[IC] Incarnum Quest

[Troacctid]

You're at a tavern.

http://i.imgur.com/hHyGn6v.png

It's not terribly crowded. A drunken gnome is passed out near the bar. There's a hooded man sitting quietly by himself in a shadowy corner of the room. A couple of locals are gossiping: they say some shady strangers have recently arrived in town, there are complaints of noxious smells coming from the sewers, the Incarnates' Guild to the south has been having some sort of trouble, the Thieves' Guild is rumored to be opening up a branch here, and Old Man Dizzy, who turned 85 last September, has just gotten engaged.

[Feathersnow]

I greet the hooded man. My literally cloistered upbringing gives me limited practice telling people want to be left alone.

Hello, sir. How do you do today??

[Troacctid]

The hooded man responds with a quiet snorting noise.

You sense that there's something odd about the way he's hunched over, but you can't quite put your finger on it.

You have max ranks in Sense Motive, so you're actually not too bad at reading people.

[Yas392]

Excuse me, coming through. The boxes sure are cumbersome. What did the chef or tavern master order? He sets down some near the kitchen and the rest down the cellar, gasping "Preliminary Orders" to the manager of the cellar. Huh? He tries to find himself in the midst of the noise as the gossips are flooding the dining area. He asks one man as he resume manning the counter. Excuse me, sir. What is situation at hand? And what would you like to have today?


Gather Information - [roll0]

[Troacctid]

"The situation at hand? What the hell're ye talkin' about? I've been waitin' five minutes fer my pint is the situation at hand."

Ted is clearly not very good at gathering information. Luckily, the previously mentioned gossip doesn't require a gather information check, so he gets that much at least.

[Yas392]

Ted is extremely livid. Darn, hooligans. Darn, this tavern. They need some good manners. Okay, two can play at that game at being ruffians. Ted's face is drained of all the civility that been fed into his brain, leaving an expression worthy of a thug.

Five minutes ain't no longer wait. Yer want some pint? Well, yer pint just came in and yer hollering like a sissy.

Ted sluices a mug to that abrupt man, closing into the man with flaming eyes that had seen many moons.

Fill yer bucket. But lemme warn yer, we have da rules of conduct. Yer know who the heck dis master of dis place is, yer sit tight.


Intimidate - [roll0]

[Troacctid]

He takes the drink and starts glug-glugging, unfazed.

[Vrock_Summoner]

Fallerin regarded the suddenly rowdy table with an odd mixture of disdain and contentedness. Ah, how people will be people! It irked him that people were so quick to be confrontational, yet he found their lack of any sense of etiquette and obtuse overuse of pointless slang somewhat charming.

After momentarily enjoying the spectacle, Fallerin grabbed a seat at an empty table, sure to make himself look as regal as he could in an attempt to emulate the elves he so admired, but his self-consciousness caused him to look merely dweebish.

Failing to notice this, he sat and allowed himself to drift into deep thought about some trivial topic, occasionally scanning the bar absently for overt movements in case he needed to come back to reality any time soon.

[BluesEclipse]

Saviras steps out of the kitchen, listening to the gossip floating through the tavern even as she checks the boxes, making sure everything is there - nodding to herself, she takes a moment to take the boxes into the kitchen before stepping back out - it's slow enough at the moment that she doesn't have to stay back there after all. She takes a seat at the bar, a few stools away from the gruff man that Ted just served, and smiles at the bartender as she signals for a pint herself and says, "You should just about be square with Bertram by now, shouldn't you?"

[Feathersnow]

Ooh, ruffians, how quaint!! How about I get us both a root beer and you tell me about it?

[Yas392]

Going back to his normal routine and normal behaviour, Ted grumbles as he shakes another concoction before producing another one pint and two root beers.

Sliding one to Saviras, he starts. Hey, not my problem if so many customers demand that popular desert rose wine. And that old man has no one experience enough for the bartender slot. Besides, if I had not given some scruff, I would stayed here a bit longer.

Glancing at Azanti, he motions for her to take the root beer.

[Feathersnow]

Azanti takes the root beers. "Thank you, I'm Azanti, do you know anything about that man?"

[Yas392]

Ted cleans the mugs that came in after washing with a rag.


Knowledge (Local) - [roll0]

Untrained so only can go up to DC 10


"Hmm, not that I know of. Have you not heard the stuff floating around? Shady guys, bad sewers, trouble down South and thieves coming here. That's today's news."

[Vrock_Summoner]

Fallerin, a bit disappointed not to have received any impressed looks from onlookers, gets up again, walking over to where Saviras, Azanti, and Ted are talking.

"Hey, Azanti," Fallerin says simply, sitting next to her at the bar. "I hope you don't mind if I make myself comfortable. I see you've been adjusting well to life here?"

[Feathersnow]

I suppose. It sure is different than the convent, but I enjoy being out, feeling like I do things.

[Troacctid]

The guy Ted spoke to before slams down his empty cup and wipes his mouth. "Keep 'em coming, bartender," he says. "Tomorrow morning I'm gonna hafta tell my boss I ain't found a single volunteer to save the world, an' I'm not nearly drunk enough fer it yet. Breakin' the news, I mean, not savin' the world. Don't need to be drunk fer savin' the world...though if the world is endin' I ain't gonna be sober when it happens, not if I can help it, ha..."

[Vrock_Summoner]

Fallerin paused, blinking a couple of times as his response to Azanti was interrupted, and he turned to the loud man, a bit of indignity showing in his face. "I beg your pardon? I would think I'd be aware if the world were in any imminent danger of ending. Care to enlighten me as to what you're talking about?"

I figured that what with the above-average Int, below-average Cha, and lack of social skill investment, Fallerin would have issues talking to drunk bar-goers in a way they'd be likely to understand. Feel free to have him laugh at the fancy-pants language.

[Yas392]

Tacking the paper of the orders on the edge of his side of the counter, he hollers out to the barmaid to get the meals after one of the chefs slides the plate behind him. Ted raises a hand to Fallerin. He secretly fills the mug with water instead of ale. Here ya go, darling.

