Each player gained 1000 experience for the session.
Congratulations! You have just gained level 8. Please level your character up before our next session.
Total XP: 13500 (level 9 at 16500 xp)
Showing posts with label Session Six. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Session Six. Show all posts
Monday, May 31, 2010
Friday, March 26, 2010
The pit of the snake gods; a sexy body
First we went after Thorn into the secret passage. We came upon three horned drakes (easily defeated), but four piles of hay, from which we drew the inference that Thorn had ridden one of the drakes away from the compound. We followed the tunnel to its end, leading outside the compound to the other side of the hill. We followed the drake footprints a ways, but lost them.
Treble scouted the garbage pit in the dining room of the lodge, reporting back that he heard some hissing. Meanwhile, I freed the slaves, and Colvin helped convince them to watch Leshna while we investigated the pit. They were relieved to be freed and several of them agreed to help.
In the pit, we fought two carrion crawlers, six huge centipedes, and two spiderlike otyughs that kept grabbing Aurora. She seemed to be frustrated by this, but she held her own pretty well. When it finally looked like we had gotten a solid hold on the battle, a powerful earth elemental came onto the scene and started sending quake shocks through the region. Once all were defeated, we headed down the tunnel, ultimately finding a vast cavern... the entrance to the Underdark. Some among us have interest in pursuing this new area... but for now we have more pressing matters ahead.
The trip beneath wasn't entirely useless: we had found 100 gold in the trash, and another 300 gold in gems littering the walls of the earth elemental's lair.
After this, we went aboveboard and freed the slaves. They cheered when they heard our suggestion to take everything that wasn't nailed down, to take the boat and the wagons, and to go the nearest port town Galethspyre to sell the loot and split the proceeds. We encouraged some of them to make way to Cragwar to assist the other slaves we had left behind, telling them there was a monetary reward offered for the help.
Then, we put Leshna in the hold and headed for Woodhelm. She dropped out of the boat about an hour down the road. I was kind of pissed about it because we had already checked the hold for holes before leaving her in there, so I have no idea how she got out. I didn't have time to obsess about it for too long, however, as a group of five big, blood-red hawks attacked the ship, swooping at Treble and Phelaia and causing us to veer slightly off-course. Of course it would be this exact instant that our ship veered into a writhing cloud of dire giant mosquitoes that engulfed Brogar, Colvin, and Aurora, who were swatting themselves trying to get them off. Eventually we rid ourselves of the pests, and a bit later we come upon a boat going to the south. We weren't sure, but Phelaia suggested that it might be the boat coming to the south to pick up the slaves from the compound, and she suggested that we intercept. We talked about the best way to go about it, and ultimately decided that it would be best for me to disguise as Leshna.
I borrowed a silk dress from Phelaia and changed in privacy. As Leshna, I could feel a new spring in my step... I hadn't looked this good in ages, and it felt great. I even caught Colvin looking appreciatively. Heh. I sauntered a bit around the ship, and it helped that we had interrogated Leshna for so long, because I was much better able to affect her attitude and speech mannerisms when I leaned over the rail, showing off my new assets, and hailed the ship below. I told them that they were late, to which they seemed surprised to see me, and stammered that the slaves weren't cooperative. I asked if they were better-equipped this time, to which they replied that they weren't. At the suggestion of the others, I suggested that we had brought some recruits to help keep the slaves in line, and asked if they could use the help. They seemed relieved and docked so I could send my "recruits" aboard. I did, at which point "my" guys (Morangan, Treble, Brogar, Aurora) easily overpowered their two, and when they asked more about what was happening, I told them that we were following orders and were told to take over their ship.
We took them (Charles and George) belowground as some of the others made the ship unseaworthy. I ordered them to answer the guards' questions, and then I went aboveboard with a few of the others who were preparing to set sail. The others reported back that they learned the following: their group consisted of Alhunder (a "brilliant" leader who could raise the dead and create undead; talks to Orcus every day), ghouls, zombies, four death priests, 8 more guys about their level, and two whip-wielding guys in town and more at the gravesite northwest of town. They learned that Leshna was about the level of one of the death priests in the organization.
Now we have to figure out how to get them out of the way so we can go in and destroy their operation. I don't mind at all being in Leshna's body for awhile longer.
