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curious-puzzle
2014-09-15, 08:56 PM
I've really been enjoying this game I'm playing in, and I figured that I would try my hand at entertaining others with our shenanigans. We are a crew working for our local city's Thieves guild (who unofficially does wetwork for the government when the cause and price is right), hired to investigate the sudden overwhelming prosperity of the nearby country of Romanov. Our mission is to find out who or what is causing it, and end it by whatever means we see fit. No pressure for some level 1 heroes, right? And speaking of, "heroes," well...kind of;

Kas, LE human rogue: The mission leader and only actual member of the Thieves Guild, Kas is a coldly professional burglar, assassin, and all around sneak. Despite having made an enemy (or enemies) higher up in the guild, Kas has survived through talent, following the rules exactly, and an extra double sized serving of paranoia. It also helps that she has a bit of an eerie aura about her (the Death Devotion feat).
Kas' player is planning on going into a homebrew prestige class, a Glass Ghost (assassin like, but more emphasis on mobility and disappearing quickly after dealing nasty sneak attacks).

Tywin (placeholder for terrifyingly long gnomish last name), N gnome artificier: A brilliant inventor and ally/sometimes fence of Kas, Tywin is the cover of our mission, as he is ostensibly moving his workshop to Romanov to share in their success. Tywin acts mostly through enhancing others, as he is crippled and unable to walk, restrained to his little gnome-sized wheelchair. He's ferociously intelligent and a ruthless bargainer; not the sort you want to be indebted to for long. He also has a talent for siege weaponry, more on that later.
I think Tywin's player is going with straight artificier. I keep urging him to make a golem mechsuit to ride around in, but I don't know if I've convinced him yet.

Frederick "Call me Fred" the Devout, CN (I think?) Half-elf Crusader: Tywin's muscle, Frederick's lack of concern for most day-to-day matters is matched only by his appalling talent for violence. He's quite happy for Tywin to keep him equipped, fed, and employed, and in return, will demolish whatever Tywin needs smashed. Just don't let him be on his own for too long, or property rates will rise.
As far as I know, Fred's player is planning on sticking with straight crusader, with maybe some small dips for feats and the like.

Haearnbydd, CN elf (conjurer) wizard: A piratical mercenary magi, Haearn is motivated by new experiences as much as money. Having done quite a bit of work for the Thieves Guild on the side, Haearn was more than willing to entertain a long term mission. After all, what's a few years when you live for centuries? As the only member assigned to Kas rather than chosen, however, he may have ulterior motives...*dun dun dun*
My character, I'm going into master specialist, then Malconvoker. I banned evocation and necromancy, so I can still kind of be the party face if need be...and the personality may or may not have been influenced by me reading Journey into Mystery and Loki Agent of Asgard while creating him :).

So there's the motley band, and here be our fitting group theme: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vhwDxNqWtxk
Next time it'll actually be some adventuring, sorry.

curious-puzzle
2014-09-15, 11:59 PM
Our merry quest of sabotage begins with Kas being called for an audience with the Guildmaster. Upon arrival, she was informed of her selection for a "special" mission to travel to Romanov. Authorized to hire several allies, there would also one member assigned to her detail; a wizard that had done prior work for the guild. Kas was to do this with all due haste, leave as soon as possible, and by the way don't come back if you don't succeed. Suitably motivated, Kas quickly headed to her best shot at a plausible cover and competent allies.

Arriving at Tywin's shop, Kas makes an offer and promptly proceeds to be out-negotiated. After some painful concessions, an accord is reached, and Frederick is sent out to hire teamsters and start packing the shop. Meanwhile, I chow down on brunch, waiting for Kas to find me and work out the final details. Now, when I was hired, I was given some additional tasks. I was to aid Kas any way I could, and do my best to unearth Romanov's mystery, but after that, I would receive a hefty bonus if Kas didn't make it back from Romanov. I was given a gem that could be used to communicate with my employer. Once she arrived we made plans to depart the following day, but before we could leave a gang of thugs, ruffians, and all around rapscallions arrived! With the advantage of numbers, the thugs quickly made their intentions clear; the girl's brain, all over the floor. I took offense to their attmpted derailing of what could be an intriguing adventure (plus any backstabbing wasn't to occur until after the mission). Initiative!

The thugs advance menacingly, surrounding us. I respond by using rapid summons to call up everyone's favorite pet: a bulldog sized tarantula. It takes a bite out of a thug, who does his best to squelch the creepy crawly. Kas does a magic trick, and makes a dagger appear in thug # 2's face. The other thugs jump in, and one manages to bludgeon Kas across the head. However, the thugs make the critical mistake of standing in a roughly 15' cone shape. Color spray drops two of the lunks, and Kas uses her death devotion ability to instakill another. After that, the remaining legbreakers quickly re-evaluate their life choices and flee. I find a quiet place to hide out until tomorrow, grab the gem, and demand just what the hell that stunt was.

"Plans have accelerated." The gem informs me irritably. "Why did you get in the way? She could have been dead right then-"

me:"And me as well, so you wouldn't have to pay me AND get the first part of the payment back?"
gem:"...you still have your mission. Do it as soon as possible."
me:"I'll take it under advisement."

The night passes attempted-murder free, and the wagon train full of miscellaneous parts, widgets, heavy equipment, and knicknacks leaves for Romanov. It'll be a several month journey by wagon. I'm sure nothing unusual will happen, right?

Right?

Kol Korran
2014-09-16, 03:09 AM
This has an intriguing start, and I like the style so far! Will be looking into it.

"Kas does a magic trick, and makes a dagger appear in thug # 2's face." Ha! :smallwink:

curious-puzzle
2014-09-16, 10:52 PM
The first few days of the trip pass without incident. Tywin and I have a little "who knows more about the obscure theorems presented by Abraphonicus the Arcane Warmaster, who was actually blitzed out of his mind on pixie dust when he wrote his best work" (i.e. who has the higher spellcraft and knowledge arcana). Honor satisfied, we continue to mage-nerd out and scare everyone else away from the wagon. We make it into country "x" (I can't remember the name for the life of me), and the first town we go through warns us about goblins on the road. More importantly, they mention the bounty of a gold piece per pair of goblin ears. Money for violence? Fred (and the rest of the party, but especially Fred) are suddenly extra vigilant for some unfortunate little greenskins. Luckily for us, up in the hills before the next town, Kas scouts out a goblin ambush round the bend. Tywin infuses his crossbow and Fred's sword with goblin bane, and we set up some shields as cover in the wagon. Kas cuts out to the side to flank them, and Fred just grins, clangs his sword and shield together, and charges down the road.

Without the element of surprise, the goblin raiding party quickly becomes a bleeding to death-full of crossbow quarrels-missing ears party. They don't really stand a chance, and we scoop up a few pairs of ears. Sauntering into the next town, we gleefully collect our bounty. The mayor pays us just as cheerfully, and mentions that his trackers think they've located the den that most of the raids are coming from (about a half day's hard travel from the town using the tracker's routes), and is paying a sizable bonus for anyone willing to stop the raids permanently. We agree to kill more things for shiny coins, and park the wagons for a couple days. Before setting out for the den, however, Tywin whips up a few flasks of alchemist's fire. Kas makes sure her numerous knives are sharp, and continues to unnerve everyone.

We reach the den, where the hills start to turn into mountains. Kas gets the drop on a very lazy sentry, and makes a note to collect the ears on the way out, as the corpse ragdolls Skyrim-style down the hill. Sneaking in-well, everyone but Fred sneaks in. He just clangs along behind us as quietly as he can. Reaching a fork in the tunnels, we hunker down while Kas ghosts down the right path. Eventually she comes to what must be the living quarters of the goblins, with pots of either stew or laundry bubbling away (it's hard to tell), and unarmed goblins lounging about with what must be children. Sneaking back, Kas reports in and we decide to check the other passage first. We're looking to take out the warriors, and preferably the chieftan. We're quicker on the draw than a pair of sentries, and the only alarm they make is a faint smack as they hit the ground. Emerging into a larger cavern, we hit paydirt.

A whole bunch of goblins (what's the noun for a collective of goblins? A stain? A scab? I like scab, but let's see some suggestions), at least 20 are all praying and chanting around a large altar. One goblin sits closest to the altar, and is clearly leading the ceremony (plus he's wearing some semblance of armor). Also, lurking off to one side...is an orc. There's the driving force behind the increase in raids. Kas sneaks into position inside the cavern, Tywin and I prep scrolls, spells, and crossbows, and then it's go time. Fred surges into the cavern, crashing through the edge of the goblins and on the warpath towards the orc. As everyone reacts to the crazy man in armor, the rest of us move in, lob a bit of alchemist's fire into the crowd, and then I move close enough to color spray right across a swath of the gobbos. Most fail their save and froth at the mouth as Sandstorm plays in the background. Fred and the orc crash together and exchange blows. Being a crusader, Fred then hits back even harder. The orc doesn't like this one bit, and uses his spiked chain to tangle Fred up and dump him on his face. This is where Kas slides in and does her best to ventilate the orc's kidneys. She lands some big hits, and manages to survive long enough for Fred to get back up, and they finish the orc leader off (the DM's pathetic dice helped too).

While this was going on, I retreated back towards Tywin, and attracted the goblin priest's attention (who made his save alas). He tries to hit me with some sort of will save, and I pass. I start trying to snipe him with my wand of lesser orb of fire, to little success at first. The goblins who are still awake start to mob towards us, and Tywin pulls out one of his big guns: a scroll of Sound Burst. As many goblins that can easily fit in a 10ft radius burst explode, and Kas and Fred make it to the priest. Tripleteaming does its work, and we mop up the remaining goblins with some dings and scrapes.

Patching ourselves up while collecting ears, Tywin and I examine the altar, discovering that it is dedicated to Gruumsh. I do the obligatory elf curse and spit, and Tywin pulls out a small adamantine chisel. Using his craft skill, he busily taps away for a few minutes at a fault in the statue. Then after being wheeled away by Anton (his hireling who wheels Tywin around, hides behind a tower shield if there's combat, and provides dry commentary), Fred delivers a mighty blow, and the statue crumbles. We score some nice loot off the orc and the priest. We check the living quarters on the way out, and they are eeempty. Satisfied that the goblin's ability to raid so aggressively is broken with the orc's death, we head back to the entrance.

We still totally light their stuff on fire though.

We collect the ear bounty and the bonus, and triumphantly continue on our way the next day, having reached 2nd level!

So, first few combats go smooth as butter. The DM had pretty poor dice for most of the combats, and we worked together quite effectively. The next few combats are going to be different, though...

And a side note for those who are a little curious; we all started with a bonus 3000g(!), meant to represent either being equipped for the mission (or payment for nefarious deeds in the future, mwaha). The DM also said this was to allow us to equip ourselves for not having a healer of any sort in the party (I also think it was so he could throw whatever he wants at us without feeling any guilt :p ). So Fred is in full plate, I have a healing belt, a couple 1st level wands, and extra spells in the spellbook, Kas has some nice leather armor and some poisons, and Tywin has...well, a lot of schtuff (plus he made Fred's armor). Don't worry that the extra equipment will let us breeze through everything (though it certainly helps); it'll balance out shortly.

curious-puzzle
2014-09-16, 11:08 PM
I almost forgot one more thing that happened before leaving town! Kas stopped in with the local gang of thieves and cutthroats, who's home base was the charmingly named Rat's Nest (the actual tavern name was the Eagle's nest, but when the stench of urine, failure, and shame radiates all the way across the street, Rat's nest fits a little better). Impressing the brute of a boss, Kas picked up an apprentice; a skinny little thing by the name of Grass Clippings, who happened to be a little whiz at botany. As to the true reason for picking up a minion, none of us know. My bet is she wants a handy snackrifice when she goes full Michael Myers on everyone. Tywin seals the alliance with the thieves by drawing him a legible sign for the hours of their establishment; the past one used pictograms terrifyingly akin to monkeys eating paint and firing the leavings at a wall.

curious-puzzle
2014-09-18, 01:31 AM
All right, let's try something a little nicer than BLOCKS OF TEXT.

We depart with new treasure, more gold, and a minion! Kas quickly sets him to "practicing," which seems awfully similar to gopher duties at first. Later comes sneaking practice, and pickpocketing 202. Once everyone else has settled down for the evening, I grab a hold of my gemstone.

cranky gem: "Any progress? Is she dead yet?"
me: "Not yet. We're in the middle of nowhere, not like I can pass it off as a strange accident."
gem: "She must die! Do it as soon as poss-"
me:"Yeah yeah *cuts connection*"

The near obsession is starting to give me the heebie jeebies. Anywho, we make it to the border, and cross over into country "y." The border guards take note of our numerous weapons, and warn us to keep them at the ready. We think the last country had problems? This one has orc raiders. Everywhere. If you're not inside a walled town, you're in serious trouble. At least, that's what the guards have to say. The fact that they have a spare set of country "x"'s uniforms each in case things go pear-shaped speaks to their sincerity however (or at least their pragmatic cowardice). Strangely enough, the orcs became far more numerous and aggressive about a year ago...which is right about when the goblins in country "x" started swarming...and around the same time that Romanov's economy kicked into overdrive.

Some people believe in coincidence. Some people are stupid, and deserve to be treated as such.



This new country is quiet...not too quiet though, just a little muffled. We see nothing of people or orcs, other than a few burned out farmsteads. After a couple unnerving nights, we come across a heavily fortified town. It looks fairly grim; the guards are burning a pile of orc corpses as we enter, and it's just the latest in a series of raids. We chat with the guard captain briefly (a seriously armed caravan being a mite unusual lately), and he's pretty fatalistic about the town's chances to hold out if the raids keep coming at this pace. We question him about sallying forth and breaking the orcs metaphorical back; apparently it's been tried repeatedly. Either the heroes/mercs/plucky band of misfits kill a bunch of orcs and leave, and the raids just come back a little later, or the wannabes just don't come back at all. We don't start singing a pledge of allegiance, but we agree to wipe out any orcs we come across. Tywin takes note of the open central square, with a clear view of the gates and field beyond... and goes to the mayor with a proposition.

The proposition? Give him a crew of workers, lumber, stone, and a few days, and he will plunk a lovely trebuchet down right in the center of town. And what do the rest of us get up to?

I read.
And write.
And spend inordinate amounts of time scribing new spells into my spellbook. Why does it take a whole day? Wwaaaaahhh-sorry, pay no mind to the wizard, he's used to playing sorcerers. While I get my quill on, and Tywin directs the construction of the trebuchet, Fred decides that Kas needs to brush up on her martial skills. By duelling with whatever weapons are at hand!

...yeah, this'll end well.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VOvDTCbcHe0
In this corner, the paragon of pugnacious pummeling, armed with a club, Frederick!
And in this..no, stay there, you can't sneak up behind him that's not the point! Ahem, in this corner, the sinister silent slayer Kas, armed with...A lance?!

Tywin is pulled/wheeled away from the trebuchet long enough to slap merciful enchantments on the weapons. A small crowd spontaneously gathers, which seems to happen whenever violence of any sort is imminent. And they're off!
Kas wins initiative, and actually manages to land a solid hit! Which barely phases Frederick, who then bludgeons Kas repeatedly until she falls over. Round one, the man in full armor. Shocker, I know. Kas is revived from slumberland, and they switch weapons for round two, which has several key differences already;
1: The club is a simple weapon, with a throwing range
2: Fred didn't heal any of the nonlethal damage from before

Once again Kas wins initiative, and this time, she flings the hunk of wood right into Fred's face, dealing enough nonlethal that he would be out cold...except for the delayed damage pool. The club falls to the ground, a little trickle of blood, and then Frederick nonlethally Mountain Hammers Kas into next week (I have my doubts to the legality, but it was fun). Then the damage catches up, Fred snorts a gout of blood from his assuredly broken nose, and falls over, doubletapping said nose. Everyone agrees to no more sparring.

