A Day in the Life of a Monster IC

[GClark]

The land of Algaroth has been riddled with monsters for centuries. A number of fantastic and terrible monsters found nowhere else in any of the Nine Lands have ravaged Algaroth for all of recorded history. Only a fool in the Great Country dares to step outside his home once the sun has set. Even during the day, few people would walk outside alone. The monsters had it easy, able to go about doing whatever suited them without fear of the actions of the Seven Great Races.

That was until ten years ago. Ten years ago, literally overnight, a great clear dome was erected with a five hundred mile radius, centered on the capital of Algaroth, Hendrixon. Most of the citizens of Algaroth moved to within the dome and have begun to live in peace as most monsters seem unable to get inside the dome. Many citizens however have stayed in their homes and towns, deciding to take their chances, as they always have, with the creatures of their land.

The most concerning thing is that in the last five years, Great Races have stopped hiding in their little dome. They have been emerging and attacking monster settlements. Normally this would not be threatening, but there is something different about the races. They are far more powerful than they ever have been before and can perform unprecedented feats. They are finally a threat to all of the more monstrous races.

Now the two groups are truly at war for the first time. The farther away from the dome, the more peaceful the monsters are able to live. While many believe that the only solution is to finally wipe out the Seven Races and that they must do so brutally and completely. Others believe that they should just stay way and leave the Races be and they will quickly grow tired and return to their dome.

In all of this madness, you have an impossibly large country before you. You have mountains to the north, the long coast to the west, the desert to the east, and vast forests to the south. Among each are a vast number of settlements that belong to both sides. Radical (towards both sides, fight back or wait and trap them in the dome) are everywhere. Where do you choose to be?

[Illven]

Lily will be in a settlement that has both.

She is currently infiltrating a... let's go with Church of Pelor.

She has shed her demoness form, for an attractive blonde cleric form.

Any notable things going on at the moment.


Using Lilitu's disguise self SLA, taking ten for a total of 49. If they interact with it enough, they get a Will save DC 23 to ignore the +10 bonus of disguise self.

[Ellowryn]

Alpha will be heading into the tavern in one of the monster settlements.

Looking for a nice big mug of ale and the Help Wanted board, keeping an eye out for any notices that look both profitable and non-suicidal.

Being hard to kill in combat doesn't mean you are invincible, it just means that if they do defeat you a slow death by starvation in a cell awaits.

[Vhaidara]

Master Psychosis, on the back of his loyal minion, also makes his way to the help wanted board.

[Cogsrow]

-Shalia took a large bite of gnome. The texture was kind of ruined because Lorestraza's breath had frozen him before he had been cooked, but that didn't really matter to her. She sat in the burning and frozen remains of a human village, leaning against the belly of the white dragon Lorestraza, her fateful and dutiful thrall. He gently pushed more food for her to eat, always so eager to please the object of his affection. Shalia smiles as she looks at the carnage, her believers and followers massacring all the little people of the village to the last man and enjoying the spoils of their raid. Shalia meanwhile was just happy to have spread some more suffering in the world, it had been months since they properly sacked a village and she was admiring her handiwork. Her favorite part had been lining up all the families and using her powers to make the parents kill their own children....or the children kill their parents. It mattered little to her-

You know Lorestraza, we should head to a monster settlement, see what the news is about that strange dome -the dragon simply nods, and lays his head down, tired from the day of slaughter- They've been sending soldiers you know, I'm kind of eager to see how strong they are

[kinem]

At some 15' tall, a glabrezu like Gujjik could hardly blend into a crowd, so he heads over to the "monsters'" tavern and looks for opportunities there. Of course the tanar'ri is simply a fiend like any other of his proud race, but on this plane he notes that 'monster' seems to be a generic term for evil non-humanoids.

Seeing a large troll and some kind of brain over by a message board, he heads over and says "If there is mercenary work to be done I will join in. I am Gujjik."

[Ellowryn]

Surprised to be actually looking up at anybody, Alpha pauses for a moment before pointing at the board.

Plenty of merc work to be had Gujjik. I am Alpha, and if i may offer a word advise you choose carefully before deciding as many of the more rewarding ones are tantamount to suicide.

Noticing the rather odd stranger that he could only guess was also looking at the board (cause its hard to tell what direction a brain is looking), he turns and speaks before going back to browsing the adds.

Same advice to you, if it helps.

[Bluydee]

A giant, bat winged wolfman with red eyes and a bloody maw, armed in full armor and a giant spear resting on his back, walks into the tavern, eyeing those around him hungrily, before watching the help wanted board and those currently looking at it.