Treble scouted the garbage pit in the dining room of the lodge, reporting back that he heard some hissing. Meanwhile, I freed the slaves, and Colvin helped convince them to watch Leshna while we investigated the pit. They were relieved to be freed and several of them agreed to help.
In the pit, we fought two carrion crawlers, six huge centipedes, and two spiderlike otyughs that kept grabbing Aurora. She seemed to be frustrated by this, but she held her own pretty well. When it finally looked like we had gotten a solid hold on the battle, a powerful earth elemental came onto the scene and started sending quake shocks through the region. Once all were defeated, we headed down the tunnel, ultimately finding a vast cavern... the entrance to the Underdark. Some among us have interest in pursuing this new area... but for now we have more pressing matters ahead.
The trip beneath wasn't entirely useless: we had found 100 gold in the trash, and another 300 gold in gems littering the walls of the earth elemental's lair.
After this, we went aboveboard and freed the slaves. They cheered when they heard our suggestion to take everything that wasn't nailed down, to take the boat and the wagons, and to go the nearest port town Galethspyre to sell the loot and split the proceeds. We encouraged some of them to make way to Cragwar to assist the other slaves we had left behind, telling them there was a monetary reward offered for the help.
Then, we put Leshna in the hold and headed for Woodhelm. She dropped out of the boat about an hour down the road. I was kind of pissed about it because we had already checked the hold for holes before leaving her in there, so I have no idea how she got out. I didn't have time to obsess about it for too long, however, as a group of five big, blood-red hawks attacked the ship, swooping at Treble and Phelaia and causing us to veer slightly off-course. Of course it would be this exact instant that our ship veered into a writhing cloud of dire giant mosquitoes that engulfed Brogar, Colvin, and Aurora, who were swatting themselves trying to get them off. Eventually we rid ourselves of the pests, and a bit later we come upon a boat going to the south. We weren't sure, but Phelaia suggested that it might be the boat coming to the south to pick up the slaves from the compound, and she suggested that we intercept. We talked about the best way to go about it, and ultimately decided that it would be best for me to disguise as Leshna.
I borrowed a silk dress from Phelaia and changed in privacy. As Leshna, I could feel a new spring in my step... I hadn't looked this good in ages, and it felt great. I even caught Colvin looking appreciatively. Heh. I sauntered a bit around the ship, and it helped that we had interrogated Leshna for so long, because I was much better able to affect her attitude and speech mannerisms when I leaned over the rail, showing off my new assets, and hailed the ship below. I told them that they were late, to which they seemed surprised to see me, and stammered that the slaves weren't cooperative. I asked if they were better-equipped this time, to which they replied that they weren't. At the suggestion of the others, I suggested that we had brought some recruits to help keep the slaves in line, and asked if they could use the help. They seemed relieved and docked so I could send my "recruits" aboard. I did, at which point "my" guys (Morangan, Treble, Brogar, Aurora) easily overpowered their two, and when they asked more about what was happening, I told them that we were following orders and were told to take over their ship.
We took them (Charles and George) belowground as some of the others made the ship unseaworthy. I ordered them to answer the guards' questions, and then I went aboveboard with a few of the others who were preparing to set sail. The others reported back that they learned the following: their group consisted of Alhunder (a "brilliant" leader who could raise the dead and create undead; talks to Orcus every day), ghouls, zombies, four death priests, 8 more guys about their level, and two whip-wielding guys in town and more at the gravesite northwest of town. They learned that Leshna was about the level of one of the death priests in the organization.
Now we have to figure out how to get them out of the way so we can go in and destroy their operation. I don't mind at all being in Leshna's body for awhile longer.
Sunday, October 18, 2009
Saturday, October 17, 2009
A second prisoner saved
We decided to press on and rescue Mertala. Treble threw a dagger into the room where the cook was held, and came back bloodied with a report that he had killed the goblin. The rest of us went in, and despite several misses, were able to finish off the three giant rodents and two gnomes without too much trouble. Although the rats tried to go past me to attack my ranged allies, I managed to slow them down so that they never reached the rear of our ranks. Rhogar got himself in a bit of a tight situation, taking on a rat and the two gnomes himself. I went up, drew their attention, and got a few nasty hits on them. Before the end of the battle, the last gnome disappeared. Thanks to me, he had already been slowed, which let us narrow his location down a small area only about fifteen feet on each side. Elaira just attacked the whole area and finished him off.
