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The discussion about how to steal the journal continued. It was agreed that Ander could probably sneak in relatively easily if there were a suitable diversion.
"We should set fire to the inn!"
"What if we teleported zombies out of Kopatri to attack the town?"
"We can send the goblins and hobgoblins against the town!"
"Pirates from the river?"
"Let's set a barge on fire and crash it into the docks!"
Ander came up with an interesting idea. "Orvalion, what about your friend? The one who flew you up to the top of the mesa?" Orvalion said that it was possible that she would be interested in helping to create a diversion.
"Okay! So we have the dragon attack the town, knock down a few walls, and eat some guards. Then we set fire to the inn!"
Orvalion said that he didn't think that she would be up for carnage, but that her presence alone might serve to distract the guards for a while. He agreed to summon her to discuss the plan, though he could not guarantee her cooperation.
This left the question of how to obtain the painting of Kendrini. Thoric asked Orvalion if he thought that she was really dead. "I am certain of it." Orvalion seemed to be containing himself, but the party could tell that the question had upset him deeply. Regaining his composure somewhat, he suggested that perhaps the party could return to Caelebhan to report what they found at Kopatri, and to ask to buy back the painting in order to use it to lure Orvalion from hiding. Caelebhan would not know that they had already found him, and later, when Vrisana summoned him to Kopatri, this would lend credence to both ruses.
"I still think we should burn the inn."
The party then fell back into a torpor, and ruminated upon their options again. Thoric spent a day enchanting his holy symbol, and Boreas mastered the Sending ritual.
Thursday, May 28, 2009
Friday, May 22, 2009
We Need a Wooden Badger - 5/22 session recap
Orvalion explained what he knew of the creation of the dragonstone so that the party would understand what was necessary to destroy it. Based on his research, he knew that Casmet Parthanak (founder of the Empire) forged the stone itself by harnessing the energies of the four elements. Brain matter from a living dragon was also necessary to forge a link with dragon minds. But a single dragon would not provide the power necessary to overcome the mighty will of another dragon. Casmet's secret lay in the knowledge of parallel dimensions. More importantly, he had discovered that dragons co-existed in multiple planes of existence at the same time.
By fashioning a set of magical mirrors, Casmet was able to bring multiple congruent universes together at the same time. At the focus was a subdued dragon. He drove a spike into the dragon's head in a myriad of universes at the same moment, and bound the power of that mental link into the first dragonstone.
This meant that the dragonstone could only be destroyed by using the same mirror apparatus and the same elemental forces that originally shaped it. Orvalion said that he knew where the mirror assembly was, and he had already harnessed destructive energies from three of the four elements.
He forged a mallet head from adamantium in raw lava while channeling a fire elemental's rage into it. He channeled lightning on top of the cursed mesa, Kopatri. And an earth elemental was summoned deep in the caves north of Tregynon.
Water energy was the only thing he said he was missing. He said that he knew the rituals to summon and bind the destructive energies of water, and he even knew where Casmet initally forged the stone (a deep ocean trench off the southwestern coast). But a simple Water Breathing ritual was not sufficient to protect the caster from the crushing depths.
The party mused on this for a while, and Orvalion said that he was pretty sure the answer was in a steel-bound journal of Casmet's that was on display at the royal residence before the rebellion and sack. He said that he strongly suspected that a magister was in posession of the journal. Vrisana revealed that she had, in fact, seen the book with Caelebhan.
This prompted a flurry of discussion amongst the party. Thoric's first impulse was to sneak in disguised as servants and steal the journal. Orvalion pointed out that a dwarf, a halfling, and a dragonborn might be easily discovered in this ruse. Other plans were made involving wooden badgers, but these too were scrapped.
The party was keen to double-dip and get paid a second time for finding Orvalion. But Orvalion said that he would never put himself or the dragonstone within the grasp of Caelebhan. But he did want his painting of Kendrini back.