[Troacctid]

"Thankee," he says, taking a swig of the water.

"Ye might not've heard, but there's strange things happening up north at Mt. Demonfell. Waves o' reality-warpin' dark energy and the like, y'know. Weird hoobity-joobity stuff. Evil, the way the incarnates call it. Why do incarnates call everything evil, anyway? It's always good this, evil that, blah blah blah. I knew this incarnate once, he used to live down the street, told me I was all mixed up, that it's all 'bout the enner-kick versus the axe-o-matic, whatever that means. I told 'im if I had an axe and someone were kickin' me, I'd chop off 'is legs, wham, be done with it. Don't care what kinda energy's in yer kick, y'ain't kickin' anyone without no legs. But he just looked at me funny. Ha!"

He pauses and takes another swig.

"What was I saying? Oh, right, end o' the world. Well apparently that dark energy, that's spreading, see? Can't say I understand all the details m'self, but the boss said it'd corrupt the land, or some such. Or maybe summon a bunch of evil demons everywhere, or maybe just explode? Gah, this ale ain't strong enough, I remember better when I'm drunker. It'll be bad, is the point. Big bad. A pokey-lips bad, boss says. Ye can already see them sinkholes poppin' up everywhere, like the one down at the guild. That's where m'boss is from. The guild, not the sinkhole. Sent me to find volunteers to mount an expe... expeditto...expedaisy...exped...a quest. But nooo, turns out everyone in this damn town is afraid of little things like 'danger' and 'monsters' and 'certain death'. Pssh! More danger, more treasure, that's what I always say, that is."

[BluesEclipse]

Saviras listens quietly to the man's story before smiling, and saying, "Well... so you're looking for volunteers to save the world. Sounds fun... I might be interested in taking you up on the offer... it would make for a wonderful story."

[Vrock_Summoner]

Fallerin grins at Saviras. "That it does sound like, my friend! Though..." Fallerin looked at his hand for a moment. "My own abilities draw from the energy of the worldsoul... I figure I'd have noticed such a large despair in the incarnum energies. Maybe I'm just not yet well enough trained..." He shakes his head, then grins again, briefly glancing at his wiser friend Azanti in hopes that she will approve of his interest in this mission before staring intently at the rowdy drunk man again.

"You seem to lack understanding of basic grammar, drunken sage, but it doesn't matter. Who is this boss of yours? I'd like to learn more about this from him. I highly doubt anything so dangerous exists near here, but if it does, I'd like to know as much as I can about it."

[Troacctid]

The man's face brightens.

"Y'all are really up for it? Brilliant! Bartender, bring my new buddies here a round on me. We might save the world yet, eh?" :smallbiggrin:

He strokes his beard.

"My boss, now, that'd be Shaper Sedridor. Big shot in the guild. Seat on the Shapers' Council and everything. He's been real focused on this dark energy thing--I'm sure he'd talk your ear off about it if you wanted. Me, I'm just a lab assistant. Name's Olaf, by the way...didn't catch yours."

[Yas392]

I seconded chef here. He looks at each of customers who joined in the conversation except Saviras, whom he's already acquainted with. When he heard the last line, he rolls his eyes. He wonders if the man they are speaking to is from an incarnate guild, one of the registered guild or from the rumoured thieves guild since he eagers for treasure.

Ted refills from the barrel. Normal for those two (Azanti and Fallerin) but a different flavour from the first mug for the newly proclaimed, Olaf, a very punchy type of mead that when people stuff they will be out, blurting extra flavourful information. Ted, once heard of a couple upstairs after they taken it, confabulated about dirty secrets like no tomorrow.

Nice to meet you, Olaf. Don't call me bartender, Ted is fine. It's my last day after all.

Last day in this brig. Well not really, just full time bartender is not my style. Now begins the real test. Would he reveal his true intent? His mind is waiting in anticipation.

Enjoy your third round!

[Vrock_Summoner]

Fallerin casually slid his drink aside, not particularly interested in it.

"Fallerin," Fallerin said simply. "A pleasure."

"Do you like to give warm hugs?"

[BluesEclipse]

"The name's Saviras," she says, smiling as she takes a sip of her own drink. "So... Seridor, huh? The name rings a bell, but maybe you can tell us a bit more about him, hmm?"

Let me know if I need any specific check here.

[Feathersnow]

Azanti's ears perked up. The drunken idiot was clearly more confused than he knew. The nuns explained that "axiomatic" and "good" were the same thing, and anyone who disagreed was too soft. That was one of the reasons she left the convent, lacking the moral certitude a real Skarn should have. And here was a chance to prove she wasn't a weak little girl, there was chaos, or at least evil, afoot!!

"I'll help, too! What are we fighting?"

[Troacctid]

"Far as I been told it's more or less yer standard dungeon-crawlin' gig. There's monsters and traps and stuff, like someone were guardin' something down there. All manner of weird plants and min'rals and magic hoobity-joobity things too. And not that a lion can't kill ye any deader than a dragon, but fer what it's worth the energy is s'posed to be weaker when you're farther away from the source, so in theory the sinkholes here are less dangerous than the caves would be at Mt. Demonfell itself. That's what the teams we sent before said. The ones that came back, at least. Well, except fer Gary, all he does since gettin' out is rant about how the ferrets of doom are out to get him, poor guy. And Tim, Tim don't say a word anymore, he just stares. Anyway, there'll be a coach heading back down to the Incarnates' Guild in the morning! Will ye be needin' a lift?"

Olaf quaffs the rest of his drink and hiccups.

[BluesEclipse]

"Hmm..." Saviras muses, "I can handle traps and such... but the monsters might be a bit much if I were going on my own... She looks around at the others who were interested, before continuing, "Still, all of us together should be able to handle it, don't you think?"

[Feathersnow]

The nuns taught me how to fight as a meditative exercise, but I think I understand the practical applications of the martial arts. So that's two.