The trebuchet is now complete! It can even pivot and everything! With our meta-sense tingling, we hunker down for the orc raid that's sure to occur.

And wait a night.

And another.

And another.

And the day that we're finally about to pack up and leave, one of the foresters comes howling back into town, wailing about orcs. Turns out he almost physically tripped over some orcs sleeping in a copse of trees (side note, the DM had a tongue-slip and said corpse of trees, and we've been harassing him about it for weeks. We're supportive like that). He managed to outrun any that started to give chase. There is some brief AND SERIOUS talk about using the trebuchet to air drop someone into the general vicinity until I summon up a disposable mount for Kas to use to sneak in and out fast.

Our efficient scout does indeed find the orcs. A lot of them. Whoever would call it a raiding party would be grossly inaccurate. Warband is still a little soft, but it's thankfully not a Waagh, but I digress. She does the smart thing and hightails it back (but not before taking a bit of arrow fire from scary perceptive sentries). We lob a few stones in what we think is roughly the right direction, and wait for the orcs to arrive.

curious-puzzle
2014-09-19, 01:46 AM
Appropriate music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fL22p2Ln-4c
We are obliged as soon as the sun sets. With the wail of horns, the pounding of drums, and a massed roar, the orcs charge towards the town! Tywin is at the trebuchet with his faithful servant Anton and some other lackeys to load and adjust, Fred is at the main gates to push back when they break (and with this many orcs, it's a matter of when). I position myself on the wall by the main gate, so I have a good view. Kas?

Kas decides that open combat is for suckers, and goes to check out that nice looking villa while everyone is rushing around preparing for the immediate orc invasion.

The half buried barrels of pitch outside the walls are ignited as the orcs close, both to give light for archers and to scorch any orc foolish enough to get too close. The townsfolk grimly brace for what will probably be the last fight of their lives.

Kas finds a purse full of coins! It's like someone just left it lying there for her...like they were distracted by something:smallmad:

The orcs surge through the arrows from the walls, nowhere near enough to slow the tide of savage greenskins. The wall shakes as bodies crash against it, and those not hit by javelins thrust spears downward and chop at heavy ladders.

Kas discovers that the villa belongs to the noble who's ostensibly in charge of this town. She also finds said noble passed out drunk trying to hide under his bed. Kas robs him blind, and is especially impressed by the golden drinking flask that is encrusted with gems. She merrily goes on her way, briefly wondering if there's something important she's neglecting :smallfurious:

By this point, a tightly packed gang of orcs splinter the main gate! Which triggers my action to introduce them to the joys of (you guessed it) color spray! NSFW soundbite:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K9E-UxiWmi0
They are either shot or stabbed by townsfolk and guards, and then trampled by the next wave of orcs. These orcs get to meet our living wall, a tight unit of spearmen led by our friend Fred. Fred proceeds to tank and annihilate numerous orcs through a combination of high AC (full plate, heavy shield, an ioun stone that we found) solid damage (orc bane infusion + martial manuevers, and luck.

I burn a couple more spells, Fred keeps murdernating, and Tywin keeps crashing boulders down outside the walls (by the by, the Trebuchet had been infused with distance and seeking at this point). Kas graces the battle with her presence (:smallbiggrin:) and starts stalking alleys in preparation for lone orcs. Things are actually going all right.

That's when huge chunks of ice start pounding down on the walls and main gate, killing a lot of the defenders and hurting me (not too high of a roll thankfully). Peering up for where the hell that came from, I see a familiar streak of orange light zip towards the gate and walls. I have just enough time to scream "GET DOWN!" and duck behind the wall before the Fireball erupts.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6BbU7DFfrJQ
So the main gate is flat out gone, I'm down to 3 hit points (and the only reason I'm not barbecued elf is I was allowed to take Fairie Mysteries Initiate as a feat), most of the other defenders near here are dead or in no shape to keep fighting, and Fred is getting low on hit points. I use my keen elven vision to gauge the distance, and use a message spell to tell Tywin exactly where to drop a big angry boulder down onto. He obliges, but not before using a scroll of True Strike.

The DM glared at us a little for that one. Just a little. The boulder soars through the air, Tywin gets to roll a lot of dice, but it's too far away to tell if it splattered the spellcaster(s), or just pissed them off. Spoiler, it didn't kill them. Yes, THEM. With a puff of smoke, a howler bounds through the ruins of the gate, and promptly drops Fred. Uh oh. I look at the singed (but still conscious!) guard next to me, squelch the rush of guilt while I briefly apologize, and use benign transposition to swap the guard with Fred. I heal Fred with my healing belt while said guard gets eaten/skewered/chopped/hacked. Fred is about to hop back into the fight, but we notice the Trebuchet shifting and pointing downwards. Tywin's spotters had seen how bad the front gate was going, and the group of heavy orc infantry pounding feet towards it. So he aimed the trebuchet as low and close as he could...and rolls a 20. Remember that scene from Return of the King, where the orc leader sidesteps the huge chunk of stone and spits on it? Imagine that, minus the sidestepping. The howler gets bashed, the orcs get crushed, and the boulder continues on its bouncing path of death. The howler's not quite dead though (somehow) and the two orc spellcasters have almost made it to the gate despite my heroic blind fire from the smoldering battlements. Fred manages to finish off the Howler, then scrambles out of the way as Tywin fires another boulder right down the pipes just as the spellcasters arrive. The arcane one dives out of the way, but the priestly one (who had healed the two of them after the very first boulder apparently) gets clipped! Still standing though. Mildly panicked, the mage drops obscuring mist. I roll my miss chance, and snipe the priest for some more damage with my wand of lesser fire orb...which acts as tracer fire for Fred. He pounds up and MOUNTAIN HAMMERS the priest (sorry, felt that had to be in capitals). Kas finally makes it to the front gate after slitting some orc throats here and there, and sees the orc mage right before he drops the obscuring mist. She ghosts through it only to spot the orc mage prudently running for his life. Both Kas and I fail to put the mage down before he runs out of range. Hearing renewed screams from the center of town, we all turn and start running/staggering/limping towards the trebuchet.

While we were facing down the spellcasters, Tywin had noticed a fist of heavily armed and armored orcs cutting their way through everything on their way towards the trebuchet. These were no slapdash orcs with nothing but a loincloth and a greataxe, oh no. They stank of class levels and command. Tywin reviews his (completely empty) list of infusions, and his (completely empty) collection of scrolls. A volley of crossbow bolts drops a couple, but not the big important looking ones. So Tywin draws his little gnome sized scimitar, lets out a gnome sized "Cry havoc and let slip the dogs of WAR!", and "charges" forward with his chair.

...what? It was late.

The attack of opportunity from the orc fails to kill Tywin (presumably because he's laughing too hard). Tywin's heroic attack does nada, and the orc captain's attack knocks him to -3. Luckily, the captain is either too amused by Tywin or too distracted by the remaining militia to finish him off, so the three of us make it onto the scene and kill the last couple orcs and revive Tywin with his own healing belt at -7 or -8 (he had stabilized if I remember correctly though).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3suGfhnT2Sg
We all survive! I'm out of everything except for an obscuring mist and a detect magic, Tywin is out of everything, and we all used almost every consumable item we had, offensive or otherwise. Almost half the town is dead, but most of it isn't on fire, and you can count on one hand the number of orcs that escaped, so sweet victory by the skin of our teeth. And a trebuchet.

We were a good chunk through level 2 before this crazy battle, and thanks to things escalating a little out of hand on each side (we build trebuchet, he throws 6th or 7th level casters at us), and the sheer number of orcs dead, our xp gain skyrockets us right into level 4. The guard captain survived, and he promises once the town is no longer full of orc corpses and a little on fire, we all have VIP status in the village for the rest of his life (or in my case, his descendants lives too).

Jeargroth
2014-09-19, 11:42 AM
As GM of this little campaign, I can inform you country 1 was Hamburg, Slovinia was country 2. The 3k gold was to offset no cleric and alleviate my guilt for attempting to kill off my players. I also know I am playing with a group of mechanically adept players who know the rules, exceptions and exploits available to players. Hence level 7 cleric and wizard attacking the town.... However the natural 20 on the trebuchet attack was just outright excellent timing or bad pending on perspective. It has also been proven I should never upon pain of death place anything of value on the outcome of my dice rolls... Narrator of story can confirm this. I have tried numerous times to kill my players and I make no bones about this and have been outmaneuvered, rolled and lost to the Gestalt of the ArtiFicer, Crusader, thief/fighter and wizard. I am now trying to figure out how to throw Mindflayers at them without making it seem petulant.

I am Game Master and I endorse this thread.

curious-puzzle
2014-09-20, 12:54 AM
We hobble to the inn, which thankfully is still intact, and sleep the sleep of the righteous. And by righteous I mean near death and exhausted. The next morning, the inn is empty, but there's a lot of food set out for us. We chow down, and are then drawn outside by the sounds of rabblerousing.

It's a mob of surviving townsfolk, shoving around the noble fop. Screaming about how he hid in his house while they bled, and how he never did anything to help the town, it's getting ugly fast. The mayor and the captain are trying to prevent a gang-lynching, but not doing so well. Partially on a whim and partially that I don't want to see the townsfolk murder the kid this early in the morning, I clear my throat, and the Dm asks for a Charisma check to take control of the situation. Even with a circumstance bonus for using prestidigitation, this will be sketchy.

But I roll a natural 20, and everybody freezes as I whistle and I let off a shower of sparks above me.

"Really? You're going to murder someone after all that death just last night? Whether or not he deserves it, to be that bloodthirsty is practically Orcish." I get a few guilty looks from the crowd. "You all have the right to be angry, and he should be punished, but let your mayor and captain do it properly. You've all got more important things to worry about." The mob has relaxed a bit, but they still aren't leaving. Tywin pipes up;

"Or if you want to see justice immediately, we could have a trial by combat." The crowd perks up, blood rising.

"But then I'd have to be his champion." Fred saunters forward, and the crowd magically disappears. Everyone alive saw Frederick take blows that should have knocked down trees, let alone people. I dart in close to the noble, who's shock-fogged mind is just starting to process what's happened.

"You do realize we just saved from being torn limb from limb?"
The noble warbles mostly incoherently. I don't speak wailing snotbubble, but I gather he agrees.
"So now you're going to listen. Whatever punishment they put forward, you're going to accept, and you're not going to try to weasel or buy your way out of it, understand?"
Okay, so a sob and two sniffles is yes. I'm starting to get this dialect. The guard captain drags the noble away,and the mayor reaffirms that we can stay in this town as long as we'd like, and will be treated as heroes the whole time. We're all still pretty banged up, so we spend the day going through all the goodies we scavenged off the orc corpses (savior-heroes get first dibs) and resting. We claim gold, multiple well crafted weapons, a few potions and a few scrolls, and manage to snag some enchanted full plate off the orc captain, There's far too much for a town of this size to handle, even if it wasn't nearly wiped out last night. Slovinia's capital is just a couple days off our route, however, and the mayor has a proposition for us...

The mayor would actually like us to escort the noble-turned prisoner to the capital, along with a sealed statement of what has occured, to face justice. Also in the letter is a plea for aid seeing as how HALF THE TOWN IS DEAD. He names a very acceptable payment for such a task, and we all vote to do it. We need a large city to sell the wagonload of arms and armor we've acquired by this point anyways. Rested up, we head on our way with our new cargo.

The trip to the capital passes uneventfully, with the noble wisely keeping his mouth shut and his eyes down. We reach the capital, and after showing the seal on the envelope, the guard mutters something about being above his pay grade and scurries off, returning with someone much more ornate and official looking. We're paid for our troubles and the prisoner is transferred. As he's being led away, Kas takes a big obvious swig from the jewel-encrusted flask she filched earlier. The look of utter confusion and befuddlement mixed with indignation and despair is delicious.

We actually end up selling most of the weapons and armor to the guards/city watch, and then we go shopping. I buy some new spells and scrolls, and set a large chunk aside to give to Twyin (advance payment towards him eventually making me a Blessed Book). We stay in an extra nice inn, and relax without an army of ogres or giants spontaneously invading. I take the opportunity to chat with my mystery gem.

gem: "Finally! Did you kill her?"
me: "Just about to enter Romanov. I've forgiven you for trying to kill me (poorly), but the price has gone up."
gem: "Fine. Your payment on completion will be 5000 gold, so 8000 total including what you've received. Acceptable?"
me: "...Yes."

I am horribly suspicious. What happened, or what did Kas do to warrant this sort of assassination order? I'm very skeptical that even if I vaporize Kas and make it back to get paid, all I'll actually get is a free dismemberment and burial in the sewers. I think it's time to have a little chat with Kas...

curious-puzzle
2014-09-21, 03:44 AM
The last leg of travel is smooth, uninterrupted by brigands, bandits, or villains of any sort. The only excitement is when Fred mentions that he's never played poker. Kas sees the flames of demonic greed erupt in my eyes and quickly forbids Frederick from sitting down with me...next time, Gadget. Finally, after a very boring week or so, we arrive at the gates of Romanov.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XFw0gbQk23M

Unlike the previous countries, which had guardhouses, and maybe a tower or a small wall and gate, Romanov has GATES. We're talking big, thick, very new looking stone walls, and quite imposing looking gates across the road. There's a small pullcord and a mandoor off to the side, so we wander over and ring the doorbell. There's the sounds of someone walking up steps, and then a view port chunks open. A gnome (presumbly on a ladder of some sort) squints out at us.

"Yes? May I help you?"

Sidenote: Gather information checks hadn't brought up much about Romanov other than its sudden prosperity, and that a very large portion of the population (at least half) is gnomish. I recall the DM mentioning that he is a big fan of Eberron, and I grace him with a suspicious glare. Inquiring if we've just walked into Zilargo, his poker face holds for now.

We explain our intentions to the gnome (the cover of Tywin moving his workshop and business to Romanov, and us being employees/minons. We're not quite high enough of a level to calmly explain to the guard that we're here to tear his country down and dance in the flames...yet). He nods and hands over a sheaf of papers thicker than my wrist. "Fill these out please." An emergency meeting is held, and the board unanimously moves to make Tywin fill everything out for us. After several bureaucracy and red tape checks, our entry forms are filled out, and we are granted entrance to Romanov. The massive gates open silently, and we can catch a glimpse of numerous gears and pistons spinning and pumping within.

Phase one, complete.

The overwhelming impression Romanov gives as we travel down the precise cobblestone road is tidy. It's orderly. The road is straight, level, and clean. The trees are cleared 20 feet from the road on each side (we measure). And there are little waystations with a lean-to, neatly stacked firewood, and barrels of water spaced out every 4 hours of travel (again we check. They're spaced the same distance apart exactly).

Naturally, this creeps me right out. After a few days of travel through the intimidatingly immaculate landscape, we come across the first town. We can see the gate guard a ways down the road. He marches to one side of the gate, snaps off a pivot, and marches to the other side. He then repeats, the exact steps, the exact pivot, taking the same amount of time to cover the distance every time. It's bloody unnatural. Hearing our wagons creak along, the guard plants in the middle of the road and holds up a hand as we get closer. We explain our purpose and destination, he inspects our papers https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OBQE_TNI7zw, and finds them satisfactory. Fred and I just keep our mouths shut and restrain the urge to break something just to see if gnome ninjas spontaneously appear to "fix" the offending party. Failing at silence, I ask the guard how long he had to practice his patrol to get it the perfect. He stares at me, confused. Ah well.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F-i6F6Gyj8w
The town is just as orderly as the roads were. Everything's clean, everyone's busy working diligently regardless of race. A freaking orc (not a halforc) with slicked back hair and a white spotless shirt takes our horses when we reach the inn.
The DM asks for a spot check from everyone.
"5"
"8"
"10"
"...3?"
We see nothing. We check into the inn, and decide on a slightly early dinner (it's late enough and we're all hungry). As we wait for food, it's explained that alchoholic beverages are not served until after the evening bell, and any of us who orders is given a wooden chit with a little picture of what we ordered. A large bell goes off while we eat, and like clockwork, the common room steadily fills with gnomes and humans and other miscellaneous. Seeing a line outside as the door swings open and closed, I lean over and peer outside to see a gnome standing outside the door, inspecting people's hands. "Who's that?" I ask the server.