Vrisana said that she could probably distract Caelbhan by summoning him to Kopatri, and showing him the clues to Orvalion's presence there. This would give the party a window of opportunity to somehow get in and steal the journal without having to face Caelbhan directly. She also said that she knew the password to his private chamber: the word "scholar" in draconic. With a scowl she said that yes, Caelbhan was that pompous.
From Ander's recollection of the party's first visit to Shandrapur, they determined that there were perhaps a dozen patrols and guards. These comprised of a mix of minions and officers. The nearby barracks housed 30 men, and would pose a problem if alerted.
A lot of other options were discussed, including the possibility of using illusions to make it seem as if the journal were still there. But by the end of the session, the party had not come up with a working plan. All they had were a few good ploys and a set of vague goals.
By fashioning a set of magical mirrors, Casmet was able to bring multiple congruent universes together at the same time. At the focus was a subdued dragon. He drove a spike into the dragon's head in a myriad of universes at the same moment, and bound the power of that mental link into the first dragonstone.
This meant that the dragonstone could only be destroyed by using the same mirror apparatus and the same elemental forces that originally shaped it. Orvalion said that he knew where the mirror assembly was, and he had already harnessed destructive energies from three of the four elements.
He forged a mallet head from adamantium in raw lava while channeling a fire elemental's rage into it. He channeled lightning on top of the cursed mesa, Kopatri. And an earth elemental was summoned deep in the caves north of Tregynon.
Water energy was the only thing he said he was missing. He said that he knew the rituals to summon and bind the destructive energies of water, and he even knew where Casmet initally forged the stone (a deep ocean trench off the southwestern coast). But a simple Water Breathing ritual was not sufficient to protect the caster from the crushing depths.
The party mused on this for a while, and Orvalion said that he was pretty sure the answer was in a steel-bound journal of Casmet's that was on display at the royal residence before the rebellion and sack. He said that he strongly suspected that a magister was in posession of the journal. Vrisana revealed that she had, in fact, seen the book with Caelebhan.
This prompted a flurry of discussion amongst the party. Thoric's first impulse was to sneak in disguised as servants and steal the journal. Orvalion pointed out that a dwarf, a halfling, and a dragonborn might be easily discovered in this ruse. Other plans were made involving wooden badgers, but these too were scrapped.
The party was keen to double-dip and get paid a second time for finding Orvalion. But Orvalion said that he would never put himself or the dragonstone within the grasp of Caelebhan. But he did want his painting of Kendrini back.
Vrisana said that she could probably distract Caelbhan by summoning him to Kopatri, and showing him the clues to Orvalion's presence there. This would give the party a window of opportunity to somehow get in and steal the journal without having to face Caelbhan directly. She also said that she knew the password to his private chamber: the word "scholar" in draconic. With a scowl she said that yes, Caelbhan was that pompous.
From Ander's recollection of the party's first visit to Shandrapur, they determined that there were perhaps a dozen patrols and guards. These comprised of a mix of minions and officers. The nearby barracks housed 30 men, and would pose a problem if alerted.
A lot of other options were discussed, including the possibility of using illusions to make it seem as if the journal were still there. But by the end of the session, the party had not come up with a working plan. All they had were a few good ploys and a set of vague goals.
Thursday, May 14, 2009
The McGuffin - 5/13 session recap
During the trip back to Jalakampathra, Thoric and Kylian succumbed to blindness, and were led the rest of the way by their companions. Thoric played the pity card with the tribal elder back at town, but ruined it by making reference to Linitheriva. It still had an emotional impact, but Kej said that he had no official capacity to reward or cure them. He suggested that the townspeople would be thankful should they simply tell their story.
So the party went to the only inn in town and told their tale. They garnered a lot of sympathy and praise, and everyone bought them drinks and food that evening. Even the semi-local people who were staying in the inn gave up their rooms that the party might be able to sleep in comfort. Everyone expressed regret that there was no one in town who could cure their blindness, but free quarterstaves were provided to help them navigate. It was suggested that perhaps the Magister would be able to help them. A woman tried to give Thoric a pouch of gold that she had collected from the townspeople in order to help him pay for a cure. He refused the money, but thanked them for their kindness.