[GClark]

((I'm sticking with your original concept of the church because I'm ready for that))
Lily enters the Church of Pelor in the primarily human town of Pelopolit, just a week's travel south of the Great Dome. Upon entering, there is no sign of life outside of the sounds of hushed discussion coming from behind a door way, next to the alter. As Lily approaches the door she hears ((I'd have asked for a check but you have a +22 listen so it seemed pointless)) a man and a woman having a heated discussion.
Man: Why must we always sit and plot? Let's just attack!
Woman: I will not risk the lives of my men because you are impatient.
Man: We risk nothing. We cannot lose.
Woman: I cannot lose. You and the rest are easily killed.

I'll stop there so that you may choose to act or continue listening.

Nobody takes particular notice of you all in the tavern, as sights such as yourselves are not foreign to this town. The town is named Grumshru and is located two week's travel south of the Great Dome, deep in the vasts forests that are iconic for this region.
Most of the notices are not spectacular. As always there are requests for specific targets with rewards barely worth the trouble. There are however five notice that stand out from the others.

Tell the barkeep you wish to see The Seer. Pays well. May change the tides of war.
Enlisting monsters for the war effort. Paid by the kill. If interested, speak to the barkeep.
Kill the king... (The rest is marked out and followed by the word: TAKEN)
Spies needed. Payment based on value of information obtained. Report to the town smithy.
Lost pet. 500,000 GP reward for the safe return of my beloved. 50,000 for information that may help me to find him. For more information, contact the Mayor's office.



The sound of a crying baby suddenly begins to radiate from a nearby building. Beyond that, there remains no sign of life. If you choose to seek out the infant for any reason, you will find a small Elvish child wrapped in a blanket, laying in a basket.

[Vhaidara]

Psychosis considers. The Seer could be fun, but the war was boring. Though a good chance to find new potential bodies. Too bad the assassination was taken, a king would make a good body. He could hardly function as a spy. He kind of stuck out.

The mayor is willing to pay a great deal for his pet? Fascinating. Must be some strange creature. Probably has a good body...

The corpse lumbers towards the mayor's office.

[Illven]

Lilly knocks on the door, if she's been in the church for awhile, they'd recognize the knock as hers.

The pretty young woman of a cleric calls out.

"Is there anything wrong? I heard yelling." She says in explanation for the interruption.

[Cogsrow]

-Shalia gets up and licks her fingers clean, hearing the crying she sighs- You missed one -she motions and looks at Lorestraza. No matter, I've grown bored of this slaughter, leave that little runt. It won't survive the night -She climbs onto Lorestraza's back- Come on, let us go to a village, I suppose we'll have to indulge in the company of others. -and Lorestraza takes flight into the night sky, carrying his misstress to her desired destination-

[GClark]

Psychosis, upon entering the Mayor's office, is greeted by a bored looking human woman staring down at her desk. Welcome to the Mayor's Office how can I help you? When she looks up her bored expression turns to pure fear at the sight of you. As you draw closer, you can hear the rattling of chains under her desk.

The door is opened just a tad and you can see a bald human dressed in elegant white robes. He stares at you for a moment and then seems satisfied that you are a cleric of Pelor. He opens the door the rest of the way and a woman's voice, the same woman you heard from outside, from inside says Do you come seeking advice or offering hands in battle? Once you can see in the room, you notice there are far more than the two people you heard. The room is is small but eleven people, dressed in the same elegant robes as the man who let you in, are standing around a square table with what appears to be a map and a number of figures on it. If you get closer, you can see that it seems to be a battle map of Algaroth.

You arrive in a small town settlement called Grumshru. If you choose to enter the tavern, you will notice three monsters of diverse kinds, staring at the recruitment boards, none of them moving.
If you were to go towards the center of the town you will see some a brain in a jar, on the back of it's loyal minion, entering the mayor's office.

[Ellowryn]

Alpha absently scratches at his chin as he looks over the requests. Fighting was what he was good at, but this war is far from over so perhaps a side quest for a cool half a million gold might be worth it before going back to the front lines.

To the mayors office for pet retrieval it is.

He then heads over to the barkeep to pay for his drinks and ask directions before heading back out onto the street towards his possible next mission.

[Illven]

Lilly enters the room. I've come to fight. She lied. (Taking ten for a 39)

I just need a weapon. She admits cozying up to the man who opened the door.

And my name's Marisa. She stated holding a hand out.

[kinem]

"I agree, looks like the best bet."

Gujjik follows the troll, since he is going to the mayor's office and Gujjik doesn't know where that is.

[Vhaidara]

A voice echoes in the back of the woman's mind.
Yes...I saw something about the mayor needing a pet retrieved. It sounded...interesting.