"Oh, that's the bouncer. He's making sure everyone is clean and presentable."

I order more chits, and switch from beer to whiskey.

After dinner, we chat up a nearby fellow sitting alone, who expresses how pleased and content he is. He knows nothing of the nearby countries' plights other than "some sort of unpleasantess." Everything really shaped up around a year or so ago. The DM asks for another spot check.

"11!"
"2..."
"4"
"18! Wait, spot? Aw, 13."

Then people start getting up, and a few walk over to instruments, and this happens: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x_4lxcle7OE . The DM cackles manically at our horrified expressions, and I ask for something stronger than whiskey. Much stronger.

Whatever it is, it's meant for orcs and larger, it comes in a bucket, and it smokes. After a moment, Kas orders one of the same. Tywin retires for the night (his player was away), and Fred notices a half-orc (who's slightly drunk) stumble and fall into someone else. The gnome "bouncer" is there immediately, wagging a finger in the half-orc's face, and banishes him from the hopping dance floor. Shamed and dejected (what the...?), he slinks/weaves his way out. Fred decides he wants to go chat with this poor half-orc. Kas and I are left drinking, and it's time to enact a cunning scheme. I roll a high Bluff, and slip a potion of lesser restoration in after pounding back my bucket of paint thinner to remove the intoxication. Kas fails her sense motive, and throws her bucket back as well.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lt4329_W_s0 . However, Kas has the ability Absolute Unending Paranoia, and rolls a sleight of hand to spill out most of her drink. I fail my spot in a glorious explosion of ineptitude, too smug with my success. I offer to help my "drunk" companion to her room, and she offers the same, each convinced that the other is foolishly inebriated. We fake stagger and weave up to her room, alarming the staff. As I turn to close the door, I slip my wand of lesser orb of fire into my palm, and Kas does the same with a dagger behind her back.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ST2H8FWDvEA
"So, Kas, I'm curious. We never talked about it much, but who do you think sent those thugs after us back then?" Kas shrugs, nonchalant. "Do you have any enemies?"

She slouches in her chair and slurs slightly, "No more than usual for someone in my line of work." Unseen, she's tapping her fingers against the hilt of her second favourite knife.

"Really?" I reply. "I think you have more than that. I think you have some skeletons in your closet."

"Doesn't everyone?" She shoots back.

"True, but not all have ones worth killing for. So I have to ask, Kas..." I turn, and let the wand fall into my hand, a wisp of smoke curling from the end. "What did you do to warrant someone hiring me to murder you?"

Kas' eyes snap wide open, and her knife hilt creaks with the strength of her grip.

"Humor me. Tell me what you think is the cause of this, and be honest, because what you tell me will determine whether we try and kill each other, or I offer another option."

There's several tense moments. Carefully, Kas speaks up. She talks about the 6 sanctioned killings she's made for the guild, and the reasons for each. She speaks of several unassigned killings, necessary at that time. And she mentions one death, of the Guild Master's favored heir apparent. What Kas doesn't mention is that one happened when she was just a child. This chosen heir, the self appointed leader of the city's "pigeons" (gutter orphans, pickpockets and child thieves) felt a scrawny little frail girl would be a perfect example to display his dominance and leadership by forcing her into obedience. A bit of threats and beatings should do it.

The frail child stabbed him with a rusty blade, then kicked his still bleeding corpse into the open sewer.

Slowly, I holster my wand, and lean against the wall by the door. "I knew this job was messed up from the start. This is why I normally don't do assassin work. Now, about my proposition...I've been around several hundred of your years. You have potential, and...something else about you. I don't like people doublecrossing me, and I doubt you like being marked for death. We both like power. How about an alliance to suss out whoever's set this up, bring them down, and then carve a nice niche up near the top of your guild?"

Kas pulls her hands out from behind her back, and I let a small sigh, tension gone. She raises an eyebrow. "How do I know you won't decide to fulfill the contract anyways?"

I smile winningly. "You can rely on me as long as I'm entertained and interested. Beyond that, you'll just have to trust me. First off, though, I want to find out what is going on here in Romanov, and we need each other for that. Something strange is going on, and I want to find out."

After a bit more scheming and subversive plotting, we hear a faint rumble, then bells ringing and people shouting. We both jump up, panicked.

Did we just leave Fred...Unsupervised? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y8Kyi0WNg40

curious-puzzle
2014-09-21, 07:23 PM
Fred follows the drunk half-orc outside, and stalks him as he heads towards a longhouse of some sort.
"Hey!"
"Huh?"
"Hey you!"
"Whu...?"
Eventually getting his attention, Frederick asks him why he had to leave.
"I was acting disr-, disrep-, I was acting improper. I had too much, now I gotta go home." By Fred's scale, he's vomit clean and no one is dead, so the night is still young. Fred figures he'll get the inside scoop on this town's real nightlife.
"So what's there to do for fun around here, my good green fellow?"
"Well....dancing...cards...singing if it's early...reading..."
"what about fighting?"
"Fighting? That's against the rules!"
"Come on, it's not like anyone will get...well, not like anyone will get hurt much."
"No...no, I have to go home now."
Foiled, Fred watches the half-orc stagger away. Shrugging, he goes off to find his own fun. This is the sort of event that should be preceded by ominous stormclouds, birds dropping dead out of the sky, and taverns bolting chairs, tables, and kegs to the floor.

Bumping into a watchman that comes up to his thigh, Fred somehow charms his way past the watchman, assuring him that he's out on a walk and not up to anything nefarious.

The fool.

Continuing onwards, Frederick comes to a large stable, full of a herd of cattle. So he decides the only thing to do is free these poor bovine from their unjust bondage. He methodically breaks all the gates open, and with a deep breath and a shout, STARTS A STAMPEDE.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qCRae5mRoRE
We rush outside, and see a bunch of lanterns bouncing around, chasing after a cloud of dust from the before mentioned stampede. We follow a hunch and go searching towards where the chaos came from. The two of us quickly find Fred in the fields.
"Oh hey guys, how's it going?"
"What. Did. You. DO?"
"...Nuthin?"
We save talking for later, and hustle back to the inn before anyone notices us. Later, there's going to be a very long talk about how if Fred has an idea again, he needs to come talk to one of us first.

We aren't murdered in our sleep, or dragged away with black bags over our heads, never to be seen again. We might actually get away with this.
Then a few guards show up, and politely ask Fred to come to the central tower with them to answer some questions regarding an ongoing investigation. We're screwed, we're going to have to either cut Fred free, or leave him behind. But Fred goes all suave secret agent, and completely lies his way to freedom.
"Were you outside last night?"
"Yes, going for a walk."
"Did you go anywhere near the stables."
"I don't think so, not that I noticed."
"Do you know anything about the stampede that occurred?"
"Nope, sorry."
"The locks were all broken and the chains cut. Did you see anyone else around that area, or earlier that night?"
"I think I saw two people around there, but I couldn't recognize them."
"..."
BLUFF CHECKS SUCCEEDED
"Thank you for your assistance, sorry for the inconvenience."

I stare somewhat incredulously as Fred strides out of the tower, shakes hands with the guards, and wanders back over to us. We quickly finish packing up and are on our way. The DM asks for another spot check, and Kas finally saves us with a 25.

Everyone in the town is wearing the same type of jewelry. It might be a ring, an earring, an armband, or a necklace, but everyone is wearing something. They're all the same material, and all have a motif of numerous gears and cogs. A lot of them look like the gears would actually turn and spin within the jewelry. She points this out to me, and I take a hard look at the passing by townsfolk with detect magic. All of them radiate a very subtle and very tightly crafted compulsion effect...Kas tries to smoothly relieve the gate guard on the way out of her ring by shaking her hand. Even with an extra high sleight of hand, Kas nearly dislocates the woman's finger. A hasty bluff check and a hastier departure later, we're back on the road with some unnerving food for thought. Tywin and I need a piece of that jewelry to do more in depth study.

curious-puzzle
2014-09-22, 02:25 AM
It was Kas' player's birthday this session, so what better gift than to all conspire together to creep her out :smallbiggrin:? The plan was to have the beginning of the session be an extended dream sequence, with the 3 of us gradually acting stranger and stranger , until turning out to all have been subverted and taken over by some outside force. With Kas being a paranoid high-functioning sociopath, this will only end in a heartfelt discussion about the values of teamwork.

And blood. Lots of blood.

Kas finds herself the last one to wake the next morning, slightly unusual but nothing more. I'm studying, Fred seems focused on something in the distance, and Tywin is busy fiddling with a small piece of equipment. Peering over, she sees that he's working on a very fine piece of clockwork. This plays softly in the background, just enough to notice: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fCv3mBbvqXs
Tywin smiles, and wishes Kas a happy birthday. He asks Grass Clippings to grab the present, who rummages around in the wagon before emerging with a finely carved small wooden box. Inside is an elaborate metal pen, with a near razor tip, and several jars filled with dark liquids of various hues. Tywin explains that two of the jars are inks, but the rest are poisons crafted by Grass Clippings (his talent for botany turned out to be focused mainly on dangerous plants and the creation of various poisons). The pen is also solid enough to withstand being stabbed into someone if need be. Kas is touched, but a little unsure how to react. People don't normally do..."nice" things for her. We set out, and travel to exactly dusk, stopping at one of the waystations for the night. The next morning, Kas again is the last to wake, with everyone almost ready to go. Another day passes, with everyone being fairly withdrawn. The same thing repeats the next day, except Kas wakens to find me sharpening a knife (I drag a pencil against the side of the tray I use for my computer).
Sching
Sching
Sching
She watches for a few minutes, then inquires what I need such a sharp blade for. I smile vaguely and mention something about having to shave every few years or so, then go back to it.
Sching
Sching
Sching
Music switches to this, still soft:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ur96u_vHSzk
Tywin keeps working away at his little toy, and another couple days go by without change. We make it to another town, and it seems an almost perfect duplicate of the previous one.

The gate guard nods politely to all of us, then his head snaps over to Kas.
"Papers, please." We assure the guard that she's with us, and he relaxes, satisfied. "Very well, have a nice stay." Kas' player is a little weirded out, and fails a spot check. We stop for the night at an inn furnished the same as the previous one, in the same area of town as before, with the same menu. I march off to buy some supplies, and Kas shadows me, curious. I cut directly to the blacksmith and purchase a padlock and several long lengths of chain. The night passes with absolutely no incident, and we depart first thing the next morning.

Kas fails another spot check.

The gate guard shakes Tywin's hand, bids him farewell. He shakes Fred's hand, bids him farewell. He does the same for me, even shakes Grass Clipping and Anton's hand. He doesn't so much look at Kas. Now she's wondering what's going on...and fails another spot check.

We come across a waystation later that day, but something is different. Kas notices that the flag is missing from this station, something every other waystation had. As she mentions this, there's a strange noise ahead, and a horde of zombies spills out from behind the waystation! Initiative!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VzMAwJ6OhI4

We beat the zombies, but there's a lot of them (hence, "horde"). We turn the wagons, Fred hops off, and we pretty much kite the whole group and gradually pick them off as they futilely stagger after us. The DM had the zombies going for grapple attempts on Fred to try and drag him down, but with Combat Reflexes, he hacks them down, retreats, and repeats. It takes a lot of resources, but we lay the zombies down to their second rest without too much risk. Grass clippings immediately begins pulling the bodies off the road, muttering about how disorganized it is. Kas sarcastically mentions he should sort the bodies. He nods, and begins organizing them from smallest to largest. Fred helps. Grass clippings inquires whether the decapitated ones should include their removed heads or not. I suggest they have their own category, and Kas laughs and agrees, not noticing my lack of sarcasm. She does however notice that as soon as the battle's over, Tywin immediately goes back to his work ,and I go back to my knife sharpening, murmuring that it's almost ready. She's right creeped out now.

All we find in the waystation is a dead gnome laborer and a slaughtered donkey, both stripped of everything. We all shake our heads at how unfortunate it is, then continue onwards. Kas finds it a tad difficult to sleep tonight. Awakening to yet again the same routine as before, Kas angrily stalks off to clear her head. We all stare in unison for a moment, then go back to our business.

Scouting us out from a distance, Kas finally hits a super high spot check, and notices a gleaming clockwork ring on Grass clippings' finger.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FcEizDACxNk
Gritting her teeth, Kas quickly stalks over to him, and goes for the direct approach; she seizes him by the hand, and cuts the offending finger off! The boy understandably screams, and thrashes to the ground. We all rush over to see what's happening.
"What has happened?"
"Why would you do that, Kas?"
"What have you done?"
Grass clippings makes some choking noises, then stops moving. The wounded hand has turned a sickly black near the wound, and Kas looks in shock to see a telltale smear of purple on her blade. Someone has poisoned her knife without telling her...
"He was useful, Kas. We are not as efficient now."
"Why would you betray him?"
Kas notices two things; 1) We're all wearing the jewelry
2) I'm holding a length of chain, and casting a spell at her.
She fails her save, and crashes to the ground blind and stunned. The last thing she feels is the chain colliding with her skull, and everything goes white.

Consciousness slowly returns to Kas.
Sching
Sching
Sching
Sching

"We talked about liars before, Kas. But did you know that we are both liars?" Kas finds herself chained upright, strung up by her arms. She's divested of most of her knives, only two still on her. Tywin sits silently staring at Kas, his hands clasped together.

"Everyone, in fact, is a liar." I continue.

"Oh?" Kas ventures, subtly testing the chains grip on her. She starts worming her wrist down ever so slowly.

"We lie with our skin. We lie with our breath. We lie each time our hearts beat. Life itself is a lie, and the only way to get to the truth is to peel away the lies." She freezes as I stop sharpening the blade, by this point razor-thin, and slowly stand. Tywin speaks up.
"There is another option." He opens his hands to reveal a gleaming clockwork ring.
"Join us. Be whole."

At this point, Tywin's player starts chanting, "one of us, one of us" and we join in until we can't keep a straight face and a good laugh is had by all.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9JLzndpY8RI&index=7&list=PLA0EB49C4E7626AC9
"I agreed to help protect you, Kas. This is what you need, whether you want it or not." Tywin gestures to Anton.

Anton slowly starts wheeling Tywin forward, a ring glinting on his finger while an earring shimmers in Tywin's left ear. Fred slowly advances, a headband across his brow. I stalk forwards with the knife in hand, a clockwork torc on one arm. Kas succeeds on her sleight of hand and escape artist checks, and snags a knife. As Tywin gets close enough, she lashes out with her blade and cuts Tywin's ear off, then kicks him backwards and scrambles away.
Tywin sits placidly, blackness spreading through the veins in his face. As kas retreats, she watches Tywin smoothly stand on his crippled, useless legs, pull out a wand, and point it at her. A point of blazing blue light smashes her shoulder, sending her spinning to the ground (and 0 hit points)! She looks up just in time to see me reach down and seize her by the hair, pulling her gaze to meet mine, my eyes glinting ruby red.

"WAKE UP!" I hiss, and drag the knife across her throat.

Kas wakes in an absolute panic, the kiss of the knife burning on her skin.

Jeargroth
2014-09-22, 04:39 PM
Grass Clippings had poisoned her knives as part of her Birthday gift, and to show how much sneaker he had gotten under her tutalege. When the entire group started chanting "One of us..." The gnome bound to a wheel chair stood up and started walking towards her...

I am GM and I approve this thread.