[Yas392]

Satisfaction wells up on his appearance if just for brevity, dimming to his normal grace he usually displays. I might not be as attuned in my own spiritual energy as Fallerin, is it? But I can do minor applications with it. Knowledgeable to act in the front lines if need. He looks at his hand and concentrates, small incarnum ball manifests on his palm before it closes, diminishing the ball to nothingness.

[Troacctid]

Olaf cheerfully tells you where to meet him in the morning, then abruptly faceplants onto the bar, passed out and snoring heavily.

[Yas392]

Hmmm, I guess too much wine. Shouldn't have muffled up there? That toughness there, someone's gonna rob him blind one day? Ted shakes his head but inside he is amused. At least he paid. Otherwise, old man's out for his ass. The temporary soulborn bartender muses and lights up, walking off slightly. HEY OLD MAN. One room for this rabble.

[Vrock_Summoner]

Fallerin's muscles flexed involuntarily as he concentrated on his hand. His palm shone for a few seconds before the outline of a glaive shimmered into existence. Fallerin gripped it tenderly for a few moments before it dissipated again.

Fallerin sighed, standing up.

"I find it highly unlikely that this is quite so dangerous as to threaten the world. However, if it is the case and there's a chance for it to spread and damage the incarnum soul energies, there needs to be someone with a strong connection there to evaluate it. I'm not a master by any means, but it looks like I'm the most qualified of those willing to go. So I'm, as you would say, 'in.'"

[Troacctid]

Righto. The next morning, you all gather your things and meet Olaf at the designated meeting place. After an uneventful stagecoach ride, you'll arrive at the Incarnates' Guild.

http://i.imgur.com/EUtaAkK.jpg

The guards recognize Olaf. "Shaper Sedridor is waiting to receive you in the library," one of them says, waving you across the bridge.

[Feathersnow]

Azanti is as bubbly with excitement at going on a real adventure. For people who actually care about justice and niceness! she chatters cheerfully in this vein at anyone who will listen.

[BluesEclipse]

Saviras looks over the building with a slight smile on her face, knowing that no matter what happens here, it'll be one hell of a story when all's said and done.

[Yas392]

Ted rejoices. He is finally free from being that old man's dog. Now, he's travelling again for old sakes. This time more merrier. As the carriage carts them to the meeting place, as soon as he saw the grandeur of the towers and the pillars, he is more than agreeable to meet the ones who will be assigning them a great privilege.

[Vrock_Summoner]

Azanti is as bubbly with excitement at going on a real adventure. For people who actually care about justice and niceness! she chatters cheerfully in this vein at anyone who will listen.

Fallerin chuckles a bit at Azanti's enthusiasm, listening intently for a while. When a moment presents itself, he manages to cut in, "Indeed, it's quite an opportunity, but remember not to be reckless."

Looking towards the guild, he struggles to remain composed despite feeling the urge to grin giddily. To be receiving what practically constitutes a summons from a high-ranking member of the Guild! He was practically ecstatic, able to control himself only by forcing his mind to focus on the potential danger of the task ahead.

"Say, Olaf," Fallerin began. "You're a fair bit brighter than you presented last night, I reckon. Are there any particular formalities we ought to address when we're inside?"

[Troacctid]

Olaf scratches his head. "Well, I mean, it's not like he's the type to blow up at ye if yer fork's on the wrong side o' the plate, but he is the boss, so if you go around making rude comments about his mother or something..." He shrugs. "Show 'im some respect. He's smarter, wiser, and more powerful than any of us, ain't like he doesn't deserve it. Here, the library's this way, he'll be in the back office."

Olaf guides you to the east wing and into a large, well-stocked library. The librarian at the front desk gives you a nod as you walk in. You can see a pair of meldshapers doing research in one corner, but otherwise it's empty--not a peak time of day, apparently. You're ushered toward the back, where a wizened old man is waiting for you in an office. Instead of a desk, Shaper Sedridor is seated in front of a round table featuring a detailed, raised-relief map of the world, with a clockwork orrery in the center.

"So," he says as you come in, "you're the new recruits, eh? My name is Sedridor. I'm the lead researcher on the Demonfell Project." He stands and offers a handshake. "How much has my assistant here briefed you on this mission?"

[Vrock_Summoner]

"It is my most profound pleasure to meet you, and your assistant Olaf has assured me that your mother is a wonderful person," Fallerin starts, then pauses, looks thoughtful, and smacks himself on the head.

Trying to begin again, Fallerin grins sheepishly, though his face pales with shame. "My deepest apologies, Master Sedridor. I believe my attempts to be as polite as possible backfired in the worst conceivable way." Fallerin accepts the handshake, returning it firmly despite his embarrassment.

In case it wasn't made abundantly clear, Fallerin is not the party face. This does not prevent him from being talkative as all get-out.

"Your assistant provided a rough sketch of the mission at hand, though I'd like to address many specifics that were left vague. From what I've gathered, you need some people who don't greatly fear danger to delve into a dungeon in order to perform some task in regards to a spreading vile energy, which I assume to be either studying it, slowing it, or negating its spread in that particular area. I believe you just referred to it as... Demonfell?" Fallerin, shaking off his shame from a moment ago, looked expectantly at Sedridor to see if his current information was accurate.

[BluesEclipse]

Saviras nods, picking up from where Fallerin left off. "Like he said," she begins, nodding at the other man, "Olaf mentioned that you were concerned about the spread of some sort of evil energy from Mount Demonfell. From what he explained, you've determined it to be the cause of the numerous sinkholes that have been opening up, and the implications for what could come are potentially apocalyptic. So, you sought out people who aren't afraid to go into the belly of the beast, so to speak, and who have the skills to get you more information. Hence..." She shrugs, amusedly, as she concludes, "well, us."

[Troacctid]

"It is my most profound pleasure to meet you, and your assistant Olaf has assured me that your mother is a wonderful person," Fallerin starts, then pauses, looks thoughtful, and smacks himself on the head.