The next day, several teens dragged a large block of sandstone into the middle of town by rolling it on logs, and they presented it to Thoric for carving into a sculpture. He set to work immediately. Ander picked up his map from the town scribe, and Kylian was taken to a small roadside shrine to Peshtem just outside of town. Boreas bartered for magical reagents and manged to sell his magical orb too.
Xakoraki and Ander went out to visit Hondro and Nunpar, who were still engaged in their ceremonial vigil at the cursed mesa. Ander snuck up on the militia encamped there, and was greeted warmly after the surprise had subsided. Xak spoke to the two boys, and they seemed to have gotten a little braver in the last few days. This was ruined when Xakoraki described the tentacled hobgoblins and aboleth that they encountered in the temple just a few days away. The boys recovered some of their poise when they realized that aboleths needed water to move around. But Ander said that this one had generated its own water, and that it might decide to escape one day. That scared the crap out of them again. Mission successful, Xak and Ander returned to town.
One the second day, Thoric was still working on his sculpture when Vrisana appeared with a flash of light. She gathered the townspeople together and told them that the party had been acting as her agents to clear the goblinoids out of the temple of Yama. She said that they had exceeded her expectations, and that they were to be honored for their service. She then escorted the party into the elder's house, and the official formalities were completed. She then asked the party to accompany her back to her tower. She did not have accommodations for all of them, but was able to conjure a magical pavilion for them to inhabit for a few days.
Vrisana gave each party member, including Kylian, 3000 gold pieces. She granted access to her Linked Portal and Cure Disease rituals. She also cured both Kylian and Thoric of their blindness. Boreas worked on upgrading his staff, but Vrisana wouldn't buff it for him.
After two days, she said that she was concerned that Orvalion might have relocated in the days since their divination. She was anxious to figure out if he was still there. The party packed up and teleported to the location that John had shown them. Thoric called out to Orvalion, and everyone stood in place so as not to make a misstep, either figuratively or literally. Orvalion showed up quickly, sword in hand, but stood and listened patiently while Thoric explained the entire story of their search for him. He studied each of them for their reactions to Thoric's story, and then nodded once. He touched the wall to one side of the corridor, and told the party to follow him, and not to linger too much in the room where he was just standing. Portions of the glyph on the floor had bits of thorium worked into it.
When asked about the effects of thorium, Orvalion said that he did not believe Caelbhan was seeking him for that reason. He said that the dragonstone did not contain any thorium, and that he had no way to cure Caelbhan, even if he wanted to. Which he didn't. He said that he believed Caelebhan merely wanted the dragonstone for study, and didn't trust him.
After some brief discussion about whether Vrisana could be trusted, they went back and told her that they had found Orvalion and that it was safe to teleport into his location. She then returned with them.
So the party went to the only inn in town and told their tale. They garnered a lot of sympathy and praise, and everyone bought them drinks and food that evening. Even the semi-local people who were staying in the inn gave up their rooms that the party might be able to sleep in comfort. Everyone expressed regret that there was no one in town who could cure their blindness, but free quarterstaves were provided to help them navigate. It was suggested that perhaps the Magister would be able to help them. A woman tried to give Thoric a pouch of gold that she had collected from the townspeople in order to help him pay for a cure. He refused the money, but thanked them for their kindness.
The next day, several teens dragged a large block of sandstone into the middle of town by rolling it on logs, and they presented it to Thoric for carving into a sculpture. He set to work immediately. Ander picked up his map from the town scribe, and Kylian was taken to a small roadside shrine to Peshtem just outside of town. Boreas bartered for magical reagents and manged to sell his magical orb too.