Picanet
2014-09-22, 05:51 PM
It took a while for me to notice what was going on that night. Two hours of ticking and strange acting players actually started getting to me to the point where I had to get up and go to the kitchen for a beer - I mean break.

I had players getting up in my personal space bubble and everything. Serious gaming jitters. What happens next, I think, is a very reasonable reaction to such a 'dream' sequence (more like nightmare COUGHCOUGHWEEZEHACKHEARTATTACK)
Also - dumb ass minion (apprentice my ass. Pah.) put poison on my blades without telling me. He can go cry and pout in a corner and meditate on the phrase 'no good deed goes unpunished' - especially dumb ass deeds.

No Jeargoth - I don't care how many times you try to garner sympathy for the botany urchin rat - you ain't getting it out of Kas. He is minion until he proves otherwise. This recent series of events do not pop up in the 'otherwise' category.

I play Kas, and I approve this board *thumbs up*

curious-puzzle
2014-09-22, 11:21 PM
Hasty hasty people, the identity of the poisoner was left unsaid to make it more dramatic :smallyuk:

Anywho, back to waking from extended horrific nightmares;
Kas had been sleeping in late while the rest of us lazed about. After hearing some movement in her tent, Grass Clippings pokes his head in.
"Good morning, boss! Happy birthday!"

Kas is quite distressed at the moment, and at the sight of someone her mind insists is dead, a traitor, or both, the cold murderous core of her subconscious takes over. Without thought, a hand snaps to the brace of knives and launches a blade solidly into Grass Clipping's shoulder.

The speed of the blow(plus shock) means the young poisoner thumps onto his back, and then notices the knife sticking out of his shoulder.

"Agh!"

He then really notices the knife embedded in his shoulder (and which knife it is).

"AAAGGGHH!"

We all scramble over to see what's happened. Fred's the closest, and is suitably confused.

"What the...?" Grass Clippings is bleeding a LOT for a wound that size. He speaks rather frantically to Fred (and the rest of us as we dash over).

"P-P-Poison, poison on knife. Antidote third, third, third shelf second drawer please please please." Anton shoves Tywin's chair close enough that he uses a scroll of and then a healing potion, which gives Fred and Anton enough time to find the proper antidote. I peer into Kas' tent (carefully) to see a Kas on the edge. Her eyes are feral, she's nearly hyperventilating, and one hand is compulsively clenching around a knife hilt. The inside of the tent is painted with an eerie purple light, seemingly coming from Kas' hands.

"Who the hell stabbed you with a poisoned knife?" Tywin demands, once Grass Clippings seems out of death's immediate embrace.

"I didn't poison my blades." Kas remarks almost absent-mindedly, the same sort of tone you use when mentioning that all work and no play dulls your edge.

"Then who..?" Everyone stares at Grass Clippings.

"It was her birthday?" There's a unanimous facepalm, then we drag Grass Clippings out of the way and try to coax Kas out of her tent.

"What day is it?" She barks. "How far from Romanov's border?" Fred replies that we're about a day past the first town, doesn't get a knife thrown at him, and takes it as a good sign. He makes to brush into the tent though, and Kas bristles with metaphorical (and very literal) blades. I pass an intelligence check and realize something is very wrong (besides Kas trying to kill her minion, he does smell like dirt all the time). Taking into account our recent discovery about the ominous jewelry, I cast [I]detect magic. The whole tent reeks of necromancy and...something else.

"Kas, I think something magical has influenced you. No one's going to hurt you, just come out please." Slowly, eeeever so slowly, Kas creeps out into the daylight, ripples of energy still playing about her fingers. I step closer, and concentrate on her eyes. Seeing as how the eyes are regarded as a window to the soul...https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SXpnI52cLEc
...that was a mistake. I feel my perception being pulled in, and my mind interprets the ludicrous amount of magic I've just stared directly into as two symbols, one in each of Kas' eyes.
A blood-red ruby, and a hideous bestial mask.
Failing a fortitude save, I have just enough time for a truly foul oath before I pass out, my mind playing the role of a guppy when a whale surges by.

Fred has had just about enough of this. Two people have been taken out (indirectly or otherwise) by Kas, and that's not cool. He uses tact and diplomacy to express his opinion.

"Kas, put the knives down or I'm going to put you down!" She responds by gripping another knife and hunching in on herself.

"Everyone just wait. Kas, what happened?" Tywin steps-well, wheels in as the voice of reason.

"...Was it a dream? A nightmare? I..." Kas composes herself a little. "To me, we had been traveling for another week, and had passed another town. You all...changed. You were wearing that jewelry, and you tried to...I don't know, convert me? Change me? And then...then you Slit my BLOODY THROAT!" And you!" She points at Grass Clippings. "I don't care if you made poisons disguised in ink vials, that I can use with that knife-pen thing, you don't poison someone's knives and not tell them! Idiot! You're lucky you didn't get that knife in the throat!...Why are you staring at me like that?"

Tywin and Grass Clippings are more than a little creeped out.

"Kas? How did you know about the pen?"

"You gave it to me already...in the..nightmare."

I awaken a couple minutes later with a divinely inspired migraine akin to my skull having been used as a flail. I see everyone standing about somewhat awkwardly, but no one else is bleeding or dying, so crisis averted.

"Tell me Kas, are you much of a church-going person?" A little confused, Kas shakes her head back and forth. "So any idea how you've managed to garner the attention of TWO gods?" I'm brought up to speed on the content of her dream, and am even more alarmed. "In the remnants of whatever power gave you that vision, I saw the mark of Wee Jas and Erythnul." Tywin recognizes the names, and is just as confused and unnerved as I am. Prophetic dreams of a sanity shaking nature? The ability to spontaneously channel the energies of death and the void? Two contradictory gods who's only shared interest is Death with a capital D? This is beyond the scope of my studies in such matters, we need to get to a library of some sort, and do a lot of research.

There's an irritatingly smug voice in the back of my head right now chiming in that maybe the people who hired me to kill Kas maybe had a VERY GOOD POINT.

We travel onwards at a somewhat heightened pace. We pass through the next town instead of stopping for the night, and Kas notices that there are two towers here, not one. Her vision wasn't completely accurate...we instead stop at the first waystation past this town. All a little jumpy, there's a bit of an "overreaction" when a gnome laborer rides up on a donkey.

I spin around with a wand in one hand and my crossbow in the other, all John Woo! Flights of doves are just waiting in the bushes for me to leap through the air oh gods it's just a gnome woodcutter. I sheepishly chuckle and stow my weapons.

"You, gnome." He looks over to Kas. "What happens to that ring when you die?" She rasps.

...

...truly, Kas' people skills are a wonder to behold. I bluff my face off talking about how we're prospective citizens, and were just curious if this jewelry that was gifted to everyone by the kingdom was theirs to keep, or reverted back to the kingdom upon death. Tywin helps smooth the waters being a fellow gnome, and Kas downgrades from specter of murder to brooding menace. We learn that the jewelry is reclaimed when you die, and that the jewelry was given to everyone when the towers were built in each town, around a year ago. The gnome then departs in donkey high gear. As we finish packing the wagons up and start moving again, we realize that was probably the dead gnome and donkey Kas saw in her dream.

We need to catch that donkey.

curious-puzzle
2014-09-23, 01:58 AM
We make haste, and see the waystation's flag over the next rise. Unlike Kas' vision, it's flapping proudly. Also unlike the vision, we see the gnome tying his donkey up as we crest the hill. Tywin begins infusing a massive iron greatclub (we joke that it's a two handed crowbar, and Fred's about to channel the power of the Freedman) with undead bane (we had a mental mixup on damage reduction types). Fred yells for the gnome to get away from the shed, it's full of zombies.

"Zombies?" I ask sharply. "Who said anything about zombies?"

"I'm certain I mentioned them to you." Kas replies with casual malice. "Everyone else knew about the zombies, you must have been busy." Tywin and Fred nod as Tywin hands Fred the greatclub of undead scrunching.

"I'm sure I would have paid attention to mentions of ravenous zombies!"

The gnome looks a little alarmed at our arrival, then at Fred's warning. He turns to the shed, sees nothing, then turns back to us as we approach. He looks really surprised when a green arrow punches through his chest from behind, then melts away along with a large portion of his chest. An ominous (short) hooded and robed figure stands at the corner of the shed, and then a horde of the walking dead staggers towards us from the woods! Initiative!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u9RKwlF_MXE
Fred maxes his initiative, and does a dead sprint right into the face of the greatest threat; the spellcaster. Tywin signals the wagons to circle around and start retreating slightly faster than the zombies, looks at his crossbow in disgust, and starts infusing a shortsword. Kas looks at her daggers, and shuffles a little further into the woods. The mysterious spellcaster steps away from Fred, and greases the ground underneath and around him (Fred makes his save). I hop off the wagon, and imperiously summon...*rolls* 3 fiendish monstrous centipedes! They skitter and chitter into the zombies, and then I realize that I can do a max of 1 pt of damage per attack due to DR. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rX7wtNOkuHo Oh well, they tie up a large chunk of the zombies.

Fred calmly strides up to the robed figure (silly spellcaster, Balance is a class skill for Crusaders!) and two-handed max power attack-mountain hammer-crits the caster's head into an unrecognizable mess. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Ht0EHGMWiM Then he turns to the closest gang of zombies.

Don't mess with Fred.

Kas and I retreat towards the wagon, which has the remaining zombies shuffling after us. Kas takes a shot with a sling, Tywin keeps infusing, and I cast mage armor and then protection from evil on myself to get up to very respectable armor for my class and level. I then realize that my go to weapon, the mighty Color Spray is totally useless. Nooooooo*cough*. Fred trades blows with the gang of zombies, wearing them down while taking some damage. He then realizes that he forgot about that whole Power attack thing, and crunches two zombies with a max power attack + cleave. I scan my spell list, discarding quite a few possibilities, then settle on using Glitterdust to blind most of the zombies. Tywin continues to infuse, and Kas takes some more pot shots. I then notice that Frederick has only one zombie left in front of him, he's almost 100 feet away from us, and I'm in charge range of the remaining zombie gang. So I benign transposition the two of us, figuring I can take out one zombie.

The zombie (who shall henceforth be called Megazombie for the sake of my ego) is much larger and more muscular than the other zombies. He's also wielding a small tree that's similar sized to me as a club.

We stare at each other for a moment. I open my mouth, and Megazombie goes Ivan Drago on me and wallops me in the face for half my hit points. Fred wades into the other zombies, laying about with his greatclub of doom. Tywin hands Kas the newly infused shortsword, and she leaps up to support Frederick.

Ow. That's okay, I still have a trick up my sleeve. Snatching Megazombie's wrist, I burn all 3 charges of my healing belt, dealing a very respectable 25 damage bypassing DR. Frederick's player mentions that he hadn't dealt any damage to that particular zombie before we switched. I note that Megazombie hasn't fallen over, and sigh. Megazombie releases a compilation of his greatest hits, and cracks me in the head again, dropping me to 1 hit point. Tywin notices my plight, and sends a pity magic missile blast my way, chipping Megazombie but still not dropping him.

I utilize the ancient elven mage technique of Yurin Drego, which loosely translates to, "run like a coward so you don't die an ignominious messy death," and withdraw. Possessing the key advantages of coordination and working knees, I outpace Megazombie and blast him repeatedly with fire orbs until he keels over, and then a few more. Fred and Kas finish scything through the last few zombies. We ding to level 5!

And with that, I am all up to date on the campaign! We play every two weeks, and the next game is this coming saturday. I may try and put random bits of fun info up in the meantime. I hope people have been enjoying this, I know I've had fun writing it (and beating my sleep schedule into a weeping wreck).

Picanet
2014-09-25, 06:29 PM
Two days precious! Twoooooooo *spooky fingers*

Though I suspect we won't see the update until Sunday night. Unless we spike Puzzle's ice tea with three 5 hour energy drinks.

curious-puzzle
2014-09-25, 09:22 PM
Sleep is relative. But in the meantime, quick visual blurbs and theme songs cause why not!

Human Crusader 5
Frederick, or Fred as he prefers to be called, wears his armor like a second skin. Without it his gestures and movements seem over pronounced and boisterous. His eyes are a warm honey brown and usually glint in silent amusement at someone else's expense, or with a steel-sharp excitement at a foe or challenge he can cut down. For yet undisclosed reasons he hides the elven half of his heritage under a wavy mass of near-black hair that doesn't quite reach his shoulders. His laugh comes easy; almost as easy as wrecking anything that stands in his way.

Gnome Artificer 5
Filler till the description comes in

Theme song:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eXiwYUCe_bY&list=PL8GZX0xZGe9giRoU9vIK9tyynM-rfLQLn&index=4

Elf Conjurer 3/Master Specialist 2

A tall lean elf with bronze-tanned skin raises an eyebrow at you. Amber eyes narrow as he rakes a hand through a shock of messy black hair. Dressed in a sleeveless shirt and dark pants, your eyes focus on the proliferation of bangles, armbands, and bracelets that adorn both arms. A riot of hues, shapes, and sizes, they clank and jingle softly with his movements. Quickly scooping up a leather sack by his feet, the elf turns swiftly as he gestures for you to follow.

Theme song:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YPaz0p2dpEk&list=PL8GZX0xZGe9giRoU9vIK9tyynM-rfLQLn&index=2

Human Rogue 4/Fighter 1

Kas is often mistaken for being younger than she looks, because she never really grew out of that awkward lanky stage of her life. A certain frailty clings to her like she didn’t quite get enough fresh air, sunlight, or decent meals. Her face is narrow, sharp, and generally half hidden by the tall collar of her coat. She keeps her hair cut short and dyes it often enough that no one’s quite sure what the true colour is - though she’s partial to a dark black/purple when on night duties. She’s bleached it light blonde since leaving for Romanov - and it left her dark blue eyes looking almost indigo in the right light.

Averis Vol
2014-09-26, 01:42 AM
I just caught up reading and I've got to say you're giving me quite a few good laughs at your companions expense, and to Jeargroth, I am absolutely loving how absolutely creepy romanov is. Keep up the good work guys, I'm lookin forward to continuing to read this for a while.

curious-puzzle
2014-09-26, 06:53 PM
This has an intriguing start, and I like the style so far! Will be looking into it.

"Kas does a magic trick, and makes a dagger appear in thug # 2's face." Ha! :smallwink:

Thanks! Hope you have remained intrigued, or at least not repulsed :smalltongue:


I just caught up reading and I've got to say you're giving me quite a few good laughs at your companions expense, and to Jeargroth, I am absolutely loving how absolutely creepy romanov is. Keep up the good work guys, I'm lookin forward to continuing to read this for a while.

Thank you, glad you're enjoying it! I hope the laughs are a little at my expense too, otherwise I'll feel slightly guilty (but not really that much so it's fine) :smallbiggrin:

curious-puzzle
2014-09-30, 12:58 AM
Pretty much a combat free night, but the plot! The plot!

Like a delicious conspiracy stew,It thickens.

We loot the (now headless) gnome necromancer. How do we determine that he was a necromancer? Well, besides the horde of zombies taking their cues from him, his spellbook is bound in elf skin, and has a pointy ear stuck to the front.

...Not cool, man. Not cool. I would feel worse, but he's dead and I have a new (albeit creepy) spellbook.

Necromancy and Evocation? My banned schools? Hrm...ah well, there's still a few good ones in here.

We travel on to the next town, and report that we heroically slew a legion of foul undead. Expecting a reward, we receive a "thank you." When we actually ask about a reward, we are told that we already received the reward of a clean conscience. Cheapskates. I think that the captain seems remarkably blase about the whole zombie thing, and ask if it's a regular sort of thing.

"There's always sand in the cogs, just have to deal with it. It's normally something that happens more to the south near the swamps, but we just deal with it and move on."