During the battle, some of us had felt some trembling of the earth and heard a giant roar followed by some cheers, so we knew that we needed to hurry before we found ourselves in real trouble. I cut the bonds that were holding Mertala, and gave her food and water as Elaira played a song to try to calm her. She was almost catatonic, and we noticed that she was suffering from some kind of disease, probably as a result of the bites from the filthy rodents. Rhogar and Elaira healed her (well, to be fair, she seemed frightened of Rhogar, maybe because of his draconic appearance... he decided it would be best to stand guard with me at the door instead) while Treble and Horadric pried the amber eyes off of the displacer beast statues. Shamash, Elaira, and Sertanian talked to the cook and convinced her that we could take her to safety. Especially in our wearied state, with our concerns about the noises we were continuing to hear in the catacombs, we decided that we needed to save the live prisoners first and return for Kartenix later.
As we left the castle, some of us noticed big clawed footprints that made deep trenches in the earth. They were clearly fresh footprints from a young dragon's landing in this very spot, and it seemed likely that it was the source of the roar and the trembling. We headed for cover in the forest, as the bard chanted march songs to spur us on, so we could make camp a solid distance away. I scouted for an area where I felt we would be safe from predatory animals, and Horadric chanted a ritual that set us up a campsite. As we rested, Mertala told us that she knew where Sertanian was held, and from there she knew that Adronsias was being held upstairs, in a family crypt which she was able to identify as the von Jallach crypts. Her fever got worse, so the next morning we hurried to Brindol and left her at a Temple of the Silver Flame with the clerics there, who we told about the defaced altars. The priest we spoke to, however, didn't seem to be terribly knowledgeable about those particular crypts, so I am guessing they were abandoned many years ago and that the Silver Flame has not been there in quite some time.
Councilman Troyas was out, so we gathered rumors around town and shopped during the afternoon. Several townspeople were talking animatedly about the blue dragon they had seen flying the skies.... yet others were sure it was all nonsense. To me, then, putting it all together led me to believe that dragons are rare enough in this region that the source of the footprints must have been this same blue dragon. We went and had another amazing meal at Councilman Troyas' residence as we updated him on the status of our adventure. He had nothing new to report; no new attacks had been made against Brindol while we were gone. This meal might have been even better than the last; either that, or eating travelling rations for the previous few days made it seem as though it was.
We stopped by an artificer's shop afterwards, where several of my allies bought some potions from the proprietor, Derrick. He seemed like a nice enough fellow who was genuinely willing to help us out, which was great, but I still find something unnatural about arcane power. I didn't buy anything. I did, however, listen with interest to his discussion of dragon anatomy. In my village we have killed and skinned various different animals for food, so I am somewhat versed in this area; however, I have never seen a dragon before, so it was fascinating to hear about his experiences.
We headed back to the catacombs, and I urged that we head into the von Jallach crypts to rescue Adronsias, even if it meant facing the dragon head-on. This is exactly what happened. Although it was asleep when we arrived, that didn't last for long. It seems as though Treble woke him up when he opened the door, since the dragon shot a huge bolt of lightning through the door, blasting it from its hinges and hitting several of us. It was at that point that I could see the large blue dragon, reared up on its hind legs and roaring at us. Although it was clearly a young dragon, its massive size made me marvel at how big a full-grown dragon could possibly be. I reached into the power of Earth's Winter Guardian, while Rhogar set up a circle of protection near the doorway to the room, which was filled with various kinds of poisonous mushrooms. Together we all faced four hobgoblin grunts, one formerly-harp-playing soldier, the dragon, and two drakes. Keh'r and Rhogar took quite a few hits; and Shamash delivered a very solid one to the dragon. As for me, I took a few, ending the battle bloodied; but I definitely gave it out better than I got. In the middle of the battle, Keh'r teleported into the mushroom patch and . . . fell asleep. He wasn't much good to us after that and woke up when it was all over.
