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The party returned to town after their visit with Vrisana Pajul, and having nothing better to do, they went to the Sagebrush Inn for a drink. Thoric was focused on adding art to the outside of the Inn, so he asked permission to do some decoration. It was granted, and he went outside to begin a mural of sagebrush, pine, and desert roses.
The other party members immediately noticed a well armed and armored dark elf eating by himself at a table. Ander immediately went over an introduced himself, and Boreas and the stranger exchanged nods. The man waved them over, and all three of them took a seat. He introduced himself as Kylian, a follower of Peshtem. Ander seemed heartened by the shared choice of religion. Kylian said that he wandered the lands, helping those who were down on their luck, and that fate had brought him to this place recently. He had helped a woman and her son into town as they fled from goblin raiders, and he planned on seeking out the goblins and vanquishing them after he got a meal and night's rest.
The party said that they were on the same mission, and that perhaps they should join forces. This idea seemed to appeal to everyone, and thus a new party member was added. They all settled down to drinks of frothy fermented cactus juice and hard cactus liquor. Dinner consisted of cactus salad, crunchy cactus, sauteed cactus, boiled cactus with sage, piney stewed cactus with sage, and iguana on a stick. Xakoraki took offense at the consumption of iguana, but it didn't keep Ander from wolfing it down.
After picking up the maps the following morning, the party set out towards the abandoned temple of Yama that was rumored to be the source of the goblin raiders. The first day was hot, dry, and dusty. At the end of it, they had made it to the treeline of a thin pine forest. After clearing the ground of pine needles, they started a campfire and settled in for the night. They were soon approached by five well-armed men who stood at a respectable distance and asked if they could approach.
The men all bore shields with the symbol of Jocham, the protective aspect of Dravatadatman. They said that they were patrolling the borders of the land, both to protect the people from the goblins, but also to protect the truce. Their leader introduced himself as Gurti. Kylian told him that he was following Peshtem's will in seeking out the source of the goblins in order to destroy it. Thoric spoke up and said that it was also the will of Linitheriva that the ugliness of goblinkind be exterminated. Gurti called them unbelievers*, but said that he would not hold it against them.
The party agreed to let the group camp beside them for the evening. Nothing interesting occurred that evening, and in the morning the party prepared to move on. Gurti queried them again about their intentions in the truce zone, and Kylian's diplomacy convinced him that the party would not do anything to disturb the truce. Gurti mused that even though they were unbelievers, their mission was just, and he granted them Jocham's blessing.
Once they were into the pine forest, the air grew still and hot. The trees were thin and short enough to admit plenty of sunlight, and the ground was dusty beneath their feet. The shrill tone of cicadas was constant, and small flies harried the party. The smell of pine sap was thick, which was nice. But the occasional prick of pine needles began to wear on the travelers. Towards afternoon, the air became more humid and more oppressive. By late afternoon they found a tiny trickle of a stream which they used to refresh themselves. As the sun began to set, they decided to make a cold camp. Fatigued, they ate their rations and settled down for the evening.
Within an hour of full sundown, a group of hobgoblins and goblins was seen approaching the camp with torches. Everyone was quietly awakened, and the party was able to ambush the foul creatures. The hobgoblins quickly assembled an organized line of defense, but Boreas' area-affecting magic started wearing them down quickly. Ander blinded several with shuriken, and Xakoraki and Kylian stepped up to engage them in melee. Ander slipped behind their defensive line and was able to break up the phalanx that they created with their shields. He received a muck-tainted arrow in his shoulder for his efforts, but the battle was mostly a rout. Xakoraki took a few hits, but after less than a minutes of fighting, three hobgoblins and one goblin lay incapacitated. The remaining five goblinoids sprawled dead around the campsite.
*It should be noted that even in the face of divine magics from other good clerics, the followers of Dravatadatman believe that this is still the work of their god. Peshtem is merely a bastardized version of Jocham the Protector, and Linitheriva is an off-base version of Dhali the Teacher. It can also be noted that western followers of Dravatadatman believe that he is a spiritual god whose will is carried out by his people, and that his clerics are merely those who are closest to his true intentions. Eastern followers of Dravatadatman believe that his clerics are the physical incarnation of his five holy aspects. Naturally, both sides believe that the other side blasphemes against them.