Lol.

"Indeed," says Sedridor. "Perhaps you've been told that there is such a sinkhole on this very island? It appeared several months ago, and the chaotic emanations from it have intensified since. Our research has established that the phenomenon originates from Mt. Demonfell. Now, it's long been known that Demonfell is rich with chaotic energy and sits at a confluence of ley lines, but in the past, it's remained confined to the mountain itself. These fluctuations--and the concomitant proliferation of sinkholes--are recent, and I fear there may be darker, corrupting influences at work. You'll be exploring the local sinkhole to gather specimens and data for our research. We still don't fully comprehend precisely why this phenomenon is occurring."

[Feathersnow]

Azanti looks alarmed that there could be something worse than the confluence of a chaotic ley-line in and of itself. Don't worry, I'll stab the chaos-monsters with my spines and bring back all the specimens you need.

[Vrock_Summoner]

"I see," Fallerin starts slowly. "So this is rather serious after all. I can imagine the rest of the Guild is very preoccupied with this as well, then, so that would explain the need for volunteers. Though I have a few questions."

Fallerin clears his throat, thinking a moment before proceeding. "Olaf informed us a few groups have investigated these places already. Obviously, you don't know everything yet, or you wouldn't need samples collected, but I was hoping the previous groups' experiences might have provided any information relevant to our mission. My power is directly linked to the energies of incarnum, so I must know, do the sinkholes cause adverse effects to those abilities? Are the energies actually aligned with Chaos, or are they merely erratic and wild? Are there any hostile creatures native to the sinkholes that we've got information on, and if so, do they have any special abilities or immunities we need to be cautious of?"

[Troacctid]

Sedridor shakes his head. "I wish I could give you more specific intelligence as to what you'll be facing, but no two teams encountered the same dangers. It's almost as if some deity were rolling dice to determine what creatures would spawn there each day. There are monsters, and there are traps--that much seems consistent. However, everything else has varied wildly. For one team, it was entirely overgrown with weeds and vines; for another, almost every surface was frozen over; for another, it was a labyrinth of ancient catacombs, filled with empty coffins. One team turned back when they found pools of lava whose fumes made the air too toxic to breathe; they returned with face masks and Phoenix Belts only to find it had reverted back to cold stone. Expect the unexpected."


My power is directly linked to the energies of incarnum, so I must know, do the sinkholes cause adverse effects to those abilities? Are the energies actually aligned with Chaos, or are they merely erratic and wild?

No, no adverse effects, and yes, it is Chaos-aligned.

[Vrock_Summoner]

It's almost as if some deity were rolling dice to determine what creatures would spawn there each day.Clever.

"That does make me wonder the value of any collected sample. Perhaps the chaos is only surface-level, though, and there will be something reliable when we get further in. I'm also curious what would happen if a group stayed while the other left and came back, but there's no time for such frivolous tests if the spread is so dangerous."

Fallerin briefly pondered asking if any elite group had been dispatched to the greater originating mountain itself, then decided the information would serve no purpose and hung his head in momentary resignation.

"Thank you for the information you were able to provide. I will do my utmost to bring back something you could make use of in learning more about this phenomenon. A hypothetical question, though... Were we, by a fluke, to discover a method within the sinkhole itself of destroying said sinkhole, what course of action would you recommend?"

[Yas392]

Ted cringed when Fallerin's introductory was too nondescript. He let the others plan their course of action and dialogue in askance especially Fallerin, who he would think would make a great member of this guild with him being a living questionnaire for the one who would be employing them for a perilous task.

There is just one question. Master Sedridor, is it? Your assistant, Olaf had informed us that you have sent two teams but most were safely returned except for a certain few. Were they regular members or were they the best you have? Have some other organizations sent any of their elite men to that nexus?

[BluesEclipse]

Saviras frowns for a moment. "Chaos in itself isn't necessarily a bad thing - a little bit of uncertainty spices life up, after all. But something like this... I can see why you're looking for help, and why you opted to ask for people who are more familiar with this kind of thing rather than people who just spend their time studying."

[Troacctid]

Sedridor answers your questions and gives you a copy of some of his research notes. You can refer to these notes to gain a +2 circumstance bonus to knowledge checks related to Demonfell and the sinkholes.

[Feathersnow]

Saviras frowns for a moment. "Chaos in itself isn't necessarily a bad thing - a little bit of uncertainty spices life up, after all.


Azanti just stares at you. Not even in in hostility. This concept is genuinely new to her.

[BluesEclipse]

Seeing Azanti's baffled look, Saviras laughs lightly, a smile on her face. Turning back to Seridor, she says, "So... is there anything you have lying around here that might be useful for us going into this sinkhole, perhaps? Any devices you want us to bring along, or any equipment that might make things a bit easier?"

[Troacctid]

Sedridor opens a drawer. You can see that it's filled with small crystals. He takes one out. "These crystals are attuned to a master crystal in the laboratory. When essentia is invested in them, a resonance link is generated that measures ambient energy levels, captures and transmits audio, and enables one-way remote communication. You'll receive one of these, as well as some tools for gathering samples (and cases in which to store said samples). We can also loan you any basic adventuring gear you think you might need."

[Troacctid]

You all enter the dungeon. The first room is a hallway of reddish stone lit by wall-mounted torches. At the other end is an imposing stone door covered in glowing runes.

[Feathersnow]

Saviras, would you do the honor of checking the door? Ted, would you like to take point, or should I?

[BluesEclipse]

Saviras nods, stepping forward and examining the door carefully.

[roll0]

[Troacctid]

You don't detect any traps.

[BluesEclipse]

Saviras nods, finishing her examination, and says, "I'm not finding anything out of place... though maybe one of you wants to take a closer look at these runes and figure out what they are?"