Xakoraki and Ander went out to visit Hondro and Nunpar, who were still engaged in their ceremonial vigil at the cursed mesa. Ander snuck up on the militia encamped there, and was greeted warmly after the surprise had subsided. Xak spoke to the two boys, and they seemed to have gotten a little braver in the last few days. This was ruined when Xakoraki described the tentacled hobgoblins and aboleth that they encountered in the temple just a few days away. The boys recovered some of their poise when they realized that aboleths needed water to move around. But Ander said that this one had generated its own water, and that it might decide to escape one day. That scared the crap out of them again. Mission successful, Xak and Ander returned to town.
One the second day, Thoric was still working on his sculpture when Vrisana appeared with a flash of light. She gathered the townspeople together and told them that the party had been acting as her agents to clear the goblinoids out of the temple of Yama. She said that they had exceeded her expectations, and that they were to be honored for their service. She then escorted the party into the elder's house, and the official formalities were completed. She then asked the party to accompany her back to her tower. She did not have accommodations for all of them, but was able to conjure a magical pavilion for them to inhabit for a few days.
Vrisana gave each party member, including Kylian, 3000 gold pieces. She granted access to her Linked Portal and Cure Disease rituals. She also cured both Kylian and Thoric of their blindness. Boreas worked on upgrading his staff, but Vrisana wouldn't buff it for him.
After two days, she said that she was concerned that Orvalion might have relocated in the days since their divination. She was anxious to figure out if he was still there. The party packed up and teleported to the location that John had shown them. Thoric called out to Orvalion, and everyone stood in place so as not to make a misstep, either figuratively or literally. Orvalion showed up quickly, sword in hand, but stood and listened patiently while Thoric explained the entire story of their search for him. He studied each of them for their reactions to Thoric's story, and then nodded once. He touched the wall to one side of the corridor, and told the party to follow him, and not to linger too much in the room where he was just standing. Portions of the glyph on the floor had bits of thorium worked into it.
When asked about the effects of thorium, Orvalion said that he did not believe Caelbhan was seeking him for that reason. He said that the dragonstone did not contain any thorium, and that he had no way to cure Caelbhan, even if he wanted to. Which he didn't. He said that he believed Caelebhan merely wanted the dragonstone for study, and didn't trust him.
After some brief discussion about whether Vrisana could be trusted, they went back and told her that they had found Orvalion and that it was safe to teleport into his location. She then returned with them.
Thursday, May 7, 2009
Too Close - 5/6 session recap
The party defeated a group of carrion crawlers, but one of them escaped. Xakoraki and John were left behind to guard while everyone else went down the only tunnel from which crawlers had not emerged. Thoric determined that this passageway had been widened by non-dwarven humanoids. Even so, it was only about five feet wide. A few hundred feet down the tunnel, Boreas spotted a secret door in the wall. It opened onto a short corridor that led to a small chamber with a teleportation circle inscribed on the floor. Hovering in the air above the circle was a small irregularity. It was suggested that perhaps the portal was open on the other end.
The party returned to find Xakoraki and John missing. Before they could panic, however, the two emerged from one of the carrion crawler tunnels. John had pursued the wounded beast and finished it off. Xakoraki followed to make sure that the lair was properly looted. Sadly, no loot was found. Only pieces of armor, broken weapons, and bones.
Someone mentioned the portal room, and John wanted to investigate. Boreas said that they'd come back to it later, but that they were going deeper into the dungeon first. John said that such a portal was the entire reason he was in the dungeon in the first place, and that if they would not show him the secret door, then he would look for it himself. Once again, the party left Xakoraki and John behind.
Several hundred feet later, the passageway opened into a large cavern filled with murky water. The last ten feet of the tunnel was a few inches underwater already. The air was rank and musty, and there was a sporadic dripping sound. As they took in the scene, they noticed ripples on the surface of the water, as if something submerged were moving around. The small waves became more pronounced, and a scummy coating began to creep up the sides of the tunnel walls. The party backed up, and the sheen of wetness continued towards them until they were about 25 feet away from the cavern opening. Spells were cast at the wetness with no effect. Growing curious, Boreas walked to the edge of the cavern, casting the occasional ray of frost at the water.