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
A Moment of Clarity - 2/18 session recap
Xakoraki spent some time scaring the living daylights out of Hondro, who sat up that night, shivering and jumping at every little scratching sound from the mesa door. Ander relieved him of watch duty, but Xakoraki had scared him so much that poor Hondro was reluctant to close his eyes. After some coaxing, and a promise that Ander would wake him in case of a zombie outbreak, he finally fell asleep. He was only able to get a few hours of rest before jolting awake with a scream, however.
Boreas and Thoric escorted Nunpar and a band of militia back to the mesa the following morning. The militia leader was brought up to speed on the situation, and he seemed less scared than the two teens. When asked, he provided them with the location of the magister, and that her name was Pajul or something.
The party had a discussion about where to go next. Ander wanted to walk back to Shandrapur across the desert. Thoric wanted to slay goblins with extreme prejudice, and a discussion arose about how bloodthirsty he was for a follower of Linitheriva. Eventually it was suggested that perhaps the party could visit the magister directly, and then decide on a course of action. They visited town first, and Ander commissioned a copy of both a local and a regional map from the scribe's shop.
The next morning, the party made the five mile journey south across arid scrublands to the magister's tower. It was a simple sandstone structure built on top of a natural rock outcropping. As they neared the tower they felt a building electrical pressure against them. They stopped, and a voice asked for them to identify themselves. They were permitted to approach, and a young woman in a white, loose-fitting garments appeared from around the base of the rock. She introduced herself as Vrisana Pajul, the local magister. After a few introductions, Thoric explained that they were looking for Orvalion. He asked if she knew anything about him.
She said that she was not surprised that Caelbhan had hired them for this task without explaining anything about it, but that she would be willing to talk to them further. She invited them to climb the stairs at the back of the rock and enter there. She then vanished. At the top of the stairs they found a simple door in the side of the tower. They knocked, and she bade them enter. She had laid out some cups, and she conjured some water into a pitcher to serve them.
She was apparently satisfied that she could trust the party, and she told them that Caelebhan was seeking Orvalion for the same reason that she was; Orvalion was the last known protector of the first dragonstone. All of the other dragonstones that had been located during the rebellion had self-destructed upon capture, but the very first one had been created with no such failsafes. It was the prototype for all of the others. Orvalion, as part of the original Parthanak lineage, was its protector before the fall of the empire. He has since disappeared, and understandably so.
Vrisana explained that she, and many others, were extremely interested in the whereabouts of the dragonstone. For her part, she said that she probably wanted the same thing that Orvalion did, which was to destroy it so that it could never be used against dragons or dragonkin again. She suspected that Caelebhan wanted to keep it "safe", and out of the "wrong" hands, but that he himself wanted to study it. She had already researched a bit into how to destroy it, and she guessed that Orvalion was doing the same thing in the places that the party had tracked him. She made the party an offer : If they could convince Orvalion to come share his research with her, she would pay them double what Caelebhan had offered. She also sweetened the deal by saying that she could also offer them a chance to study a teleportation ritual so that they would no longer have to rely completely on the whims of others for such travel.
Thoric asked her if she had come into contact with Thorium like Caelebhan, and she said that she had not. She also said that there was no known cure for his condition, at least not one for which he was willing to pay the price.
He also asked Vrisana about the goblin infestation that had been plaguing the town. She was vexed with this problem, since the townspeople had come to her a couple of times for her help with it. She was not inclined to deal with it herself, but she was willing to pay the party to take care of it, should they be so inclined. The reward was limited to free teleportation and access to learn the teleportation ritual themselves, but no fixed sum was discussed.
The party then set off for town for resupply and to pick up Ander's maps.
Boreas and Thoric escorted Nunpar and a band of militia back to the mesa the following morning. The militia leader was brought up to speed on the situation, and he seemed less scared than the two teens. When asked, he provided them with the location of the magister, and that her name was Pajul or something.
The party had a discussion about where to go next. Ander wanted to walk back to Shandrapur across the desert. Thoric wanted to slay goblins with extreme prejudice, and a discussion arose about how bloodthirsty he was for a follower of Linitheriva. Eventually it was suggested that perhaps the party could visit the magister directly, and then decide on a course of action. They visited town first, and Ander commissioned a copy of both a local and a regional map from the scribe's shop.