[Yas392]

Facing the dimly lit room, Ted cut in. I believe I may have some running with magical dweomer and symbols, speaking from prior experience. You should stay back lest you caught in a magical spell, Chef. Thank you for your concern, Azanti. It is without saying that the protector role falls upon the sturdiest, no? Then, he draws upon the wellspring of knowledge and the notes given, deduce and decipher the runes.


Knowledge (Arcana) - [roll0]
Knowledge (Planes) - [roll1]
Spellcraft - [roll2]

[Troacctid]

Spellcraft will tell you this appears to be something similar to an arcane mark, but there's something else about it you can't quite put your finger on.

Knowledge (arcana) lets you decipher the runes as symbols of warning, indicating danger. There's another glyph that could mean either "necromancy" or "fresh-baked pastries"; given the setting, the latter seems unlikely.

Knowledge (the planes) is not useful here.

[Vrock_Summoner]

Fallerin grimaces at the not initially familiar runes. "Perhaps you could allow me to help in the deciphering?" Fallerin offers, then joins in without waiting for permission, his curiosity eating at him.


K:Arc [roll0]
Spellcraft [roll1]

[Troacctid]

Fallerin confirms Ted's results. Warning, danger, necromancy/cake. :smalltongue:

[Yas392]

Ted had an amused expression on his face when Fallerin came to assist in deciphering the symbols. Some sort of mark made by arcane infusion. Be wary for undead! I believe we are on the same page, Fallerin, yes? Is anyone against this one breaking the door or opening it?

[Vrock_Summoner]

"I'm going to choose not to disregard the potential dangers of pastry as much as necromancy. There was this one time before I arrived at Azanti's order for the first time, when this Totemist... Well, I suppose there are better times and places to share that story. Anywhom, I think we ought to be especially cautious. We don't want to fall into any traps, especially if they pertain to those who have used the energies of Incarnum to bind their souls into now nonliving flesh. Or pastries... Hm." Fallerin shuddered briefly, then looked thoughtful. "In the absence of any better plans, I suppose opening or breaking down the door is a good option. I recommend using your hammer and fully breaking the door, though, Ted, if you're doing the honors. No reason not to take warnings as situationally as possible, and I don't want you simply opening normally or smashing through the door with your bear hands only to trigger something behind the door that zaps you with a necrotic soulmeld."

[BluesEclipse]

"Pastries...?" Saviras says questioningly, before saying, "That's a story I definitely will want to hear at some point, Fallerin... but for now, I'm fine with our current plan. Always good manners to knock on a door before entering, after all."

[Feathersnow]

Azanti looks very confused. err... break down the door if you think that's best... um...

[Yas392]

Ted tries his might against the door with his mighty hammer.

Strength check - [roll0]

[Troacctid]

Ted's hammer strikes with a loud CRACK. The huge stone door doesn't break. It doesn't even budge. Instead, all of the runes on the door flare into brilliant, blinding white light and send a small shockwave through the air.

You hear a scraping noise, and when you've cleared the spots from your eyes, you see that the door has slid open. The room beyond it is pitch dark.

"Well, that's not ominous at all," says Olaf, taking a lit torch from one of the walls.

[Vrock_Summoner]

Uh... Sorry about that, my friend, Fallerin stammered. "I wasn't quite expecting that reaction..." Fallerin tried to chuckle, but looked sheepish. "Shall we go in, everyone?"

(OOC: If this is just hopelessly dead, I apologize)

[Troacctid]

(Sure. Email notifications are a wonderful thing. I'll need a marching order; the door is 10 ft wide, so big enough to go two by two if you so choose.)

[Vrock_Summoner]

(Well, I don't have the HP to go first, but since nobody else exists any more. I'll just solo this dungeon then. Weh.)

[Troacctid]

Fallerin takes a torch from the wall and enters the dark room. Inside, he is surprised to see the torchlight shine on several humanoid figures bound and gagged, tossed on the floor like sacks of potatoes.

New players: those figures are you. You are conscious, but you have no idea how you got here.

[Starbuck_II]

Steven struggles with his bounds and tries to speak, " Mfhghhgfsds",
Great, now what mess did I get into? he wonders.



Do we get OCC link too?

[Troacctid]

Do we get OCC link too?


OOC thread is here (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?337129-OOC-Incarnum-Quest).

[JanusJones]

One of the figures spasms suddenly, then rolls over. A young man squints qildly into the torch light as he rolls to a sitting position.

[Vrock_Summoner]

"Oh, my," Fallerin's eyes widen. "Well this is either an obvious trap or incredible luck, if this place does what it's rumored to..." Fallerin walks over and ungags everybody first, then goes back around and starts talking while untying the tied-up Rilkan, though he looks wary, ready to switch to attacking should he be ambushed after untying the stranger. "How in the world did you all get into this situation? Are you one of the previous adventuring parties that came down here?"

[JanusJones]

The boy blinks and rubs the life back into his wrists. He looks around in open confusion.

"Adventurers? Me? I mean ..." He looks down at himself, then up again. "I light the lamps. I guess I've always wanted to go adventuring ... I'm fairly handy with a pole."

He stands, looking around at the others sheepishly, and rubs the back of his neck with a hand. "Lamplighter - you know, with the pole?" He makes a vague upward gesture with his hands, as though hefting aloft a pole of some sort.

[Starbuck_II]

Steven flexes the scales on his arms, "That feels much better. I don't recall how I came to be here... I feel like I woke up from a dream. Maybe I partied too hard the other night."
He gives a loud laugh with his mouth wide open.

"Thanks for the help. I'd be honored to join you on your quest in repayment of my gratitude... What is your quest anyway? Why are you'se here? Steven asks with curiousity.

[JanusJones]

Hey all - could we get a quick description of scene, and a bit of each character just to get things going? The kid is young, well-built, a little on the scruffy side, wearing old, worn armor and a spiked gauntlet. He's got dusty blonde hair and his expression and carriage suggest he's a bit wet behind the ears.

He also looks thoroughly confused!