Once at the edge, he stopped. Something lashed out of the water and struck him in the face with great force. Nobody could see much of anything, due to the spray of water. Ander attempted to throw a shuriken into whatever it was, but it bounced off and was lost to the water. Boreas teleported behind the party, leaving Kylian in the lead.
Believing that Peshtem was with him, Kylian plunged forward into the cavern, immediately submerging in water that was deeper than his height. He felt something slightly springy under his feet, and then something smashed into his torso, giving him a squeeze before letting go. He made a prayer to Peshtem to punish the creature whenever it attacked him, but this seemed to merely enrage it.
Thoric threw himself flat at the edge of the cavern to reach down and grab Kylian's arm. Before he could start hauling him out of the water, a tentacle thudded into Kylian's leg. There was a snap, and he felt his femur break. Ander jumped into the water to save his friend, but his attack failed to find it's mark. A tentacle then wrapped itself around Kylian's leg and squeezed. There were crunching sounds, and he blacked out from the pain as Thoric pulled him to the surface. Boreas, having no target above the surface of the water, grabbed hold of Thoric and helped pull them further up the tunnel. Ander climbed over his unconscious friend and collapsed on slick floor.
Thoric murmured a prayer to Linitheriva while pulling Kylian another few feet. He regained consciousness in a tangle of bodies on the wet stone. His first words were, "Did I kill it?"
Ander reflexively rolled to one side just as a tentacle sprang forth from the water and slammed down where he had just lain. He then quickly moved up the tunnel along with everyone else. Once out of reach of the scum and tentacles, they stopped for a breather.
When they went back up the passageway, they saw that the secret door was open. Xakoraki was activating the lever every time the door tried to close. John was there with her. He said that he had completed his mission. He wanted to thank the party for their help, and said he had a certain divinitory power. He offered to answer one question for them, and that if he couldn't answer it, they could ask another one.
After some discussion and recollection of names, they asked John where Orvalion Parthanak the red dragonborn was currently located. John's eyes rolled back into his head and fluttered for several seconds. He then asked for a piece of paper, and Ander handed over his journal. John drew a teleportation circle and said that Orvalion was in a cave that had been the lair of a dragon, and that this circle would allow them to travel there. He then touched his amulet, and the glow at its tips began to pulse. He thanked them for helping him.
The party then started to discuss whether they should destroy the circle on the floor before them. About midway into the discussion, John vanished with a tiny popping sound. They then produced some climbing pitons and a hammer, and chiseled away the runes on the floor. The anomaly in the air above the circle vanished. Thoric then chiseled a rose into the floor beside the now-defunct teleportation circle.
Having accomplished one mission, and having a firm lead on the second, the party spoke of returning to Vrisana for their reward.
The party returned to find Xakoraki and John missing. Before they could panic, however, the two emerged from one of the carrion crawler tunnels. John had pursued the wounded beast and finished it off. Xakoraki followed to make sure that the lair was properly looted. Sadly, no loot was found. Only pieces of armor, broken weapons, and bones.
Someone mentioned the portal room, and John wanted to investigate. Boreas said that they'd come back to it later, but that they were going deeper into the dungeon first. John said that such a portal was the entire reason he was in the dungeon in the first place, and that if they would not show him the secret door, then he would look for it himself. Once again, the party left Xakoraki and John behind.
Several hundred feet later, the passageway opened into a large cavern filled with murky water. The last ten feet of the tunnel was a few inches underwater already. The air was rank and musty, and there was a sporadic dripping sound. As they took in the scene, they noticed ripples on the surface of the water, as if something submerged were moving around. The small waves became more pronounced, and a scummy coating began to creep up the sides of the tunnel walls. The party backed up, and the sheen of wetness continued towards them until they were about 25 feet away from the cavern opening. Spells were cast at the wetness with no effect. Growing curious, Boreas walked to the edge of the cavern, casting the occasional ray of frost at the water.
