Horadric and Rhogar, were adventuring types who aren't from this area, so I don't know how he'd get in touch with them, but if he managed to find them, they would be worthy allies.
During the intervening week, I crafted Mishaan's bag, putting as much care into it as I do to all of the items that I craft. I met up with Treble and we headed out to Greenwood Villa to meet with Mishaan at the tavern for drinks and information. Colvin was there too, and sitting with them was Aurora, a strong-looking (if hairy) woman with a bunch of weapons at her disposal. Mishaan offered us hefty doses of excitement, fame, and most of all treasure if we joined him in his mission to retrieve an artifact from an old hideout. He promised us each 100 gold for our time and trouble even if the artifact was not there, which seemed fair enough, so we all agreed to join. He told us that the old hideout we would be looking for was that of the Stormcrow Company, a trio of disreputable adventurers who had disappeared fifteen years ago, and showed us a map he had drawn of the area where he thought we might be able to find it.
The next morning, we headed out toward the area that Mishaan had indicated on his map. It took us pretty much the whole day to get down there, and I suggested we make camp a little away from the woods and enter the woods in daylight. The others agreed, even Colvin, who was reluctant and had to be convinced not to make camp right in the middle of the woods with wolves all around. The next morning, Aurora and Treble climbed up a tree to look for the rock outcropping we were using as a landmark to decide from whither to enter the woods. They pointed the way and we all headed that direction and went into the woods. It was dark and the brush and undergrowth were overgrown in the woods, so it was slow going. We all tried to use our skills to the best of our abilities to help, but some of us were more successful than others. I especially gave a long look to Colvin, who told us all that he was skilled in Nature, and then instead of tracking his way through the woods he started incanting prayers and calling forth lightning from the sky and bring blasted trees down all around us. Poor Treble out in front there almost had a close call when a limb came crashing down right in front of him. Hopefully this was an anomaly, and Colvin will prove himself to be more useful in the future, or Mishaan might not give as much weight to my recommendations in the future.
As it neared dark, we found the outcropping. As dusk surrounded us, so did a pack of wolves, as we approached the clearing. Our team was somewhat divided on whether we should make a run for it or stand and fight, so our tactics were not ideal, as Mishaan and Treble tried to make a run for it while Colvin and I decided to choose a patch of ground and defend it. The fighter lady stayed with the two of us, and I planted my deep red battle standard in the ground to mark the ground as ours. Colvin and Aurora quickly found themselves surrounded by wolves, and so I conjured an arcane eye to help them see the weaknesses of their foes. At one point there, Aurora was knocked prone and rather than help her up, Colvin stepped aside and roasted the whole area with fire and hail. I had given her an elixir of protection, so she didn't seem too much worse off for the wear. While I have to admit that his fiery hailstorm was effective in dispatching several of the wolves, I can't help but think that the bloke must have been having an off-day, first bring trees down around our rogue and then bringing fiery hail down around our fighter. Off-days happen to the best of us, so let's hope that the lad learns from this to temper somewhat his youthful impulsiveness.
Anyway, the battle was over in short order, so we decided to sleep in the hideout ruins for the night. Aurora volunteered to sleep on the trap door, and Treble volunteered to keep watch, which worked for me. Tomorrow, we plan to go into the burrows underground and look for Mishaan's artifact.
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