Oooookkkaaayy? Moving on past that unsettling statement, we split up in town. Tywin and Fred go to check out the large 2nd tower under construction, and Kas and I go to scrounge the town hall/library. Tywin is wheeled over to the tower, still obviously only partway through construction. It's quite ambitious, almost 50 feet tall, and there's what looks like the beginnings of...*knowledge (architecture) success!* a boom. After chatting with a nearby gnome and getting a peek at the blueprints, he learns that the tower will be around 80 feet tall once it's completed. Tywin is somewhat perplexed; just what do they need an 80 foot tower crane for? Realizing that he's on the east end of town, Tywin gazes to the east (or gets Fred to seeing as he's quite low to the ground), and sees an arrow straight swath clear cut through the woods, very clearly not the road. Tywin's super confused and annoyed, but Tywin's player knows what's going on. He glares at the DM.

"Choo. Choo."

Kas and I stroll into the town hall and upstairs to the library. Now, Romanov may be a seriously unsettling place that I'm pretty sure has mindraped most of their population, but they organize a library quite nicely. I peruse the books on religions and local history, and Kas checks the recent news sheets. I find a lot of stuff I already knew, namely that Wee Jas and Erythnul have nothing to do with each other, and a whole lot of vague boring history that cuts off right before the big economic turnaround for Romanov.
*Sidenote, whenever we talk about whatever happened to Romanov, we call it "The Great Initiative" with big finger quote gestures. I'm going to keep pushing for that to become the official title.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yUpbOliTHJY*
Kas reads about a bunch of successful cattle births, good harvest, and oh yeah, a stampede the next town over west. Tywin's player notices it, but we don't register right away (and certainly not in character). News has traveled faster than us somehow, with no one passing us on the road...https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XVSRm80WzZk

We all meet back at the inn for the night. I activate my gem and lie my face off that the dirty deed is done, and Kas is lying dead in the wilderness. The laughter that comes from the gem is not in any way even in the same country as nice. The voice assures me my payment is waiting at Tyro's money lending back where I was hired. Curious, I ask what's to become of the mission. There's another bark of cruel laughter.

"What mission?" And the gem crumbles to dust. Well then...that complicates things a bit more. I keep the dust just in case.

We eat dinner, and hear that a famous travelling musician will be coming through tomorrow night. Sequestering ourselves safely in one of our rooms, it's time to do some experimentation with the clockwork ring we filched off the dead gnome laborer. Did I not mention that? Terrible robbers of the grave we be, even before they're buried.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XVSRm80WzZk Tywin plucks the ring out of the bag, and uses an infusion of Identify, aaannd immediately has to make a will save. Even making the save, he's almost plunked the ring onto a finger before he even notices! Making an executive decision, Tywin grabs his adamantine multi-tool and snips the ring in half, destroying it with his retain essence class feature. The resulting rush of magic makes our hair stand on end and static spark through the room. That was a bit more juice than expected. The group decides to stay an extra couple days to do some crafting/research/snooping around/grill the travelling musician for info.

Tywin and I stay inside for most of the day, crafting and/or spell researching. Fred offers to go on a patrol for the town, and is boooorrreeedd out of hiiss miiiinnnnnddd. The only remotely interesting thing he comes across is an old campsite, at least several days. The watch captain seems strangely concerned by this tidbit, and marks it down before bustling off. Fred earns a whopping 10 COPPER for his efforts. Kas listens in on the local gossip, and learns that a local boy up and disappeared the night we arrived. Digging a bit further, she finds the disappeared lad's girlfriend...in a hayloft with Grass Clippings. After giving him a bit of grief, Kas confirms that the girl has been with Grass Clippings since last night, but she had seen her "boyfriend" that day. Going off her base of knowledge, Kas decides to check all the places she would think to stash a corpse. Hey, go with what you know I suppose.

Eventually making it to the cemetery (which if you think about is actually an ingenious place to hide a body aaaand I'm off topic), Kas stumbles on an interesting fact: no one has been interred since before "The Great Initiative." So either no one has died in this town in several years and it's a coincidence, or something's happening to the bodies.

Remember what I said about coincidences?

The musician finally arrives, an orc named Paul Brandt (don't ask). Looking like he's never heard of dirt, let alone mud, the squeaky clean greenskin sets out a selection of stringed instruments, smallest on the left going to biggest on the right, and starts playing. It's passable if disgustingly wholesome, but then we notice that it's quite inspiring. And we feel motivated, even more competent than before.

He's a bloody orc bard is what he is. We resist the effects out of a combination of paranoia and sheer contrariness. Chatting Mr Brandt up afterwards, Kas and I are surprised to find the orc bard speaks both Infernal and Abyssal (Kas speaks infernal for litigation, I speak both in prep for Malconvoker plus I love speak language as a class skill). He mentions that the shamans in the swamps used to speak them. Kas asks how long ago he left the swamps.

"I don't...what?" He tunes out, a thousand mile stare on his face. We try the question a couple times, and he just can't get anything out. Tywin comes up and asks a completely unrelated question about the town. The bard perks right up, all chatty and chummy in the way orcs aren't. We ask about the swamps again, and it's back to the Error please try again page. Thoroughly convinced he's been brain-whammied, we retire for the night, but not before planning the next phase of our plan.

Destroy one of these clockwork jewelry pieces while they're still on someone living. And Paul Brandt the Orc bard is leaving to return to the capital tomorrow, so he's contestant #1.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x1zUQI2arc0
We travel on the road with the bard until we're a ways away from the town, then we brain him in the back of the head with a mercifully infused Falchion.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kfaxquIn060 Don't knock the plan if it works. Shush!

We drag him into the waystation and set the minions on overwatch. Securely binding the orc, we then wait for him to awaken. Did I also mention this was the place in Kas' dream where we bound her up and killed her? Yeah, she was having some fun trigger moments what with the knocking out and tying up, and Tywin pretending to sharpen Fred's falchion while infusing it...:smallbiggrin:

Gradually awakening, Brandt is understandably concerned. We try the hardline interrogation ("What's your name?" *meaningful dagger poke from behind* "What's your real name?" *slap* WHO DOES #2 WORK FOR?!" that last one didn't happen, but it could have), but get nowhere with it. Finally Tywin reaches up with his tool and *snips* the clockwork earring. There's the rush of magic, and the bard lets out a scream! Apparently there's a notable backlash when the item's destroyed, thankfully our subject is a big strong orc so he can take it. We heal him with a healing belt anyways, and he slumps, breathing heavily.

"Paul."
"..."
"Brandt."
"..."
"Bard."
"...WHAT?" The voice is guttural, hoarse, and thoroughly enraged. There's the brutal belligerent savage I was expecting.

"We have released you from your slavery. You do understand that, don't you?"

"...Yes. And for that I will not kill you."

"*pause* Fair enough. What's your real name?"

"Grsh'nack." I understand why it was changed to Paul. We grill Grsh'nack on just what happened to him. Apparently his whole tribe was ambushed and captured by some unknown force several years ago (all he can remember is fire raining down, like massed catapults). He'd woken with the earring, and his choices and actions were not his own since then. He describes his mind as being overwhelmed and filled with a horrific "ticking," constant and unrelenting. We make a wary alliance, contracting Grsh'nack to help with blending in and information in exchange for helping him find what remains of his tribe. Despite his race (and my natural elf-y prejudices), he is a trained performer and we're confident he can fake his way back in. Enlightened and worried, we travel on to the capital, Cassandra.

The last stretch to Cassandra is quiet, and strangely empty for a large stretch. Eventually, we come to a massive mist shrouded forest. Grsh'nack (who's true musical focus is an avant-garde form called rarghthump, a fusion of screaming and hitting stuff) mentions that this forest is always covered in this fog, regardless of the weather anywhere else. As we travel through, Grass Clippings pulls me over to the trees, and says that there's something seriously wrong with them. I can't recognize them at all with my knowledge (nature), even with a pretty good roll. I detect magic all throughout the trees, and Tywin uses an identify infusion on a tree. He blinks once, then twice. A deep breath, and his cry rings throughout the woods.

"WHAT ARE THEY DOING IN THIS PLACE?!?!"

With a bit more investigation, the trees are somehow linked to the Elemental plane of Air. We have no idea how or why, but the mist and fog is a side effect of said link. For added weirdness, Kas makes a super high spot check and sees a broken branch slowly floating upwards, casually giving gravity the raspberry. I lob an apple and it flops to the ground disappointingly, scuppering my plan of a levitating cafe. We reluctantly move on after noting this as a site of future interest (along with Grsh'nack's swamp), and travel the last week or so to Cassandra.

We slowly ride up to the gates of Cassandra, and they put the gates at the border to shame. The doors are gigantic gears, polished and gleaming. This should be warning us of something, but with blithely continue. A gnome guard in full plate halts us outside the gates, and we hand over our papers and explain our intent to immigrate. The guard quickly scans our forms, nods, and instructs to proceed to the Broken Crown Inn, and that Immigration will meet us there the next day.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qC54mBUbRmo
With a rumble, the shining gates part to reveal a broad moat. With a rhythmic clacking, a metal bridge extends out to us and locks into place. After we pass, the bridge retracts and the gates slowly roll shut with a emphatic THUD. We may have gotten a little over our heads...

As we pass into the new and strange city, Kas' eyes lock onto a face that she inexplicably knows. Noting her recognition, the face melts into the crowd, and then a shadow strides into a nearby alley. Excusing herself, she sets off after the familiar stranger.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7jamm7-6IY0
Kas uses all her wiles to catch up to the stalker, but to no avail. She finally spots a scrap of cloth on the edge of a balcony, and goes to vault up. As she just crests the edge, a blade gently rests against the back of her neck.

"Kitty, kitty. What are you doing here, little kitty? The old man think I can't handle it anymore?" Only one person ever called her that.

"Joss, what a surprise. I didn't know you were assigned here."

The blade presses a little more firmly. "When I saw you walking down the street, kitty, I could hardly believe it. Then I thought that the old man hadn't been liking what news I sent him, maybe, and he sent you to kill me. Is that why you're here, kitty?"

Kas swallows. "Come on Joss, you know my standing in the guild. You think I'd ever get assigned something that big?"

After a few tense heartbeats, the blade disappears. "What inn did they send you to, kitty?"

"The Broken Crown. I could use some intel, got any to share?"

"Oh, the things I could tell you. We'll meet the usual time and way." Kas has just enough time to look back and catch a glimpse of the figure vanishing into thin air.

Mmm, plot stew seasoned with mind control, counter-betrayal, and frenemies. Omnomnom!

Jeargroth
2014-09-30, 09:18 PM
I had to practically beat them over the head with Paul Brandt. And as that was the only Country Western singer I could remember at the time that is what he was called. ( That and he is Canadian) I think it was only after describing the METHODICAL and ORDERLY performance and stage production that they finally clued in, that Bards aren't orderly by nature. After that it was just sheer Mind Freakery. The forest and city is now only the start of the adventure. Please tune in "Same Bat Time, Same Bat Channel" in another 2 weeks when we have another installment of what I am now formally calling "A Golem in the Gears".

If you can't wait you can always PM me and I can tell you what is going on if your after something like it for your own game.



PS still looking for that OOT Artificer Avatar... peps someone must know how to make them... cause I can't

PPS- Its so cute. They think its a train. MUHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHA

Picanet
2014-10-13, 12:47 PM
*A year and a half ago....ish*

Joss had always had this thing about rooftops. He never met her in the guild halls, a side street, or somewhere public where they might blend into the safety of a crowd. No – he had to stand above the grubby streets and corners and look down upon the world during the darkest hours of night; exposed.

“Welcome Kitten, so glad you could make it on such short notice.” Joss grinned, bottle of wine in one hand and the other extended towards her as Kas carefully skipped past the loose clay tiles that would have betrayed her presence to the street below with a single miss-step. She flicked a grin of her own his way and allowed him to gently take her hand before escorting her towards a small table set with a single candle.
“Jossy,” she crooned, “wine and apple tarts? If I didn’t know you any better I’d say you were trying to get on my good side today for some particular reason.”
“And a gift,” Joss sat her down and lightly draped the soft black scarf across her shoulder. Kas reached up and felt the silk-like fabric between her fingers. It was light, but warm; breathable, but not thin; smooth, but not shiny. She couldn’t place the material, but she liked the feel of it and how it smelled like him. She held a corner to her cheek and watched Joss glide to the opposite side of the table.
“What’s the occasion? Did you manage to convince the Guildmaster that I’m capable of a lot more than night patrols and purse duty?”
Joss crossed his leg over his knee and leaned back into the chair as he corked the bottle of wine. His trademark smirk passively overtaking his features as though he was lost in some amusing thought instead of listening to her. The silvery scar along his jaw caught in the candle light for a moment; a gleaming reminder of the events that had lead up to it – and those that had followed after. A moment later Joss slid a wine glass across the table to her.
“I have some rather unhappy news, and I have some good news. Which would you rather have first?”
Kas scoffed and rolled her eyes. “News is news Joss, but if you insist on classifying it, as always, I’ll take the bad news first in case the good news can curb some of its unpleasantness.” She plucked the wine glass from the table and gave it a small tip in his direction before sipping away at the delightful beverage she indulged in on only the rarest of occasions.
“The bad news is I’ve been given a promotion of sorts…”
“That’s hardly bad news J-“
“which is going to take me out of reach for a while. A long while actually – and I leave tomorrow.”

Kas’s grip on her glass tightened significantly and she ran a fingernail along the side, avoiding eye contact as she took less of a sip and more of a proper swig out of her glass. She could hear Joss breath deep as he pushed along the ‘good’ news that was supposed to somehow make things better.
“Because of my sudden vacancy; however, I am allowed to pick my replacement – and that would be you. As of tonight you move to the Breakers Crew.” She still hadn’t looked at him. She had never been good at concealing how she felt about certain things, but gaging how upset she was… Joss still hadn’t worked that part out yet. He carried on; hoping for some glimmer of appreciation that might make the entire business less miserable. “It’ll all be second story work and higher from here. Greater compensation – you’ll have to supply your own tools and extras but I’m sure you can find some.”

The empty wine glass sat heavily on the table as Kas’s fingers began to twitch slightly. “You’re taking your extras, but not your apprentice?” She stood and suddenly swung the glass against the wire fence of the messenger pigeon coops. Clearly agitated, she paced from one foot to the other as she failed miserably to keep her emotions in check. Her voice came out low and somewhere near a growl, “I’m still on the back burner for a mistake I made when I was a ****ing pigeon – don’t bother coddling me on that. I’m not stupid.” She turned back and stared accusingly at him. “You probably made it a condition to accepting the mission that I got to move up in the work. Given you’re leaving so soon I’d hazard a guess that it took a couple days to negotiate. It wasn’t until it started to delay the mission that the bastard caved.”
Joss sighed at the loss of a perfectly good wine glass and shook his head in mild dismay. “You’ve hardly been apprentice for years now. As for the old crow keeping you on the **** list? Well. That will change. Yes I made it a condition, but they didn’t fight nearly as hard as they used to.” He left his own glass on the table and watched for one of her reflexive flinches that might end with one of her daggers in his side as he lightly stepped around the table and closer – ah. Nope. There was one of her claws already at her wrists. “Kitten….” He paused and held his arms open to either side. Less chance of getting clawed when she was upset if she came to him.