[GClark]

After covering your tab ((obscure/daily expenses will not be taken from your actual totals. Things like that are covered for many a reason. Only if it is plot related or more than the typical, daily expenses will I charge you for things)) you proceed to the mayor's office. You will join in the Psychosis spoiler below on the words "to warn." [SPOILER]

[SPOILER=Psychosis]The secretary swallows hard and a bead of sweat rolls down her face. Yes of course. But firstI have been instructed to warn you though that this task requires the utmost secrecy. The mayor is worried about his reputation if word the type of pets he keeps gets out.

The woman nodds. We will take care of that shortly. She turns to the rest. Are we all agreed on the plan? They all nod, though one man rather reluctantly. Then the woman turns toward the man who opened the door. Welcome our guest and make sure she has everything she needs.
The man nodds and whispers follow me. He then leads you to the other end of a room where he opens a secret door into an utterly dark space. He then motions for you to enter.

[Illven]

I have mindsight, so if there are any creatures in the completely dark space I will not enter.


"Marisa" smiles sweetly as the man leads her into the dark space.

So how long have you been a member of this church? She asked running a hand through her hair.

[Cogsrow]

-Shalia smirks as she gets off her dragon, ah another village of lesser beings, but at least these beings were useful.....walking into the tavern, with her faithful dragon behind her. Though shapeshifted to look like a yuan-ti abomination, she would order her favorite drink, a glass of rum infused blood, and would read the job board as she peruses the options. She gently strokes her pet's head as she grins and walks over to the barkeep, leaning over looking at him playfully- What's all this about joining the army?

[kinem]

Gujjik, Alpha, Psychosis


to warn you though that this task requires the utmost secrecy. The mayor is worried about his reputation if word the type of pets he keeps gets out.

"If it's secrecy you want, you can count on me" Gujjik declares to the woman. "No one would link me to the mayor. And I've kept all sorts of secrets. I could give you examples but then I'd have to kill you."

[Vhaidara]

Psychosis gives the woman a mental glare.
Do I look like someone who goes gossiping around the watering hole? Now tell me the job, impudent human!

[GClark]

You sense nothing inside the darkness that would make you warry to enter.
I have served Pelor my entire life. I only recently arrived here to join the resistance.
Entering the darkness, you notice the floor becomes a spiral staircase as you walk down it. After going down stairs that you estimate to equate about three floors, the man stops and a light appears directly in front of him. You can now see that the light is caused by him placing his hand along a wall at the bottom of the stair case. After a moment the wall fades into nothing and opens to what can only be described as an armory, though a rather pathetic one for all the effort they appear to have gone to to conceal it. The majority of weapons and armor appear to be broken or rusted or otherwise useless.

((Roll a will save, but do not be afraid yet as me asking to roll a save could mean a number of things. Not all necessarily relate to the current situation.))

((I appreciate not feeling a need to stick close with the others. People often feel that if you don't you are going to die. I feel that, especially in PBP, the freedom to adventure on your own as an individual or smaller group is important.))

The satyr barkeep doesn't look up but continues to wash a glass. He shruggs his shoulders at your question. This centuar came in one day and posted the notice. People come up asking, I'm suppose to tell them that he will recruit next to the well. He recruits every third night at sundown. Supposedly the pay is good.

You would have seen the well while flying toward the city if you had visually scanned the city at all. If not, it would not be hard to find. It is a basic well on the edge of town that appears to serve little use and has suffered the penalties of years of sitting there unattended.

((I realized it's easier to say a location when many of you are there. :smallbiggrin:))

The woman nodds at your responses. The mayor has lost a number of his pets... but he is only concerned with one. Are you familiar with Formians?

Formians are a common legend in this country. Few have seen one and most do not believe in their existence. Roll a knowledge Planes or Nature to see what you know of them. Feel free to roll both as they will give different types of information.



Also, I will try to remember who has what abilities but if I do not make reference to one of them, please remind me of them as Illven did so that I may address them, if necessary.

[Illven]

On that note, I also had darkvision. :smalltongue:

Will save, the first use of Tyche's touch is expended fora +4 bonus to my save. [roll0]

[Cogsrow]

-Shallia hums a song as she walks, swaying her hips noticeably, licking her lips at the thought of maiming more of the 7 races. She'd reach the well and would wait for the centaur, she would mentally command her little pet to take his true form, the massive dragon doing so he curls around the well and naps as they wait-

[kinem]

Knowledge (planes) [roll0]

Mayor's Office

Gujjik racks his brain for information about Formians. Though he knows a lot about the planes, those creatures are not ones he's heard about as much as most other outsiders.

[Vhaidara]

Rolling knowledge
Planes: [roll0]
Nature: [roll1]

Psychosis ponders formians, his memory stretching back across the centuries.