[BluesEclipse]

Saviras follows behind Fallerin, sticking closer to the shadows in case she needs to quickly disappear. As she sees the two figures dropped like mere rubbish in the middle of the hall, she frowns slightly, and sets a hand on the shortsword. After the two are released, and begin conversing with Fallerin, she steps out, her dark hair falling in a loose ponytail behind her while her azure eyes scan the two figures, lingering for a moment on the scales of one of the two. A smirk crosses her face as she addresses the other Rilkan, saying, "Nothing wrong with a good celebration. As for why we're here..." She pauses for a moment, as if considering, before deciding that if nothing else having another Rilkan around will be useful. "Long story short is that we were hired to explore this place, see what exactly it is - just an information-gathering expedition. I'm more curious as to what you two were doing here..." She walks forward, looking around the area somewhat herself to see if there's any indications of how these two found themselves tied up there. "I doubt you decided to tie yourselves up for fun... profit, maybe, but not fun."

To see if I notice anything that might indicate how they got there. [roll0]

Saviras is small, just under 5 feet tall, with a rather lithe form. Swift and graceful, she tends to move with assurance in whatever she does, though she tries to avoid getting into the middle of fights - preferring to skirt the edges of them. Her black hair falls to the small of her back, and is usually tied into a loose ponytail when she's working - whether that work involves cooking, larceny or old-fashioned dungeon delving. When performing, she lets her hair loose, allowing it to add another element to her dancing. She wears a well-kept suit of studded leather armor, dyed a dark blue, and beneath it normally wears black or blue garments. As a rule, she always leaves her forearms and neck bared to allow her smooth, sky-blue scales to be seen. It may let people identify her later... but that just means more fame for her.

[Troacctid]

To see if I notice anything that might indicate how they got there.

Saviras scans the room. It's mostly featureless. There are unlit torches mounted on the stone walls, and a sturdy-looking wooden door on the other side of the room. She also spots a pile of items in the corner. (It contains the prisoners' gear.)

[Starbuck_II]

"As I said, I don't have any recollection. I'd say I have amnesia, but I remember everything 'bout my life but how I got here." Steven says unsure how to explain.

OOC:

Steven Danger Trouble Radius is 5'9 muscular rilkan. Brown eyes and hair just like normal human if not for the scales on his pearl/green colored wrists and arms. He wears a currently dirty suit of studded leather armor, dyed a dark red, and beneath it normally wears blue shirt. Currently, his hands seemed to have on furred gloves tipped with claws, and his shoulders have pearly white plates of armor that are etched with blue symbols on them due to the incarnum flowing through him.

[JanusJones]

"Long story short is that we were hired to explore this place, see what exactly it is - just an information-gathering expedition. I'm more curious as to what you two were doing here..."

"Um ..." The boy looks nervous. Everyone else clearly isn't, which is clearly adding to his confusion. "Where is 'this place,' exactly? I don't ..." He scratches his head. "I don't remember doing anything that would make someone tie me up. Like I said, I just light the lamps." He gestures at his feet, and gives a little hop - the blue flash is clearly incarnum. He looks sheepish. "It comes in handy for the really high-up ones in the nobby neighborhoods."

[Troacctid]

"An' I'm Olaf," says Olaf. "I'm a guard and a research assistant at the guild."

Each of you introduces yourself. Those who were tied up find their items in the pile.

OOC: If you have not yet posted introducing your character, do so. I intentionally didn't say how many people were tied up; if you don't post in a reasonably timely manner, it means your character isn't here.
Once that's all taken care of...here you are, in a square, stone room, about 20 feet on each side, with a 10-foot ceiling. What would you like to do?

[BluesEclipse]

Saviras looks around the room, saying, "Well... we should take a look around, see if there's anything more to this place that we can find." With that, she puts actions to words, beginning a very thorough inspection of the area. "After all," she comments as she searches, "we won't be finding anything out about the chaotic energies of this place if we just sit here."

Taking 20 on a Search check - I'm assuming there's nothing that prevents me from doing so.

[Troacctid]

Saviras finds a magical trap mechanism on the door, set to go off when the door is opened. She's not sure what exactly it does if it's set off.

She finds a few other notable details. Some text is carved into the floor in the center of the room, in an unfamiliar script (Decipher Script DC 20). One (and only one) of the empty torch sconces is unusually ornate, with a latticework of intricate carvings resembling a Celtic knot design. A patch of old, dry ivy is growing from a muddy patch of dirt in one corner of the room--well, not growing anymore, since it looks like it's dead, but you know.

[BluesEclipse]

Frowning for a moment, Saviras says, "Well... the door's trapped, so keep back from that." Looking at the floor curiously, she then asks, "Have a look at this, though - I'm not sure what it says, but maybe one of you has some ideas?"

[JanusJones]

Dash is looking a bit relieved to have his hands on a weapon, but the awkward way he's shifting about makes it clear he still hasn't quite figured out what's going on.

"Wait - what 'chaotic energies?'" He peers at the decoration. "It's pretty enough, isn't it?"

[Vrock_Summoner]

Well, um. I can't find my description of Fallerin... And this game's been stopped for so long that I can't remember what he was supposed to look like. I know I wrote it down... I think it was in one of the threads leading up to this, but I can't locate it. I'll freestyle a new appearance if I continue to have no success.

"Oh, yes," Fallerin explains somewhat haughtily before plunging right into a quickly-spoken explanation. "That's why we're here, you see. This place is called Mt. Demonfell. There's a significant concern regarding the spread of increasingly powerful chaotic energy from this place. It's said to be rather dangerous, though we have yet to experience much of that first-hand. At any rate, we're here to observe and gather specimens for study back at the Guild. Also, I'm starting to see a conspiracy forming regarding undead pastries which I only hope I find no further evidence of. Any questions so far?"

[Troacctid]

Frowning for a moment, Saviras says, "Well... the door's trapped, so keep back from that." Looking at the floor curiously, she then asks, "Have a look at this, though - I'm not sure what it says, but maybe one of you has some ideas?"