“You keep saying that – but everyone knows better.” Kas huffed and tried to swallow down the sharp nugget of anger caught in her throat. “Where? How long?”
“Could be six months, could be a couple years. I can’t say where, but when I get back I will get my choice of Day or Night Master slot. They know you got talent, the Crow can’t keep you down forever. Besides,” Joss inched closer and lightly tested a comforting hand on her arm, “second story work has a few perks. You don’t have to crawl through the muck to stay safe, and you can pick up the occasional extra on the way. I even found you a gnome crafter as a contact for good tools – his name is Tywin. He’s a cripple soooo it could make for an easy cut out.”
To his relief, her shoulders relaxed and Kas peeked over her shoulder at his best disarming grin.
“Day or Night? That’s a short step from full Heir-ship… and you’ve been ready for that as I’ve been past my apprenticeship.” The frustration eased out of her limbs as she found herself smiling – pleased with the idea. If Joss was Guildmaster one day – the natural progression would be for her to follow in her father’s footsteps as his trusted commander. She liked the idea of that very much.
“You took your share of flack when you picked me as your apprentice. I never asked why because it wasn’t my business…” Kas lost the tail end of her sentence; Jos was being distracting as his comforting arm began to snake around her waist and he pulled himself closer.
“Because I saw you shiv Brutus for trying to push you around. I knew you were something different.”
“You were there for that?” She tilted her head to the side so he could rest his chin on her shoulder. “You didn’t worry that I’d do the same to you? I’m good at killing heirs you know.” She could feel Joss shrug from behind her, “I was on overwatch at the time. He was only the favourite because he was a bastard of some stripe or another.”
“And now you’re the favourite.” Kas smiled and leaned back against him, “Lynch and HotPie know it too – maybe one of them came to me with a nice offer to shank you and put them back in the running. You let me get too close – It’s little soft spot of yours.”
“We already played that game Kitten,” Joss sneaked his other arm around her side and shifted his jaw around to stretch the scar out slightly. “Different reasons though – Besides, you scare them too much and they’re too busy trying to impress and don’t actually get any work done. You and me? We’ve been on the **** list, but we get the job done. No complaints. No praise. It says more about our abilities and confidence than all the cockadoodling they do.” He sighed unhappily as she shrugged him off in order to turn and face him.
“And yet,” Kas ran her thumb lightly along his jaw, “you are being sent off – and they get to prance about; feathers held high. I have a vested interest in you climbing up the ladder. Eventually you’ll be at a point to make better use of me rather than mugging merchants and body disposal.”
“I do make better use of you other than that –“ Joss grinned impishly
“You know damned well what I mean.” Kas rolled her eyes and gave him a light shove in the centre of his chest that did little to push him away. It did the opposite really. “You leaving for a long mission doesn’t warrant the wine and the gift Joss. You’re worried about something – but that doesn’t sound right either because the Great ShadowJack Joss doesn’t have time for silly things like worrying.”
“No I don’t – I leave this afternoon and wanted to leave a lasting impression.”

*PG Fade to Black*

curious-puzzle
2014-10-13, 06:03 PM
We're guided through the city of Cassandra to the Broken Crown Inn...and we are reaaallly in deep. This place is HUGE! It takes several hours to travel through the city, there's people everywhere, and they're all wearing the jewelry. So now we're right near the middle of a giant metropolis, with unknown magitech capabilities, and every single citizen is hostile to us if we're sussed out. Oh, and Immigration will be here in the next day or so with our own mind control accessories.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-bzWSJG93P8

Oh, and we find out in-game that it's not railway tracks they're setting up. They're building towers for a crucial advantage over any other nation:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SWynPcFRzWU&t=15m46s

We are in so much trouble.

Kas lets us know about Joss and her upcoming meeting. I'm totally of the opinion that Joss is going to betray us so hard, but we need any advantage or scrap of info we can get. We eventually arrive at the Broken Crown, and they're prepared for us. There are exactly enough empty wagons waiting, and as soon as we pull up, some drones start busily unpacking our wagons and repacking theirs; Tywin objects to this by first warning them to stop, then when they don't listen, telling Fred to stop them. The drones stop and stare, then start whispering furiously with each other. I prick my pointy ears forward, and catch, "they're not initiated! Why aren't they initiated, they're not supposed to be here without already being initiated?! Sand in the cogs, sand in the cogs!" They then apologize with creepy smiles and rapidly repack everything before scurrying off.

New rule: every time someone says, "sand in the cogs," they get a little mark against their name. When the forces of Evil(Tm) are my unwitting dupes, how many marks a person has will determine exactly how terrible a vengeance I wreak upon them.

We mosey into the Broken Crown, masking our unease behind moxy and bravado. The innkeeper greets us all by name, then takes a headcount and asks where Grass Clippings is (who out of game we never woke up and left under the wagon since before entering Cassandra). I lie smoothly that everyone's here, but the DM rolls a natural 20 on the sense motive. He sharply corrects me and describes Grass Clippings to a T. I mutter sullenly about humans all looking alike to me, shrug, and tell the truth that I hadn't seen him since before we entered Cassandra. Kas backs me up, since none of us have seen Grass Clippings since last night. The innkeeper makes a note, then hands each of us a white ribbon. He explains that our room + board is complimentary, and immigration will be here in the next day or so (he mentions that our paperwork had some irregularities; Tywin made numerous subtle clever errors to hold up the process), but we must stay within a block of the inn "for our own safety." The white ribbons are to signify what zone we are allowed into. We thank the innkeeper and head up to our rooms to chat privately. I grab a chessboard to play some games with Tywin; the first idea is Pirate Chess which you take shots of rum as pieces are taken, but neither of us want to dull our wits after remembering where we are.. The day passes as we all plan ways of somehow not ending up mindraped or dead, then Kas goes off to meet with Joss. Who, by the way, we determine from his clothing and questioning the innkeeper and Paul Brandt/Grsh'nack, is posing as a member of the Enforcers, the group in charge of finding subversive elements and dealing with them. So our inside intel has either infiltrated the Secret Police (which is an awesome cover), or we are done for already.

Grsh'nack also mentions that immigration normally work in teams of 4 or 5...per person to be initiated. So our planning picks up in intensity.

Kas ninjas her way up to the roof, then notices a a single candle flickering on a table set on the nearby balcony. Not seeing Joss, she sighs and goes over and takes a seat. After a moment, Joss appears and sidles into the other seat. She raises an eyebrow.

"We're hiding in plain sight. Anyone who looks up will just see two people having dinner. Easier than trying to stay out of sight entirely." Joss beams a big fake "play along or someone's gonna get shanked" smile. "So why are you here, little kitten?" And the two reconnect as only formerly intimately acquainted mentor-student professional killers who don't trust each other can. Kas grills Joss on what he's been doing, why, for how long, and who he's been reporting to. So:
1) observing and keeping under the radar.
2) cause he was ordered to.
3) 2 years, ever since he just disappeard
4)The Day Master, like clockwork. He's been sending reports regularly using his little red sending gem. A gem just like the one I used to have...and for added fun, the Thieves guild has 3 leaders:
The Day master, the Night master, and the Guildmaster proper. We were sent by the Guildmaster - oh, and for another twist, the Day Master is Kas' father. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bW7Op86ox9g
Joss also points up at the clouds; with the setting sun, the shadow of a massive airship is visible. He's seen at least 5 so far, and has been waiting for a chance to sabotage whatever he could and make off with one.
"Just one? Such limited vision." Kas teases Joss, and asks exactly what sort of chance he's waiting for.
"Well, I haven't had anyone I could rely on until now. You realize how lucky it was that you came through in my sector? When I was on patrol? Someone is looking out for you." Joss gestures with a glass. Kas smirks bitterly.
"Which one?"

Joss warns Kas when his immigration team will be by in the morning, and that he's the only one who isn't subverted. The rings/earrings he'll bring by will be clever fakes, but we will have to sell it to the squad. The more dramatic a shift the jewelry forces, the more dramatic and "blissful" the reaction. He also warns that we'll most likely be separated after initiation, and we'll have to play it cool until we can slip through the system to get back together.

No one is alarmed at all by this, right?

Meanwhile, Tywin and I are losing our minds plotting and counter-contingency planning. Using Prestidigitation to change the ribbon colors and hightail it out? We don't know the color pattern, and we don't know the best way out. Hide out in the sewer systems? I can make it in no problem, but Fred will have to lose his armor and Tywin will have to leave his entire livelihood behind. Summon monsters, light stuff on fire, and go forth with guns blazing? Currently plan one at the moment.

Then Kas comes back and gives us a plan that doesn't involve mass property damage and legions of fiendish dire badgers. We're naturally suspicious; seems like an easy way for us all to join the Overmind. But while the other option involves the badger brigade, it also involves likely getting beaten down and killed or worse. So Tywin feverishly crafts up a Divination to get some guidance. He asks if we should go with Joss' plan, or make a run for it. And since he worships Moradin, he receives his answer in the form of a...song?

Wut.

"There once was a gnome
Who tried to make it alone
But then he skinned his knee
Trying to get free
and got trapped in the woods and the zone"

I may not be remembering it exactly, but the gist is clear enough. We can't leave that little suspicious mist forest if we even make it that far. So we hunker down and wait for Big Brother to arrive.

curious-puzzle
2014-10-13, 09:23 PM
The Enforcers come in led by Joss. And keep coming. And keep coming until there's 20-some in the room, and the impression of more outside. They very politely allow us to finish our meal, then present earrings for Fred and Tywin, a ring for Kas, and an armband for me. Tywin super subtle 'Klaatu Veraata Neckties' an Identify; looks like they're clever fakes. We take the plunge and put them on...

And the campaign doesn't end right there, so it's okay! Yaaay! We still have to bluff the rest of the jackboots though. Kas' passes smoothly; it's a minor change for her honestly. She smiles a little, and that's all. Fred passes, and sighs happily. I roll a natural 20: A stupid grin pastes itself on my face, my head lolls back, and it's probably a good thing I'm sitting behind a table.

Tywin rolls a 1. Thankfully he roleplays it very well, demanding an itemized list of everything he needs to accomplish, in descending priority. A tense moment passes, then the Enforcers shrug a little. Not everyone reacts the same, after all. We are escorted to our own carriages: Tywin is off to the Artifice quarter (there's a disgustingly lawful argument over how quarter is no longer accurate, a sixteenth would be more precise), Fred is off to the Hippogriff Riders, I'm off to the Towers of Magic, and Kas is going with Joss to the Hexadecagon in the center of the city.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PUMCIn2swTU

After looking at stats, we all decide that instead of a normal hippogriff, Fred needs a Hippo-Griff. So we need a hippopotamus, an amorous dragon, Barry Manilow music, and a LOT of wine. Or if we can't find a dragon, a really desperate demon. FLYING HIPPO-FIEND GO!

So Frederick is given some bad news; he has to give up the full plate. Instead, he gets an adamantine breastplate with a permanent Feather fall effect. Downgrade, so we shall have to get the full plate back later...after being led through the stables, Fred comes across the Bastard. The Bastard is a hippogriff with bright tropical plumage, a jagged looking beak, and it apparently hates all living beings equally and with great fervor. So it's a bit of a surprise when it chirps softly at Fred, tromps forward, and shoves its head forward for scratches. The trainer is so stunned he assigns Fred to the Bastard on the spot.
*The Bastard is also an in-joke about one of the player's foul tempered pet bird, who's personality is much like how I already described, and is fueled by an unholy lust for junk food*
Fred's given some training time to familiarize himself with his new mount, but the saddle he is given binds Bastard's wings for now. As soon as he's alone though, Frederick snips the wing halters and soars off into the blue! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RbzLB1wTwfA
After some, "adjustments" Fred makes a surprising number of Ride checks despite not having ranks in it. Outside the city however, over the western forest (not the creepy mist part, before that), an arrow whizzes right in front of them. The Bastard squaws and dekes, and tosses Fred right off! He gently floats down, through the thick foliage, while Bastard circles overhead, unable to get through. As he lands, a cheery (vaguely British) voice politely asks that Fred leave all his equipment, and he can leave with his life. Fred scoffs, and the DM rolls a warning shot...and rolls a natural 1. An arrow clunks against Fred's chest, then clatters to the ground in the awkward embarrassed silence.
"Sorry about that, but you do really need to leave your arms and armor. I'm sure you can get more."
"Oh, I can get more. I can get you all a lot more, if you work with me." Fred smiles.
"I'm sorry, what?" The voice is a little confused. Fred sighs, plucks the earring out of his ear, waves it about, and then puts it back in. "Can we talk somewhere where my bird can land so someone doesn't notice? I have a proposition for you."

A cloaked hooded figure appears after Fred reaches a clearing and calls the Bastard down. When the figure is vague as to whether it's the leader of this band of possibly merry outlaws, Fred surges up right in the figure's face, snarling that he'd better be! The outlaw tumbles backward smoothly drawing two blades, then sheathes them after seeing Fred's open hands.
"I suppose I am. You can call me the Raven. Now how did you do that with the earring? Whenever we try that, the poor sod dies."
"Well, we'd have to know each other better, but I have half a dozen other people just like me. And we're looking for some assistance in taking this place down to the foundations." Fred also allows himself to be strip-searched to prove he's not wearing a hidden piece of clockwork.
"You want to - what, overthrow those bastards?"
"We want to burn them down."
The Raven is stunned. "I won't help you destroy Romanov, no, but my-the people need to be freed." Hmm, interesting slip. "Tell you what; you get my men more equipment, we build some trust, and then we'll talk."

Fred flies off after receiving a signal arrow to alert the Raven when he's back. Potential ally gained! When he's grilled over flying without permission after he returns, Fred just explains that the Bastard is ornery, and wouldn't calm down until his wings were freed. Then the bird just took off with him stuck on it. The trainers slowly nod and accept his (technically) true explanation.

Twyin is given a custom carriage to ride in, leading his wagons to his new workshop. He's given a massive workspace, tools, numerous assistants, personal quarters in the workspace (due to his legs), and a choice of small or large scale objects to work on. Gesturing at his wheelchair, Tywin takes the small object choice. He's given a mass order of 100 Glitterdust scrolls, and the minions start filing in with components and paper. When Tywin inquires about the energy (xp) required, he's given a collection of small purple gemstones. Using his magic sense and an Identify, Tywin is given an alarming sensation; confusion, chaos, combat, and then nothing. That's a soul, with just enough energy (xp) to create a scroll!

Well, there's our reason (as if we needed any more) to tear this entire place down brick by creepily precise brick.

Kas swings by on an "inspection" (strangely enough, the secret police don't get questioned that often), and they swap info. She also has Tywin check out an enchanted Kukri that she requisitioned...that somehow got into the inventory without any record...and has unknown abilities...and "called" to her.

I keep telling people about coincidences, but no one seems to listen. Someone with capital letters in their names and lots of scary titles is playing with us mere mortals. Twyin inspects the blade, the silver inlay, the hilt, and then focuses on the black and white pearl set into the hilt. And then he has to make a Will save, ha! Tywin passes, and is assaulted with strife, conflict, the struggle between life and death, law and chaos, smooth and crunchy. The colors of the pearl seem to be moving back and forth, incredibly slowly. Tywin has Kas touch the blade and channel her little trick. You know, tapping into the power of death and oblivion for Science! The colors swirl around one another rapidly, oil and water. Interesting...in a creepy pawn of death and destruction sort of way. Kas gets a letter from Tywin that the blade should stay with her, and requires more study from him. She then mentions that she's going to come visit me next, then Fred.

I am gently led to my carriage, where an overly enthusiastic gnome gushes about how wonderful his initiation was . I nod blissfully, and internally gag. I'm quizzed on my specialties, and once I tell them Conjuration, the gnome makes a little notation. Eventually we come to the Towers. There are 8 massive towers, and my new diminutive friend cheerfully exclaims that each has 10 floors.

Ugh. It's so organized I could go on a murderous rampage. Not yet though. Upon entrance, I am greeted by a matronly woman who seems very happy with my experience and knowledge. As a welcoming gift, she gives me free reign to transpose one spell from any of the towers, up to the third echelon of magic.

Urge to rampage...falling. At least until I'm done transcribing my new free spell. I pick up Dispel Magic, very happy to pick it up earlier than I originally planned. The next day after I'm done, Kas stops by to chat with me. After sharing relevant info, I decide to begin an important task.

Grilling Kas shamelessly for gossip and drama on the "vibe" I got between her and Joss. Hey, when you've been around humans for a century or so, you learn to spot those things, and take your entertainment where you can find it.