[GClark]

Oh, that was very important. That changes everything. With your dark vision you were able to tell for a fact that it was a spiral staircase. Nothing else stands out. The roll changes nothing about the previous post so just go ahead and respond to it.

As you wait for the centaur, you see a number of monsters of various types and kinds approach you and the well but most turned back and were not seen by you again once they saw you and you're pet. Finally a Minotaur comes up and stands leaning against a nearby building. He leans there staring at you, not your dragon, but says nothing.

Wow, natural one. That sucks but good thing that doesn't mean much for knowledge checks. You are able to recall that the Formians are a race of insect-like creatures that exist only in legend and originally were said to have come from some other realm, one where they were the ruling race.

In addition to what Gujjik remembers, you remember: that the formians come originally from a realm of vermin and insect-like creatures which run the realm. The Formians are said to have originally come over to our realm two thousand years ago and are the ancestral race of all current insects. How true these allegations are has gone unproven. Their existence itself is still a mystery. Some say they never existed, some say they did but are now all gone and a small few claim that they still exist and are hiding out and growing and power until they conquer our realm too. Most write this off as tales told to children to scare them, but it is entirely possible they exist.

If they do exist then you remember the following about them from what the legends say.

They serve one supreme formian leader
They work as a team as if they were all part of one mind
Their teamwork makes them a near invincible army when in large groups
They tend to dwell in wet cavelike areas

[Illven]

Why are the weapons in such poor shape? "Marissa" asked concerned.

[Vhaidara]

Quite. At least, with the myth of them. Never had the opportunity to study one myself.

[Cogsrow]

-Shalia slowly strokes her dragon's snout and just waits, she has nowhere to be or anything really of interest to do, she looks at the Minotaur with a sly grin. She actually didn't mind killing other monsters, if they got in her way she'd do it happily...or make them do it. Though she also didn't like people staring. She sighs and sits down and leans back against the fountain, feeling the sun on her scales. Maybe she'll dominate him later-

[Ellowryn]

Looking at the large creature and the brain Alpha shrugs, So you know of these creatures? That's a start at least. Turning to the secretary, So the mayor wishes us to secretly search and return his 'pet'? Doable, but the secrecy will make it more difficult. Does he have a description of the creature? Unique identifying marks, habits and habitats? How long ago it vanished and in what manner?

Yeah, knowledge checks, you are funny sir. :smallyuk:

[Bluydee]

The werewolf bat monster shadowed the group talking to the mayor's secretary. He phased out of the material plane, watching as the group conversed. He wasn't one to readily trust another, and so he waited, to see if they were worth joining.

[GClark]

The man smiles. "Just in case. Pick one up."
What's the range on your mindsight thing?

As the sun begins to set, you hear the click of hooves against the stone path. A centaur has approached. Upon seeing him, the minotaur drops to one knee and bows his head.Welcome. You come seeking a job with me?

Just thought I'd go for it.
The woman nodds and you notice she is slowly becoming much more composed. She reaches into her desk and pulls out a peice of parchment and shows you a picture of what looks to be a grotesque mutated ant. This is what you are looking for. It is a formian queen. The mayor had been keeping her in a nearby mountain. One of our guards recently returned reporting her escape. We believe she and her servants will remain in the mountains.

[Vhaidara]

Fascinating...A queen you say?
That was interesting. Perhaps this body would be worth Psychosis' time.

[Illven]

Marisa puts on an air of confusion, as she does as she's asked. Picking up a mace she asks.

What now.


100 feet.

[GClark]

Yes a queen. You will likely encounter others but their lives are of no concern to us. We are only concerned with the queen. She must be returned.

As you pick up the mace with a nearly shattered chain and a pittifully chipped handle, you begin to see it as it truly is. A mace of highest quality, and entirely spotless. People often ignore useless items and leave them be.

[Illven]

And so you disguise your strongest magic items, as worthless rejects. "Marissa" replied.

Smart. She beamed at the man.

[Ellowryn]

Do you an exact number of the total that escaped? If its only a handful of these 'servants' than us present should suffice but if they number far beyond that we may need to gather others. Alpha then pauses for a bit, then a question forms in his mind that might prove important. Also, how exactly did all of these pets escape?

[Vhaidara]

Psychosis, who, until now, had spoken only to the woman, broadens his speech.
They are insectoid. I am sure that, if they have been loose for any reasonable period of time, any estimates the good woman could provide us would be wildly inaccurate. They breed quickly, you see.

[Bluydee]

The werewolf watched and listened. The mayor must be a powerful creature, if he has the strength to keep a powerful queen in check.

[Cogsrow]

-Shalia smiles and leans back, and uncrosses her legs and recrosses them- I am, I wouldn't mind getting paid to cause a little carnage.