The next morning, the party made the five mile journey south across arid scrublands to the magister's tower. It was a simple sandstone structure built on top of a natural rock outcropping. As they neared the tower they felt a building electrical pressure against them. They stopped, and a voice asked for them to identify themselves. They were permitted to approach, and a young woman in a white, loose-fitting garments appeared from around the base of the rock. She introduced herself as Vrisana Pajul, the local magister. After a few introductions, Thoric explained that they were looking for Orvalion. He asked if she knew anything about him.
She said that she was not surprised that Caelbhan had hired them for this task without explaining anything about it, but that she would be willing to talk to them further. She invited them to climb the stairs at the back of the rock and enter there. She then vanished. At the top of the stairs they found a simple door in the side of the tower. They knocked, and she bade them enter. She had laid out some cups, and she conjured some water into a pitcher to serve them.
She was apparently satisfied that she could trust the party, and she told them that Caelebhan was seeking Orvalion for the same reason that she was; Orvalion was the last known protector of the first dragonstone. All of the other dragonstones that had been located during the rebellion had self-destructed upon capture, but the very first one had been created with no such failsafes. It was the prototype for all of the others. Orvalion, as part of the original Parthanak lineage, was its protector before the fall of the empire. He has since disappeared, and understandably so.
Vrisana explained that she, and many others, were extremely interested in the whereabouts of the dragonstone. For her part, she said that she probably wanted the same thing that Orvalion did, which was to destroy it so that it could never be used against dragons or dragonkin again. She suspected that Caelebhan wanted to keep it "safe", and out of the "wrong" hands, but that he himself wanted to study it. She had already researched a bit into how to destroy it, and she guessed that Orvalion was doing the same thing in the places that the party had tracked him. She made the party an offer : If they could convince Orvalion to come share his research with her, she would pay them double what Caelebhan had offered. She also sweetened the deal by saying that she could also offer them a chance to study a teleportation ritual so that they would no longer have to rely completely on the whims of others for such travel.
Thoric asked her if she had come into contact with Thorium like Caelebhan, and she said that she had not. She also said that there was no known cure for his condition, at least not one for which he was willing to pay the price.
He also asked Vrisana about the goblin infestation that had been plaguing the town. She was vexed with this problem, since the townspeople had come to her a couple of times for her help with it. She was not inclined to deal with it herself, but she was willing to pay the party to take care of it, should they be so inclined. The reward was limited to free teleportation and access to learn the teleportation ritual themselves, but no fixed sum was discussed.
The party then set off for town for resupply and to pick up Ander's maps.
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Unlife, Revisited - 2/12 session recap
Having fought their way to a choke point at which they could hold off the lurching horde of zombies, the party decided to retreat. All of the territory that they gained last session just vanished in the wink of an eye as they fled to the elevator for a five minute rest. All so that they could get their encounter powers back. The room re-filled with zombies as the doors of the elevator closed.
During their rest, they mused on the fact that the barracks on the ground floor of the mesa was large enough to house an army of at least a thousand. They then estimated that they had only destroyed around seventy undead so far. The odds weren't good for simply killing all of them in a massive battle.
Afterwards, they ventured back down again to face the horde. This session was much like last session, except that Ander decided to make a dash for the control closet on the opposite side of the room while the rest of the party fought the never ending tide of undead. He found a way to raise the iron door, and everyone else retreated when it had opened enough. Ander himself waited until the last minute before sending the iron door back downwards. He then made an acrobatic leap to the ground and slipped out before the zombies could overcome him.
Beyond the iron door was a large wooden door with a sally port. Xakoraki unbarred this smaller door and was met by a teenager swinging a mace. "Die, Zombie!" She easily ducked the attack, and after a few confusing moments, the party emerged from the door into sunlight. Facing them were two scared teens. Boreas used his mage hand to drop the bar on the inside as the door shut behind him, hopefully slowing any zombies that made it through before the iron door fully closed.