"He was my...mentor."
"And something more?" My eyebrows waggle. Her glare fails to drive me to a new topic.
"He's the best source of intelligence we have about this place, and he's come through so far." Kas leans back.
"I don't think we should trust him, though." Kas' glare very clearly expresses her opinion that I am both a moron, trying to teach her grandmother to suck eggs (disgusting human habit, never understood it), and also duuurrrr. I raise my hands, acknowledging defeat. I try a different angle. "Well, if you feel we can cautiously rely that he hasn't been subverted by clockwork, what about whoever he's working for with your Guild?"
"You mean my father?" Ooh, awkward. I play it smooth, simply saying yes. She considers it for a moment, mulling over the fact that I've asked if her father could have put a hit out on her. She replies that her father is quietly ambitious, and is always been big on appearances rather than actually being close to her. Sounds like a possibility.
"And if he does turn out to be working for whoever wants you dead, and turns?" I ask bluntly.
"I'll put the knife in myself. Won't be the first time I've cut him." Strangely enough, I believe she'll have no problems doing so. Note to self; invest in more Protection from stealthy stabbing spells.

Kas is assigned to Joss' squad, and designated as his errand girl and messenger. It's a perfect cover for wandering about the city (within reason). They first travel to the Hexadecagon, another ridiculously large building with massive fortifications. It's like a nest of ants inside, everyone bustling about with perfect purpose and direction.

*shudder*

Kas is introduced to Joss' captain, and explains her skills in Observation and Acquisition (finding people and stealing their stuff), Infiltration (sneaking up on people and getting away with said stuff), and Elimination (stabbing people a whole bunch until they die). The captain nods and agrees with Joss' request to add her to his squad, and tells him to take Kas to the Armory.

Wandering the Armory, Kas' eyes and hands are immediately drawn to a wickedly sharp kukri, with silver inlay and a curious looking pearl in the hilt...https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7sRnZWSLP5w
The clerk is quite flustered that the records on this weapon are incomplete, nearly having a fit, but Kas soothes him by promising to take it to an artificer to be examined and returning the findings. Kas finds Tywin, and has her talk with him. The next day she makes her goosestepping way over to the mage towers and visits me, our little exchange occurring. Later that night, Kas sneaks her way into Joss' quarters and waits for him. When Joss shows up, he's only mildly surprised that she's there. Idly playing with a knife, Kas opens with a friendly icebreaker.

"What's the most important info I need to know from you in case you were to die suddenly?" Joss laughs, but he doesn't turn his back on Kas. "What do you need to know, kitten?"
Resistance groups that are known of: There are necromancers in the north (ugh), scattered goblins and orcs in the southern swamps (eh), but the only one that is actually an organized threat is the Raven and his men to the west (hee hee).
What happens to dissidents? Dissonance, as Joss refers to them, are dealt with by initiation. There are no prisons. As for those who are resistant to initiation, well, the artificers need energy to create new items for the city. The remains are used to fertilize the forests.
Authority figures? Joss has been working on this a while, and has a list of titles/names:
The Trapper
The Toymaker
The Cannon
The Self-maker
The Armorer
The Father (Thiloff Flowalough)

And they all apparently answer to someone or something "On High." So, names to be added to my Demonomnomnomicon.

Kas expresses the urgent need to get her specialists (us) back together. Joss shakes his head, he just doesn't have the pull to feasibly do it without attracting too much attention. Kas' minions (Kas notes a little bit of jealousy towards Tywin) will just have to sit tight. She calls Joss on the jealousy, and he admits to a bit for the level of trust Kas seems to be showing.

"You don't understand though, Joss. We can't leave Frederick alone for too much longer."
"Why?"
"Last time he was left to his own devices, he started at a bar and ended causing a whole herd of cattle to stampede!"
"Oh gods, that was him?!"
"Yep, and the ONLY person he'll listen to is Tywin. The ONLY person." Joss is distressed, he'll see what he can do, but he really can't see how to pull this off. Kas is going to have to talk to Fred and keep him calm. Otherwise, she might have to remove a liability.

Easier said than done. :smallbiggrin:

So we have a cover, targets, and potential allies. All we need is to somehow join back up before someone slips up.

Averis Vol
2014-10-14, 01:49 AM
I like fredrick, he's a good murder machine :smallbiggrin: Really interesting session, I'm lookin forward to learning a bit more about the city, and I get think I know how The Raven is gonna fit in, the slip up kinda gives it away :smalltongue:

Excellent read, keep em comin!

Picanet
2014-10-27, 06:29 PM
Write! Write! Write!

curious-puzzle
2014-10-29, 01:09 AM
Yeah, yeah, blame the new Borderlands.

I also tried for the life of me to find the music from the newsflash-style recaps on Legend of Korra, but my net-fu was too weak. So we'll have to use our imaginations and read this in a dramatic pulpy radio announcer voice:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YMK8zv0q6Os
When we last left our intrepid adventurers, they had been separated and sent to different sections of the dreaded city of Cassandra! Unable to rely on each other for backup, they must maintain their cover and avoid a fate worse than death!

Tywin keeps working away at his Glitterdust requisitions, gaining a new assistant: it's Grass Clippings! He's not dead or brainwashed! Yaay! At least for now...
There's suddenly heavy, methodical footsteps echoing down the whole street. And they're getting closer....
Thud
Thud
Thud
THUD
A bizarre group strides into Tywin's workshop; a dwarf, who looks partially mechanical, a homunculus, and a massive iron golem. They all make no bones about studying Tywin (including the golem somehow). The dwarf speaks up.
"So ye're Tywin?" *Since all Dwarves have a mult-universal contractual obligation to sound vaguely Scottish :)*
"I am. How might I help you?" Tywin surreptitiously shoos Grass Clippings away; this group seems more than a tad dangerous.
"We had heard the latest Maker te join oos was a mite...unusual, and we wanted to come see for ourselvesl."
"Most unusual, yes." The homunculus pipes up, flitting off the golem's shoulder. "I say, won't you need that part your assistant is leaving with?"
Tywin ignores the homunculus and speaks to the master. "Not till later. I assume by unusual, you were referring to my "condition?" He gestures to his legs.
"Aye, not sumthing ye see every day." Okay, enough of that, he speaks with a Scottish accent. "The stories we had heard of your journey here interested us just as much. You seem to be quite the accomplished adventurer, especially given your state."
"Speaking of that, we can help with that. There's no reason for you to still be sitting in that chair." The homunculus settles back on the golem's shoulder. Tywin looks at the dwarf again, and as he's about to reply, the homunculus cuts in. "My eyes are up here, you know."

Uh oh. Tywin twigs back to what the dwarf said: "we." He looks at all 3 again, and the golem has snagged a piece of chalk and carefully drawn rudimentary eyes and a smirk on the featureless plane that serves as a face. Realizing he's facing most likely 3 members of the ominous council that was discussed last time, Tywin stifles his skyrocketing heartbeat. "How might you help me?"

"How about we discuss that over dinner? Say, this evening? We'll send someone to pick you up at 5th bell."

"I look forward to it." And with that, the three tromp/stomp/flutter their way out. Tywin sits for a long few moments, trying to steady himself as the adrenaline slowly fades. Grass Clippings comes back a bit later, and Tywin explains that he needs to get to Kas and explain what's happened, and then get himself somewhere less under watch by the Council. Grass Clippings finds this quite agreeable and vanishes (he's getting better at that). The day passes quickly, and at exactly 5th bell a flying palanquin settles outside Tywin's shop, and he ascends into the sky. There's a lot of jokes about how high up he's going to go, and if it'll be high enough in order to infuse feather fall onto himself in time (it's not, but it's high enough that the DM might just say, "you're pancake. Dead pancake"). These airship/zeppelins are MASSIVE, and the trip onto and through one is long enough that Tywin stealthily infuses levitate into his chair. Finally, after going by what looks like a control station with three pilots, he arrives at a large table with six people at it already; a mix of human, gnome, dwarf, and one halfling. There's a gnome at the head of the table who greets Tywin, and gestures for him to roll up to an open setting (thoughtfully at his height). He introduces himself as Thiloff Flowalough. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xmTDAVTVLa0
What follows is a delightfully tense (at least on one side) dinner, with this most likely incredibly dangerous gnome casually grilling Tywin on his exploits, indulging counter-questions about what's happened in Romanov, and Tywin doing his absolute best to not break cover. Tywin wows this group of spellcasters/artificers/magical craftspeople with the tale of the siege especially; the halfling practically has to be physically restrained before she calms down about the trebuchet. Then the topic turns to "improving" Tywin's cirppled legs, and the table (less Thiloff) all break down into bickering, arguing, and squabbling over who's theory and style is superior. Shoving your consciousness into a construct, thought controlled siege armor, flat-out chopping them off and replacing them with steel legs. This goes on for a few minutes, until Thiloff scolds the rest of the table for ignoring their guest. Everyone shuts up as soon as Thiloff speaks up (the halfling gets a cuff in the side of the head though). Tywin deftly avoids committing to any of the suggested plans, and thanks them all for their ideas. Instead, he gets them to agree to send him some more research on several of the options, thus putting off a potential date with a maniacal artificer and several sharp blades.
Now, Tywin is very firmly Neutral, and feels that too much of any of the other alignments lead to bad news. So when Thiloff assures him that the council's (and his) mission will ensure that Order has a permanent grasp on this world, snuffing chaos out entirely, he gets the super heebie jeebies. He keeps it together for the rest of the dinner, though, and Thiloff eventually bids him good night and jumps out a window.

...Wait, what? The rest of the group rolls their eyes, mentioning that he's probably a bird of some sort right now...druid baddie, time to be paranoid of all animals and plants. Tywin is flown back down to his workshop (and sleeping quarters), and takes a LONG time to settle enough to sleep. Good news: not exposed or dead. Bad news: several of the council members are interested in him, and may or may not be checking in.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Noudjnk7so
Fred has the face of a saint. When he tells his CO that he's ready to fly the Bastard out on patrol with some other soldiers, they just go along with it and send some shmucks out with him. He promptly leads the patrol to the section of forest where he met the Raven, and nonchalantly fires of the signal arrow the Raven gave him.

"What was that?" Asks one of Fred's squadmates.
"What?"
"I said, what wa-"BALLISTA BOLT AMBUSH!

The other birds promptly panic and buck their riders except Fred and one other. Fred "accidentally" swings his bird into that one by pretending to lose control, and boots him off his bird. He then flies after the (feather)falling squadmates, just not getting quuiiittee close enough to grab them before they slip into the forest. He yells that he's going to land at a neaby clearing and try to help. What Fred instead does is land, get chummy and joke with the Raven some, then gives him his gear too. Then Fred tells the Raven to punch him for authenticity. Strangely enough, the Raven isn't overly reluctant, and flattens Fred with a 12hp nonlethal punch. Stripped of their gear and dignity, the squad limps/flies back to home base, and Fred complains loud and long about how something should be done about that rascally Raven. His squad captain agrees, and says he's going to push an idea up the chain...

Keep a low profile, you say? Operation: Give Tywin and Kas ulcers is a go!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DkSGmlbNyhI
After transcribing my spell, I'm given a research project that some of the other acolytes (yeah, they full on say acolytes. Party of creeped out, your table is ready...) have been not having any luck with. It looks like they're researching ways of summoning powerful elementals and then binding them into various objects forcefully in order to use their powers at will. I'm given dispensation to wander the research wings as I see fit, and told to focus as much as I can on this task.

So I naturally crank the Spellcraft roll (plus I have a pretty high spellcraft for level 5), and figure out what they've been doing wrong within the first few hours. I then proceed to use the next 3 days or so (while everyone else is bustling about doublecrossing squadmates, freaking out about the council, or freaking out in general) to cheerfully goof around and transcribe a couple new spells into my spellbook.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qfcEHOrhJmQ

However, while I'm working/goofing around in the libraries, I find a thin book bound in black scales in the middle of a bunch of matching red tomes. Curious, I snag it, and read the title: The Vital Pact. Intrigued, I flip through it and am enraptured with the mysterious content within...enough so that I almost don't notice the fact that there's no longer a space where I pulled the book from, like it was never really there. I smuggle that particular tome into my personal collection. Guess what I'm taking next level :smallbiggrin:?


I turn in my findings and solution after that, but with a minor twist; I leave a couple wards and equations out, which means if they perform the binding, it'll work...for a while. Then the binding will flex, weaken, and break. Preferably at a very important moment. I impress the higher-ups I hand it in to, they weren't expecting anything for at least a few days more, and certainly not a potential solution.

Kas is awakened by Joss banging on her door. She blearily shuffles over and opens her door to Joss having a panic attack over Fred's escapades. Not only has he managed to tame a bird that no one else could even go near, he's encountered the Raven, gotten a whole squad's gear stolen by said Raven, he's now talking about how he wants to go after the Raven and take him out for good!
"He's going to blow. Our. Cover!!!" Hisses Joss once his rant is over. Kas just smirks and reminds him that this was what she meant when she said Fred couldn't be alone. Joss demands that Kas take care of it...one way or another.

Side note, we calculate how much damage Kas can do with two-weapon sneak attack and her death devotion, and possibly some good poison. It would require the planets aligning to make all of her dice explode for her to kill Fred in one round. And we know what Fred can do to someone in a round...

So instead Kas goes and has a "chat" with Fred. And by chat I mean she tries to convince Fred to do nothing out of the ordinary and be a good little soldier so he doesn't attract attention, while Fred obfuscates, ignores, and trolls Kas until she nearly stabs him anyways.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YEwlW5sHQ4Q
Kas goes off to try and talk to Tywin; maybe he'll have had an easier last while, and might be able to help with Fred. Fred, meanwhile, continues to talk to his commanding officer about how a small, skilled team could sneak into the forest and eliminate the Raven. It would take some people he had worked with previously, however...

curious-puzzle
2014-10-30, 10:07 PM
Kas makes it to Tywin (this is after his council meeting and after Kas' failure to convince Fred of anything) and they compare who's had the worst day. Meanwhile, Fred and I each kick back and reeeelllaaaxx. They share info, and acknowledge that there's really little to nothing Tywin can do if the Council actually takes an intense interest in him, other than making a LOT of Explosive Runes and hoping for the best while everyone else books it. On the Fred front, however, Tywin can do something. He grabs a scroll of Sending, and buffs himself up with infusions. He needs a UMD roll of 17 to pull this off. First attempt?

Critical failure. Backlash damage? Max.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ytCEuuW2_A
Failure. Failure. Another critical failure, with the backlash damage of 11. Failure. The only other time Tywin has taken this much damage was at the hands of that Orc Captain...

And finally, with one of his last infusions, Tywin pulls it off, and fires a stern sending off. Of course, it catches Fred in the privy. Tywin tells Fred to keep a low profile, and not draw attention to himself. Fred responds that he has everything under control, and not to worry.

I can't understand why Kas and Tywin keep getting these big throbbing veins in their forehead...

The next morning, Kas is roused from her slumber at an even earlier hour by Joss trying to turn her door to splinters. Not only has Fred not kept a low profile, his idea to take out the Raven with a strike force has tweaked enough ears high enough up that they're going to go ahead with it! And Joss is summoned Upstairs! By upstairs, I mean the council in their Zeppelin of Doom. Joss is losing his mind, and we're starting to wonder if he's lost his nerve after being alone so long. However, Joss did manage to suggest that the Enforcers send someone along, and that someone will be Kas. Joss has also heard that there will be a mage sent along as well, to retrieve some magical items that are rumored to be in a ruined estate that may or may not be the Raven's home base. I wonder who that could be...?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wyz_2DEah4oYep, since we've all been impressive, and reports of us fighting off that orc horde have trickled through the city, our group has been reunited and tasked with several objectives.
1)Make it to a ruined manor/estate deep in the forest/swamps, and retrieve whatever magical items we can find, in particular there should be a powerful object designed to contain spirits and magical energy, with a necromantic theme. Kas and I are co-leaders for this main mission
2)If we happen to run into the Raven and his soldiers, we are to take care of them. Permanently. Fred (along with 4 footsloggers) are ostensibly in charge of this...poor Fred, he thought he was going to be the whole mission leader. He turns to issue orders, and the three of us (Kas, myself, and Tywin) are already heading out. Also, Anton and Boyd aren't dead/enslaved! Yaaaay! They're Tywin's NPC meatshields/chairpushers, if you forgot.