After talking with Derrick the artificer yesterday, I think the next order of business is to help the others harvest some of these wild mushrooms and possibly gather some elements from the dragon before heading through the door to the East to pursue Adronsias.
During the battle, some of us had felt some trembling of the earth and heard a giant roar followed by some cheers, so we knew that we needed to hurry before we found ourselves in real trouble. I cut the bonds that were holding Mertala, and gave her food and water as Elaira played a song to try to calm her. She was almost catatonic, and we noticed that she was suffering from some kind of disease, probably as a result of the bites from the filthy rodents. Rhogar and Elaira healed her (well, to be fair, she seemed frightened of Rhogar, maybe because of his draconic appearance... he decided it would be best to stand guard with me at the door instead) while Treble and Horadric pried the amber eyes off of the displacer beast statues. Shamash, Elaira, and Sertanian talked to the cook and convinced her that we could take her to safety. Especially in our wearied state, with our concerns about the noises we were continuing to hear in the catacombs, we decided that we needed to save the live prisoners first and return for Kartenix later.
As we left the castle, some of us noticed big clawed footprints that made deep trenches in the earth. They were clearly fresh footprints from a young dragon's landing in this very spot, and it seemed likely that it was the source of the roar and the trembling. We headed for cover in the forest, as the bard chanted march songs to spur us on, so we could make camp a solid distance away. I scouted for an area where I felt we would be safe from predatory animals, and Horadric chanted a ritual that set us up a campsite. As we rested, Mertala told us that she knew where Sertanian was held, and from there she knew that Adronsias was being held upstairs, in a family crypt which she was able to identify as the von Jallach crypts. Her fever got worse, so the next morning we hurried to Brindol and left her at a Temple of the Silver Flame with the clerics there, who we told about the defaced altars. The priest we spoke to, however, didn't seem to be terribly knowledgeable about those particular crypts, so I am guessing they were abandoned many years ago and that the Silver Flame has not been there in quite some time.
Councilman Troyas was out, so we gathered rumors around town and shopped during the afternoon. Several townspeople were talking animatedly about the blue dragon they had seen flying the skies.... yet others were sure it was all nonsense. To me, then, putting it all together led me to believe that dragons are rare enough in this region that the source of the footprints must have been this same blue dragon. We went and had another amazing meal at Councilman Troyas' residence as we updated him on the status of our adventure. He had nothing new to report; no new attacks had been made against Brindol while we were gone. This meal might have been even better than the last; either that, or eating travelling rations for the previous few days made it seem as though it was.
We stopped by an artificer's shop afterwards, where several of my allies bought some potions from the proprietor, Derrick. He seemed like a nice enough fellow who was genuinely willing to help us out, which was great, but I still find something unnatural about arcane power. I didn't buy anything. I did, however, listen with interest to his discussion of dragon anatomy. In my village we have killed and skinned various different animals for food, so I am somewhat versed in this area; however, I have never seen a dragon before, so it was fascinating to hear about his experiences.
We headed back to the catacombs, and I urged that we head into the von Jallach crypts to rescue Adronsias, even if it meant facing the dragon head-on. This is exactly what happened. Although it was asleep when we arrived, that didn't last for long. It seems as though Treble woke him up when he opened the door, since the dragon shot a huge bolt of lightning through the door, blasting it from its hinges and hitting several of us. It was at that point that I could see the large blue dragon, reared up on its hind legs and roaring at us. Although it was clearly a young dragon, its massive size made me marvel at how big a full-grown dragon could possibly be. I reached into the power of Earth's Winter Guardian, while Rhogar set up a circle of protection near the doorway to the room, which was filled with various kinds of poisonous mushrooms. Together we all faced four hobgoblin grunts, one formerly-harp-playing soldier, the dragon, and two drakes. Keh'r and Rhogar took quite a few hits; and Shamash delivered a very solid one to the dragon. As for me, I took a few, ending the battle bloodied; but I definitely gave it out better than I got. In the middle of the battle, Keh'r teleported into the mushroom patch and . . . fell asleep. He wasn't much good to us after that and woke up when it was all over.
After talking with Derrick the artificer yesterday, I think the next order of business is to help the others harvest some of these wild mushrooms and possibly gather some elements from the dragon before heading through the door to the East to pursue Adronsias.