Olaf examines the writing. "Hrmm, 'fraid I can't make heads or tails of it, lass. But Sedridor would be able to decipher it, I'm sure. Here, give me a minute."

He rummages in his pack and pulls out some parchment and charcoal. Then he kneels down, places the parchment over the carving, and rubs the charcoal over it, copying the inscription onto the parchment. He compares the copy with the original; it seems to be a good match. Then he carefully folds the parchment and puts it in a different compartment in his bag, flashing Saviras a thumbs-up. "Let's hope that was of purely scientific interest, an' not another dire warning o' what lies ahead, eh?"

[JanusJones]

"Oh wow!" The boy's eyes light up. "That's clever! Like something a real adventurer would do - in case it's a clue, or the key to a puzzle, or an ancient riddle that needs solving ..." he falls silent as the others eye him.

"Well, it would be that way in the books, anyhow ..." he mumbles, lamely.

[Starmage21]

Dys gives the boy an incredulous look

"I wouldnt worry so much about what exactly it is real adventurers do, because there really isnt any standard. The only definition you have to go by for adventurers is that they dont know where they're going."

He turns back to face the door.

"That aside, we have a door here with some form of trap mechanism that we should be focused on. Is anyone here familiar with the mechanics of such devices?"


Dys is an unassuming man, whose appearance you'd sooner forget than remember. Not that there is anything particularly arcane about him, he just looks like every other man you've ever seen. Brown eyes and brown hair and about three days growth on an undistinguished beard. He doesn't carry anything of note you'd not see on any other traveler, either: a traveler's pack and bedroll, scale mail. His only distinguishing feature is the flail he carries about his waist, which seems to be just a slight larger than would fit in a regular man's hand. You know that Dys is a trained Incarnate, and that the flail is a weapon formed of incarnum, as is the four-armed gargoyle like demon that you see out of the corner of your eye when you're not looking directly at him.

[JanusJones]

The boy grins shyly at Dym. "Well, that makes me feel better, then. I don't have any idea what I'm doing here, or where we're going, but this does all feel pretty ... adventurous." He grips his spear and straightens himself a bit.

[BluesEclipse]

Saviras nods at the mace-wielding Incarnate, and says, "I've picked up quite a few skills in my time, including more than a bit regarding traps like that. But... to be honest, I'm wondering about this torch sconce - why is this one in particular so ornate?" She looks at the latticework on it, and examines the sconce itself as well.

[Troacctid]

Casual observation reveals nothing unusual about the ornate carvings. The sconce is fastened to the wall pretty securely, although it appears to be made of ordinary wood, so it could be possible to saw it off of the stone.

An Appraise check (with 1 minute of examination) could potentially estimate the sconce's value as an art object and identify the type of material it's made from. Knowledge (Architecture and Engineering) is the relevant Knowledge skill for wall fixtures, although Saviras doesn't have it. Search would tell you if it's connected to any traps or secret doors, but if it is, taking 20 wasn't enough to reveal it before.

[Starmage21]

"Saviras, we've determined this door to be trapped. Can you disable it in some fashion? Otherwise to cancel it or set it off so that we can pass before it resets?"

[Troacctid]

"Saviras, we've determined this door to be trapped. Can you disable it in some fashion? Otherwise to cancel it or set it off so that we can pass before it resets?"

Disable Device DC 20. Failing by 10 or more sets off the trap.

[BluesEclipse]

Saviras thinks for a moment before saying, "Someone might want to take a closer look at this... it might be worth something if we can properly extract it. That said... why don't you all move back a bit and try figuring that out while I work on the door. If this doesn't work, it's better if you're out of the line of fire." Pulling out a cloth bundle, she quickly unrolls it to reveal a set of clearly used picks and assorted tools. Looking over the door carefully for several moments, she nods to herself and takes a couple of the picks in hand, beginning her work.

[roll0]

[Troacctid]

Saviras spends [roll0] rounds working on the mechanism, but her fingers slip and she accidentally undoes her progress.

Since you're not under any time pressure in this room, we can save a little time and just roll until you either succeed (20+) or set off the trap (10-). Go ahead and roll a batch of attempts, and we'll resolve them in order, assuming you stop if you disarm it.

Olaf takes a look at the ornate sconce. "Hmm. Fancy. Anyone got a saw?" he asks. "Sedridor might be interested in this thingy."

[BluesEclipse]

Saviras frowns, and throws a reply over her shoulder. "No saw... if someone here has an axe, they might be able to hack it off that way..." With that, she returns to her efforts.

Rolls:
[roll0]
[roll1]
[roll2]
[roll3]
[roll4]
[roll5]
[roll6]
[roll7]
[roll8]
[roll9]
[roll10]
[roll11]
[roll12]
[roll13]
[roll14]
[roll15]
[roll16]
[roll17]
[roll18]
[roll19]

[Troacctid]

Saviras's fingers slip again on her second attempt, and this time, she hits the trigger mechanism as she fumbles. The empty torch sconces in the room suddenly flare into a burst of blinding light.

Saviras: [roll0]
Steven: [roll1]
Fallerin: [roll2]
Dash: [roll3]
Dys: [roll4]
Olaf: [roll5]
Fallerin and Dys are dazzled (-1 to attack rolls and Search/Spot checks). Everyone else manages to cover their eyes in time.

[JanusJones]

The boy blinks and rubs his eyes, pushing a mop of dirty blonde hair out of the way. "Neat trick, that ... it'd make my job a sight easier, that's for certain."

[Starmage21]

Dys grabs his eyes and rubs them

"Arg! I'm seeing spots!"

after rubbing his eyes for a few seconds and gathering his wits

"That couldve been a lot more deadly. I'm glad it was as simple as flash powder. That said, it could be just a setup for something deadlier further in. Please be careful."