Once at the edge, he stopped. Something lashed out of the water and struck him in the face with great force. Nobody could see much of anything, due to the spray of water. Ander attempted to throw a shuriken into whatever it was, but it bounced off and was lost to the water. Boreas teleported behind the party, leaving Kylian in the lead.
Believing that Peshtem was with him, Kylian plunged forward into the cavern, immediately submerging in water that was deeper than his height. He felt something slightly springy under his feet, and then something smashed into his torso, giving him a squeeze before letting go. He made a prayer to Peshtem to punish the creature whenever it attacked him, but this seemed to merely enrage it.
Thoric threw himself flat at the edge of the cavern to reach down and grab Kylian's arm. Before he could start hauling him out of the water, a tentacle thudded into Kylian's leg. There was a snap, and he felt his femur break. Ander jumped into the water to save his friend, but his attack failed to find it's mark. A tentacle then wrapped itself around Kylian's leg and squeezed. There were crunching sounds, and he blacked out from the pain as Thoric pulled him to the surface. Boreas, having no target above the surface of the water, grabbed hold of Thoric and helped pull them further up the tunnel. Ander climbed over his unconscious friend and collapsed on slick floor.
Thoric murmured a prayer to Linitheriva while pulling Kylian another few feet. He regained consciousness in a tangle of bodies on the wet stone. His first words were, "Did I kill it?"
Ander reflexively rolled to one side just as a tentacle sprang forth from the water and slammed down where he had just lain. He then quickly moved up the tunnel along with everyone else. Once out of reach of the scum and tentacles, they stopped for a breather.
When they went back up the passageway, they saw that the secret door was open. Xakoraki was activating the lever every time the door tried to close. John was there with her. He said that he had completed his mission. He wanted to thank the party for their help, and said he had a certain divinitory power. He offered to answer one question for them, and that if he couldn't answer it, they could ask another one.
After some discussion and recollection of names, they asked John where Orvalion Parthanak the red dragonborn was currently located. John's eyes rolled back into his head and fluttered for several seconds. He then asked for a piece of paper, and Ander handed over his journal. John drew a teleportation circle and said that Orvalion was in a cave that had been the lair of a dragon, and that this circle would allow them to travel there. He then touched his amulet, and the glow at its tips began to pulse. He thanked them for helping him.
The party then started to discuss whether they should destroy the circle on the floor before them. About midway into the discussion, John vanished with a tiny popping sound. They then produced some climbing pitons and a hammer, and chiseled away the runes on the floor. The anomaly in the air above the circle vanished. Thoric then chiseled a rose into the floor beside the now-defunct teleportation circle.
Having accomplished one mission, and having a firm lead on the second, the party spoke of returning to Vrisana for their reward.
Death is a Dark Hole - 4/29 session recap
The party parleyed with the remaining hobgoblins and let them leave. When the party asked where the hobgoblins came from, they said that scary tentacle monsters had driven them up here.
The party descended to a deeper level of the temple and discovered the catacombs. Rows and rows of funeral niches made up the entire level, and in the corner they found a dark hole with ancient writing around it. The runes were not magical, and simply said, "This Way Lies Yama". The darkness itself was magical, but John offered to go first. He was unharmed on the way down, and the party followed.
A tunnel led to a small chamber that was halfway filled with water. Three tunnels led out of the chamber, and carrion crawlers started to emerge from one of them.
The party descended to a deeper level of the temple and discovered the catacombs. Rows and rows of funeral niches made up the entire level, and in the corner they found a dark hole with ancient writing around it. The runes were not magical, and simply said, "This Way Lies Yama". The darkness itself was magical, but John offered to go first. He was unharmed on the way down, and the party followed.
A tunnel led to a small chamber that was halfway filled with water. Three tunnels led out of the chamber, and carrion crawlers started to emerge from one of them.
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