Artificer's shop
Horadric leads the party to a small stall off of Market Street. "This is the place," he says, and you all step inside. Behind the counter, you see a middle-aged man calibrating some dials on a shiny artificer's rod. He is human, stocky, and broad-shouldered; his brown hair is receding on his head; and he has a short full beard on his round friendly face.
"Howdy there, fellas!" he says, nodding to Horadric, Rhogar, and Treble. "Don't tell me you're off adventuring for the Silver Flame again, eh?"
Treble says, "Nah, not for the Silver Flame. We're on a job, though, just one that doesn't pay as well."
"Ah, I see. Does that mean those rumors about the dragon are true?"
Horadric says, "Yes, they're true. We're going after the dragon."
"Aha, well good luck to ya. If anyone can get him, I'd put my wager on you lot. Well, let me know if there's anything I can do for ya. I've got some potions in stock that might come in handy, if you're looking for that sort of thing."
Treble says, "Yes, we'll definitely check out your stock and see what might be useful. Hey listen, Derrick, last time we met, you said something about being able to cut us a deal?"
Derrick smiles and says "Sure thing, mate. You know, I haven't met many folk who live here in Brindol, or travellers either, who would have the mettle to stick around that graveyard with all the things we saw there. Hell, the whole town guard ran away. You're solid people. Here's what I'll do." He pulls out some worn-looking books from behind the counter, and piles them on top. The books are obviously well-used. He says, "The rule of thumb in this business is to charge customers 20% over cost, to cover our operating expenses and give us a little bit of profit so that we can make a living. For you, I'm willing to sell you items at cost. If there's something you're interested in, you're welcome to look through the books so you can figure the expenses."
Treble nods with satisfaction.
"Of course, if you want something I don't have in stock, I'd have to make it for ya. I'm willing to do that, but obviously you'd have to give me a little bit of time."
Rhogar asks, "How long would it usually take?"
Derrick says, "Eh, an hour or two."
The group looks over Derrick's wares. Elaira asks diplomatically, "I think this Potion of Lightning Resistance could be useful. How much does it cost?"
Derrick looks at Horadric and asks, "These guys with you, then?"
Horadric says, "Yes, they are aiding us."
Treble adds, "For now," with a sideways glance at the bard.
Derrick looks at Elaira and says, "Okay, then, if these guys vouch for you, then you're okay by me too. I'll sell to you at cost as well." Elaira smiles. Derrick adds, "Besides, if you guys go and slay a dragon, you'll get a reputation around Brindol. And when people ask you where you got your nicely-crafted magic items, you can tell them where to find me, eh? Besides, maybe we can help each other. If you come across any formulae for alchemical items, bring 'em on over and I'll add 'em to my formula collection... once I know how to make it, I can make it when you need it."
Elaira says, "Of course."
Various potions are purchased and money exchanges hands. Derrick says, "You know, part of what drives the price up on all these things is the cost to get the components. If you come across any components when you're out... residuum, rare herbs, that kind of thing, bring 'em by and it'll reduce the cost. I can also disenchant magic items for you for free if you ever need some residuum. Hey, while we're at it, if you do manage to slay the dragon..."
Keh'r says, "Yes?"
Derrick continues, "Well, dragons are magical creatures, and there are a few parts of 'em that I can use in my work to create magic items for you. If you're interested, I can give you some tips on which parts ya need and how to find and get 'em."
Keh'r says, "We're definitely interested."
The party listens as Derrick describes the process of extracting alchemical items from dragons. Well, that is, the members who are interested in anatomy and magic rituals listen, while the others start browsing through Derrick's catalogs. After the description is finished, Derrick wishes the party good luck as they leave.
Game mechanics: At shops throughout the land, magic items are houseruled to cost 20% more than the prices listed in the game books. Derrick can sell you magic items at the cost listed in the books (which is the cost he has to pay to craft them). He can Disenchant Magic Item for free. Our DM will be in charge of deciding what is "in stock" on any given day, but Derrick is willing to craft for you a specific magic item if you're looking for one. He can create alchemical items of our level plus 3, and magic items (including potions) of our level plus his Intelligence bonus (which is currently 4). So at the current time, he can make alchemical items of level 5 or lower, and magic items of level 6 or lower. He levels up when we do, so as we grow in power, so will his abilities.