[BluesEclipse]

Saviras curses as her fingers slip slightly - but enough to set off the trap. On reflex, her arms move to shield her face - which proves to be sufficient to avoid the blinding flash that it creates. Looking around for a moment, and making sure that nothing else happened, she frowns and says, "Sorry about that... it was more sensitive than I'd initially thought. Anyway... Olaf, think you can do that copying trick of yours to at least get a copy of the design from that sconce? It might mean something." Looking over the rest of the group, she says, "I will suggest, also, that you let me take point - give me about 10 feet or so. If there are other traps, it'll give me room to work - and a bit of distance in case I accidentally trip them."

[Troacctid]

"Sure, may as well try a rubbing there too," says Olaf, rubbing his eyes. He swaggers over to the sconce and starts taking a charcoal rubbing of the carvings on it, grumbling under his breath about how a proper trap really ought to do something dignified like shoot poisoned darts, or flood the room with a fine malt whiskey, none of this flare nonsense.

[Starmage21]

Dys turns away from an incredulous look at the sconce, looking to the group and begins rubbing the dazzle out of his eyes.

"Can we continue? I feel like we've already set off any trap thats likely to be present here. Can you open the door and get us through, or do we have to break it down?"

Dys runs his hand over the haft of his slightly oversized flail.

[BluesEclipse]

Saviras offers a light shrug as she reaches out to the door to open it.

[Troacctid]

The wooden door opens into the next room. It appears the trap takes some time to reset. It doesn't go off again when Saviras opens it.

The next room is pitch-dark, without any light sources. However, by the flickering light of Olaf's and Fallerin's torches, Saviras can see a ways in. It's a slightly larger room, and a large stone pedestal stands on a raised platform in its center. The floor is neatly tiled--each 5x5 square is a single flat square slab of stone.

The torches provide dim light, but not enough to fully illuminate the room--the light doesn't extend far enough for Saviras (or anyone else) to see the opposite walls. But if it's symmetrical, it looks like it would be about 30'x30' square.

Okay, I suck at drawing maps, but hopefully it's better than nothing. Here you go, have some spatial awareness.
http://i.imgur.com/qBKi553.png

[BluesEclipse]

Saviras moves forward slightly, just into the room, and glances back at the others. "Fallerin, mind coming a bit closer to the doorway so we can get more light in here?"

[Vrock_Summoner]

Fallerin advances forward as Saviras asks, walking up to the doorway and trying to illuminate as much of the room as possible without actually entering it. "A pedestal? That seems like it could be important. This room is much more neat than I'd have expected... Not only built by somebody, but as if it was maintained recently. Could that mean somebody knows how to work their way through this place...?" He looks puzzled, but shakes his head. "Well, no use worrying so much about that for now. If somebody else can control their path through this place, we'll probably come upon them eventually. For now, let's see what challenge this room will throw at us."

[Troacctid]

As Fallerin moves in closer, the light glints off of four empty suits of armor, one at each of the two metal doors on the east and west sides of the room and two standing at the north wall of the room. Like so:

http://i.imgur.com/Lql85JW.png

Each of the suits of armor is holding a sword.

[Vrock_Summoner]

Wait, what!? The suits of armor are holding swords? Did I read that right?

"Well, now. This is most interesting indeed. My companions, I believe I should inform all of you that there are four suits of armor in this room, and they're currently positioned with swords in their hands. As far as ornaments go, it's both very out of place and doesn't match the atmosphere at all. I implore you all to regard them with both caution and artistic disappointment if you enter this room." With that, Fallerin takes a few steps towards the podium, hoping to illuminate it and the area around it more so he can figure out if there's anything significant about it.

Here are some knowledge checks to see if my various areas of expertise can point out any significant and/or supernatural qualities in the suits of armor or podium:
K: Arcana: [roll0]
K: The Planes: [roll1]
K: Religion: [roll2]

[Troacctid]

Wait, what!? The suits of armor are holding swords? Did I read that right?

Yeah, it's not that unusual though, it just looks like this stock photo.

http://www.darkknightarmoury.com/images/Product/large/ED6211.png

Fallerin doesn't notice anything unusual about the statues, but he takes that with a grain of salt, since he knows that if they had any magical auras, they wouldn't necessarily be visible to the naked eye.

He does manage to walk into the room without tripping a land mine and exploding, though, so that's always good news.

[Vrock_Summoner]

I just realized I used the word "podium" twice. That was meant to be the word "pedestal." I was trying to check for things about the stone pedestal. Those things have nothing in common but starting with a "p" and being solid, usually man-made objects, but I managed to goof it up anyway.

Fallerin stopped for a moment to be thoroughly amazed at how unexploded he was before turning back to Saviras. "Nothing exceptionally supernatural here, as far as I can tell from a cursory look, but there may be powers at work here I can't see; soul energy can be tricky like that. There appear to be two doors out aside from the one we're coming in through, but before we proceed, it would be prudent to check for any more traps in this room. Would you do the honors?"

If Saviras comes and starts taking actions, particularly near the suits of armor, Fallerin will stay nearby, readying actions to come to Saviras' aid.

[Starmage21]

Holy crap! Activity!


Dys moves into the room swiftly, as if even the disabled/not resetting trap still made him feel a bit skittish. His hand never leaves the haft of his flail, but once in he appears to regain his composure

"Ornamental armor stands aside, that stuff could be valuable. We should make a note of it in our report."

[Troacctid]

"Pff, ornamental, sure," says Olaf. "Five silver pieces says they either come to life and attack us or one of their swords is a lever that opens a secret door."

[Starmage21]

"I'm not going to take that bet. Just because it happens a lot in our line of work. Animated Objects are cheap defenders that get the job done."

[Vrock_Summoner]

Animated Objects? Common in our line of work? We're level one, darn you! Stop being so incredibly meta! :smalltongue:

Fallerin chuckles a bit, but remains ready to react to sudden movements. "I hope it's the 'lever' option. Wouldn't it be just cheery if we got through this entire mountain and learned all its secrets without a fight... Hmph, I've read too many adventuring stories to even take that consideration seriously."

Trap-finder remains in the inactive state! Translation: We're all gonna die horribly!