The teens were named Nunpar and Hondro, and they explained that they were guarding Kopatri, the cursed mesa, as part of their coming-of-age trial. A thousand years ago, during the infernal invasions, several villages and an army sought refuge in the mesa as the horde of demons and devils surrounded them. A curse was laid on the mesa that turned people into undead when they died. Eventually reinforcements arrived, but not before the stores of the mesa had been exhausted, and everyone inside had perished. The place has been guarded ever since, in case the undead ever break free.
Ander and Xakoraki stayed at the mesa with Hondro while Boreas and Thoric traveled with Nunpar to the village. They met with the village elder who listened to their tale. When asked, he mentioned that he had seen what he thought was a dragon circling the mesa, perhaps a few years ago. Thoric came to the conclusion that Orvalion must have traveled to and from the mesa by riding a dragon.
They tried to subtly ask for a reward or resupply, but the village elder said that there were shops in town. When pressed, he said that he could do them a favor if they would do him a favor. He sent everyone else out of the house and told Thoric and Boreas of his proposal.
He explained that his tribe, The Jalakampathra, has a long-standing border dispute with a neighboring tribe, the Devratetlanak. A truce was declared many years ago, and a certain region between the two tribes was proclaimed off-limits to both sides. The problem is that there is a goblin-infested place within the truce zone, and the goblins have been raiding more boldly in recent years. The dragonlords used to fly by occasionally to scour the surface with dragonbreath, thus keeping the goblinoids in check. But after the rebellion, things have been getting steadily worse. He asked the party to cull or root out the source of the goblins, and in return he would tell the local magister to teleport them back to Shandrapur.
During their rest, they mused on the fact that the barracks on the ground floor of the mesa was large enough to house an army of at least a thousand. They then estimated that they had only destroyed around seventy undead so far. The odds weren't good for simply killing all of them in a massive battle.
Afterwards, they ventured back down again to face the horde. This session was much like last session, except that Ander decided to make a dash for the control closet on the opposite side of the room while the rest of the party fought the never ending tide of undead. He found a way to raise the iron door, and everyone else retreated when it had opened enough. Ander himself waited until the last minute before sending the iron door back downwards. He then made an acrobatic leap to the ground and slipped out before the zombies could overcome him.
Beyond the iron door was a large wooden door with a sally port. Xakoraki unbarred this smaller door and was met by a teenager swinging a mace. "Die, Zombie!" She easily ducked the attack, and after a few confusing moments, the party emerged from the door into sunlight. Facing them were two scared teens. Boreas used his mage hand to drop the bar on the inside as the door shut behind him, hopefully slowing any zombies that made it through before the iron door fully closed.
The teens were named Nunpar and Hondro, and they explained that they were guarding Kopatri, the cursed mesa, as part of their coming-of-age trial. A thousand years ago, during the infernal invasions, several villages and an army sought refuge in the mesa as the horde of demons and devils surrounded them. A curse was laid on the mesa that turned people into undead when they died. Eventually reinforcements arrived, but not before the stores of the mesa had been exhausted, and everyone inside had perished. The place has been guarded ever since, in case the undead ever break free.
Ander and Xakoraki stayed at the mesa with Hondro while Boreas and Thoric traveled with Nunpar to the village. They met with the village elder who listened to their tale. When asked, he mentioned that he had seen what he thought was a dragon circling the mesa, perhaps a few years ago. Thoric came to the conclusion that Orvalion must have traveled to and from the mesa by riding a dragon.
They tried to subtly ask for a reward or resupply, but the village elder said that there were shops in town. When pressed, he said that he could do them a favor if they would do him a favor. He sent everyone else out of the house and told Thoric and Boreas of his proposal.
He explained that his tribe, The Jalakampathra, has a long-standing border dispute with a neighboring tribe, the Devratetlanak. A truce was declared many years ago, and a certain region between the two tribes was proclaimed off-limits to both sides. The problem is that there is a goblin-infested place within the truce zone, and the goblins have been raiding more boldly in recent years. The dragonlords used to fly by occasionally to scour the surface with dragonbreath, thus keeping the goblinoids in check. But after the rebellion, things have been getting steadily worse. He asked the party to cull or root out the source of the goblins, and in return he would tell the local magister to teleport them back to Shandrapur.
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