"Howdy there, fellas!" he says, nodding to Horadric, Rhogar, and Treble. "Don't tell me you're off adventuring for the Silver Flame again, eh?"
Treble says, "Nah, not for the Silver Flame. We're on a job, though, just one that doesn't pay as well."
"Ah, I see. Does that mean those rumors about the dragon are true?"
Horadric says, "Yes, they're true. We're going after the dragon."
"Aha, well good luck to ya. If anyone can get him, I'd put my wager on you lot. Well, let me know if there's anything I can do for ya. I've got some potions in stock that might come in handy, if you're looking for that sort of thing."
Treble says, "Yes, we'll definitely check out your stock and see what might be useful. Hey listen, Derrick, last time we met, you said something about being able to cut us a deal?"
Derrick smiles and says "Sure thing, mate. You know, I haven't met many folk who live here in Brindol, or travellers either, who would have the mettle to stick around that graveyard with all the things we saw there. Hell, the whole town guard ran away. You're solid people. Here's what I'll do." He pulls out some worn-looking books from behind the counter, and piles them on top. The books are obviously well-used. He says, "The rule of thumb in this business is to charge customers 20% over cost, to cover our operating expenses and give us a little bit of profit so that we can make a living. For you, I'm willing to sell you items at cost. If there's something you're interested in, you're welcome to look through the books so you can figure the expenses."
Treble nods with satisfaction.
"Of course, if you want something I don't have in stock, I'd have to make it for ya. I'm willing to do that, but obviously you'd have to give me a little bit of time."
Rhogar asks, "How long would it usually take?"
Derrick says, "Eh, an hour or two."
The group looks over Derrick's wares. Elaira asks diplomatically, "I think this Potion of Lightning Resistance could be useful. How much does it cost?"
Derrick looks at Horadric and asks, "These guys with you, then?"
Horadric says, "Yes, they are aiding us."
Treble adds, "For now," with a sideways glance at the bard.
Derrick looks at Elaira and says, "Okay, then, if these guys vouch for you, then you're okay by me too. I'll sell to you at cost as well." Elaira smiles. Derrick adds, "Besides, if you guys go and slay a dragon, you'll get a reputation around Brindol. And when people ask you where you got your nicely-crafted magic items, you can tell them where to find me, eh? Besides, maybe we can help each other. If you come across any formulae for alchemical items, bring 'em on over and I'll add 'em to my formula collection... once I know how to make it, I can make it when you need it."
Elaira says, "Of course."
Various potions are purchased and money exchanges hands. Derrick says, "You know, part of what drives the price up on all these things is the cost to get the components. If you come across any components when you're out... residuum, rare herbs, that kind of thing, bring 'em by and it'll reduce the cost. I can also disenchant magic items for you for free if you ever need some residuum. Hey, while we're at it, if you do manage to slay the dragon..."
Keh'r says, "Yes?"
Derrick continues, "Well, dragons are magical creatures, and there are a few parts of 'em that I can use in my work to create magic items for you. If you're interested, I can give you some tips on which parts ya need and how to find and get 'em."
Keh'r says, "We're definitely interested."
The party listens as Derrick describes the process of extracting alchemical items from dragons. Well, that is, the members who are interested in anatomy and magic rituals listen, while the others start browsing through Derrick's catalogs. After the description is finished, Derrick wishes the party good luck as they leave.
Game mechanics: At shops throughout the land, magic items are houseruled to cost 20% more than the prices listed in the game books. Derrick can sell you magic items at the cost listed in the books (which is the cost he has to pay to craft them). He can Disenchant Magic Item for free. Our DM will be in charge of deciding what is "in stock" on any given day, but Derrick is willing to craft for you a specific magic item if you're looking for one. He can create alchemical items of our level plus 3, and magic items (including potions) of our level plus his Intelligence bonus (which is currently 4). So at the current time, he can make alchemical items of level 5 or lower, and magic items of level 6 or lower. He levels up when we do, so as we grow in power, so will his abilities.
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