It takes a few days, but we make it out yet again to Fred's favorite ambush spot, aaaannndd surprise, we get ambushed. Well, our soldiers get ambushed, Kas sneaks around the whole ambush and prepares to counter ambush them. We are thoroughly unimpressed with the Raven's claim that we're surrounded (nope) by 40 archers (15, tops). After the soldiers are knocked out, Kas appears and scares the pants off the Raven's men. Tywin and I prep our stuff, and we pull the rings off the soldiers one by one, buffing and healing them as much as we can. Two make it, two don't. Tywin refuses to accept this, and manages to make two Reincarnate infusions. One comes back as a gnome (used to be human), and the other comes back as a human. We even get their genders right! The Raven is extra impressed by his efforts, and after the men call him, "My Lord," hits us with several pounds of exposition.

Turns out the Raven is an elf, and used to be the Lord Marshall of Romanov. He explains that Thiloff used to be a druidic advisor for the King, but he changed dramatically after travelling the different Planes of existence. Slowly but surely, people in authority were persuaded (in various ways) or disappeared until Thiloff's faction held a ridiculous amount of power. Finally, the King's Gift was given out; the clockwork jewelry. The King was never seen after that. The Raven has managed to gather everyone who hadn't put the jewelry on, and tried to make himself a thorn in Thiloff's side. Also, the Raven is the only known person to throw off the influence of a ring and not die. On a possibly related note, he's a devout worshiper of Kord. We make some arrangements for two of the soldiers to stay with the Raven, and two we wil have to find some more fake rings for (at least to last long enough that they can slip away later). There's two other bits of info we learn:

1)There's a group of druids off to the east that have stayed neutral and unaligned by messily dismembering/sacrificing/eating anyone who bothers them. This is also the druidic group Thiloff used to belong to, aaaannndd happens to be a large contingent of Fred's family.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bW7Op86ox9g
They didn't part of friendly terms. Or any terms other than, "DDDIIIIEEE!" unfortunately. So we'll put them down as a "maybe" in the allies/source of info/resources category.

2)The manor we're supposed to be finding and looting belonged to a very powerful and very unfriendly necromancer, who had escaped the King's Gift by living in an ominous forest/swamp and being a very unfriendly and angry necromancer. The Raven just let rumors slip that his base of operations was there, and the city of Cassandra firebombed the whole place. Since then, it's full of undead and magical traps, and no one goes there, and the former master of the house hasn't been seen. So the most likely undead necromancer will have lots of reason to hate both the people we're pretending to work for, and the people we're actually helping, and we're going to try and steal his stuff.

This is going to be awesome!

This last session was very very long and absolutely chock full of plot and exposition. This is a pretty short and dirty summary, I'm certain I'm missing some stuff. Sorry for taking so long to punch it out!

Jeargroth
2014-11-01, 10:01 PM
Ya got most of it... just wish somebody instead of being all worried he was going to die would have asked some names at the dinner table... may have been very "Enlightening"

Jeargroth
the GM who hasn't killed his party yet.
Bladebeard

Picanet
2014-11-02, 01:26 AM
Enlightenment in the sense of Jeargoth gets to try his OP artificer prestige classes at us one at a time? I've read those classes man - they're terrifying. I fear for our souls... except for Kas... that would imply she had one to begin with lol.

I'm still considering a cleric dip so I can use my death devotion more than once a day lol.

And one day, maybe, Kas will stop flubbing her intelligence checks. Fingers crossed.

Seruvius
2014-11-07, 05:37 PM
Loving the story so far. Great use of the uncanny and similar to make Romanov seem slightly off, and especially the whole dream sequence, love it.

curious-puzzle
2014-11-09, 02:00 PM
Thanks, Seruvius, glad you're enjoying it! Alas, there was no game last night due to me having been stricken with the most pernicious and foulest of illnesses:

the dreaded Man Cold. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VbmbMSrsZVQ

The DM was ill too, so we just decided to not spread the infection around.

Sandwich Party
2014-11-10, 12:56 PM
A very good campaign so far. I've enjoyed reading about it :smallsmile:
It has interesting characters, action, mystery, and good comedy. Can't wait to find out what happens next

curious-puzzle
2014-11-11, 08:35 PM
Thankee kindly! As for what's next, I'm thinking terrible monsters, undying juggernauts, sadistic killers, and then there'll be all the undead creatures we have to fight :smalltongue:

curious-puzzle
2014-11-20, 11:23 PM
Looking forward to playing on the weekend, especially with last session being cancelled. In the meantime, a question for those who have been enjoying our rambling shenanigans: Who do you think will die first, possibly becoming an undead horror bent on revenge against his/her still breathing compatriots?

Picanet
2014-11-23, 03:19 PM
Well we only almost died three times last night. Once Tywin gets that leadership feat I vote one of his minions is a damn cleric. Fml!

curious-puzzle
2014-11-23, 06:53 PM
Pssh, like any reputable god would associate with us :smallbiggrin:.

So, dungeon crawl edition!

We stock up on dungeon supplies from the Raven (seeing as how Tywin just brought two of his men back to life AND we freed them from slavery, he's more than willing to re-supply us) such as food, water, rope. We drift off topic onto the backup plan of destabilizing the economy with ladders and 10 ft poles, unfortunately the Raven has neither. We then set off with two of his rangers to guide us swiftly to the ruins.

The 4/5 day journey is uneventful, and slow seeing as how one of our members is in a wheelchair. He endures the bumps and jolts, and we endure the greatly reduced pace. We skirt wide around signs of an owlbear, not wanting to fight a wizard's angry/silly after-school project. Finally, we stop about an hour away from the ruins and make camp one more time. The rangers will hang around here a few days, but if we're not back by then they're not coming in after us. Just to assure us we're in the right place, there is absolutely no wildlife noise at all, and the rangers find the corpse of a deer that's been ripped to pieces without being eaten at all.

Tywin and I suspect that Kas may be affected by the proximity to necromantic magic, and we're proven right. She tosses and turns for hours, feeling like she can constantly hear indistinct voices arguing inside her skull. Protection from Evil does nothing...(dun dun dun), a potion of sleep lets her go down long enough to get a full night's rest at least. With spells prepped and spirits high, we set out for the manor.

When they say they razed the manor, they aren't kidding. There is nothing but rubble, and there are no trees taller than a few feet within hundreds of feet of the ruins. Using knowledge (architecture) we wander over to a logical place for a cellar/basement entrance and find a large hole in the ground with cracked (but cleaned of rubble) steps leading down. Kas sneaks down and finds a narrow hallway (single file only time folks). We manage to get down the stairs with no-one slipping, including Fred deadlifting Tywin and his chair and carrying them down. Eventually we come to a solid wood..no stone...wait, rickety wood...wait.

It's not a magical shifting door, the DM was just looking at the wrong part of his dungeon notes. It's a very solid wooden door, and is stuck shut. Thankfully we have the universal key of Two-handed weapon+power attack+Mountain Hammer. In a couple (noisy) moments, there is no more door, and we can hear loud hissing. Hissing from the occupant of this room, which turns out to be a copper dragon wyrmling. I greet him in Draconic, and all he (I'm guessing at the he), hisses back is, "Mine!" I assure him we're not here to take the chest he's sitting in. The wyrmling glares around the room and hisses "Mine!" again. Nor are we going to steal your room, we're just passing through. The wyrmling looks at my gear and hopefully hisses, "Mine?" Now he's just being greedy. He demands 100g a head to pass through his room. I roll my eyes at the ridiculous opening bid, and Tywin slowly wheels into the room at the sounds of negotiation...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qhGilSRT7yU
The wyrmling blinks, perhaps sensing how out of his depth he is. Tywin proceeds to bargain the wyrmling down to him owing the dragon a favor in the future (the DM had alluded in the beginning of the campaign that we might find places to make bases of operations, and if this is an option, a copper dragon ally could be handy). We pass through the room, and I trade some truly horrible jokes in exchange for some more tidbits of info from the dragon (who calls himself Bronze. Yeah, a copper dragon going by the name Bronze). The dragon has not seen anything like the magic receptacle we're looking for, hasn't seen the former(?) master of the manor at all, and never goes below the 2nd level of the complex. We continue on our way, Fred leading the way in his mighty armor (since we hadn't encountered any traps). He boots open another door after winding down some more hallways, and finds a room with some hideous looking corpses...which spring up from the ground and start snarling and slavering at him. Ghouls!

The rest of us are all behind Fred in the hallway, so it's a good thing he spikes his initiative and goes first. He steps into the room and wallops one of the ghouls. Said ghouls (there are 5) are going next however and pile in towards Fred...and bounce off his AC except for one tiny attack, and Fred makes his fort save with ease. I'm up next and peek into the room, do some space math, and fire a web into the middle of the room to stop just short of Fred, catching every ghoul except one. Only one fails the save, but the back two ghouls are pretty much out of the fight until we want to deal with them. Tywin and Kas prepare for a chance to help out, and fail listen and spot checks (that's not ominous at all). Fred mashes the one free ghoul, and steps back to block the doorway. The two closer ghouls manage to wriggle out of the webbing and that's about all they get to do. I take a pot shot at a ghoul back in the webbing and manage to ping him for a few points of damage.

And here is the point when three more ghouls coming rushing up the hallway behind us and try their best to eat Kas (single file hallway at least means one ghoul at a time though). The first attack misses, thankfully, but Kas really can't do much to the undead with her kukris. Tywin pulls out his hammersphere, ready to use it on whichever side needs it more. Fred sends another ghoul back to the afterlife, but misses with his cleave. The one remaining ghoul in melee with Fred rolls below 5 on every attack. The one in melee with Kas, however...hits all three times, drops her to critical health levels, and both paralyzes her and infects her with ghoul fever. Uh oh...Tywin activates his hammersphere however, and it absolutely pulverizes the ghoulie! Fred withdraws from the room to rush by all of us and plant himself in front of the paralyzed and bleeding Kas where the hammersquished ghoul used to be (yay moving through friendly squares). I burn a summon monster III and poof in 2 fiendish wolves, and over the next couple rounds, they pull down and dismember the free ghoul, I snipe the one ghoul to death with my crossbow, and the remaining one I hit with lesser orb of fires until it burns to death from both the orbs and the highly flammable webbing. The combination of Fred and the hammersphere plow through the remaining two ghouls, we heal Kas and Fred up, and loot the room. Apparently these ghouls liked shinies, cause we find a ludicrous amount of gold, silver, and various jewels. With a quiet cheer, we continue onwards!

We encounter some zombies in another room (behind a stone door that opens to the universal key), but there's only 3 or 4 and they're barely even a speed bump as Tywin put undead bane on Fred's falchion and a mace for Kas. So we march down the hallway...with Fred still in front.

Oops. Admiring some skeletons chained to the walls (which my genre sense screams will animate and grab at us) Fred walks right into a scytheblade trap. Which crits for 72(!) points of damage, dropping Fred to -6 (and he'll be -16 in a few seconds when his damage pool empties). Agh! I drag him backwards and frantically burn all 3 charges of my healing belt, healing his pool and putting him at 6 hp instead. A bunch of lesser vigor charges later, Fred's back to full health and Kas sidles in front.

We spend the next lengths of hallways, archways, and rooms at a turtle pace, checking EVERYTHING for traps while the DM giggles himself into coughing fits. Coming to a solid stone door, Kas has to use her ring's 1/day knock ability. Finally, we come to an elaborate archway that should lead to the stairs down (we know because one of the paths looped us back to Bronze, who gave us a map of the first level in thanks for murdering the nest of ghouls). Kas only gets a search total of 19, and receives a "you think there aren't any traps." She looks at Fred and tells him to go ahead, it should be safe. Somewhat miffed at the last unfound trap that nearly decapitated him, Fred counters that Kas should go first. They go back and forth a bit while Tywin and I wait impatiently and I passive-aggressively suggest maybe someone should check the bloody room. Fred punctuates his adherence to chivalry...by shoving Kas into the room. Which triggers the scythe trap and hits Kas for 15 dmg, not a critical at least.

Oooohh boy. Fred marches through as Kas refuses to disarm it until he crosses and takes 15 dmg or so, then Kas disarms the trap and Tywin and I file in. The session ends there as it's getting late and the roads aren't in particularly good condition. Next session will start with a "discussion" between Kas (the stab-happy murderous LE rogue who just got pushed into a trap), Fred (the heavily armed and armored beast who's angry about a trap nearly killing him), and Tywin (Fred's "boss").

If they all murder each other, I'm looting the bodies and going somewhere tropical, with less mind control.

And we ding to level 6! I figure out the writing in the Vital Pact and take my first level of Malconvoker, with Demon Mastery as my 6th lvl feat. Tywin takes a level of barbarian (snrk), and if you believe that I have a special deal for you (he takes another artificer level). Kas goes with another rogue level (and I'm unsure on the feat). Fred is still hemming and hawing over another crusader level, or a dip into Warblade. The DM says there's at least a couple more sessions worth of dungeon, which I'm looking forward to.

As long as the party doesn't just become engulfed in a murdersplosion next session...

Jeargroth
2014-11-25, 01:58 PM
I almost died laughing, coughing fit aiding said killing, when Fred shoved Kas through the door. I was hoping for another crit on the Scyth trap... Just to see someone have to be reincarnated... However to no avail was not to be. I can inform our readers that there is plenty of dungeon to go. And that this was just a preview of what is to come... High risk comes with high reward and I am happy to say we will probably have at least one character death soon. I was so close to notching another, but thwarted by the crusaders damage pool.

Fear not readers, I will keep trying. I would however like nominations on who we need to put the sword of Damocles over.

I am GM and I approve this thread.

Blackhawk748
2014-11-25, 08:00 PM
I am LOVING this insane party. The dialogue reminds me of a buddies Ranger and my OA Samurai..... ah good times. Oh and Jeargoth, if its ok i am SO stealing this entire concept and running my players through it as "Fantasy MI6"

curious-puzzle
2014-11-25, 10:05 PM
I am happy to say we will probably have at least one character death soon.

http://www.quickmeme.com/img/e0/e09a9cb80e3e3087d1a84b6762a5f475e5404b6d915185e7da 6775ec8cc63210.jpg

Picanet
2014-11-27, 04:03 PM
^.^ See above lol. You know it's going to be interesting when your GM says to let him know how you plan to murder another Character. I love the moral range of this party.

Jeargroth
2014-11-30, 08:02 PM
If your thinking of running it pm me I will give you the entire run down.

curious-puzzle
2014-12-06, 02:27 PM
No game tonight, I'm sad to say. With the holiday season coming up right away as well, I'm not sure how many games will be happening till Mid Jan (since a certain two players are getting married and going on a honeymoon beginning of next month), but we will certainly try. In the meantime, I challenge Jeargroth to slap on extra bits of info about his Big Brother State. I'll probably be doing a "mid-season" theme song upgrade for everyone too (cause I have an unhealthy fascination with that sort of thing).

Picanet
2014-12-10, 10:09 AM
There's a certain humour to the image of Fred and Kas getting married.
"To have and to choke hold, in suspicious illness and in fleeting health - till one of you snaps and unto death you depart?"

Oh dear.... XD

Jeargroth
2014-12-19, 04:11 PM
My money is on Kas... in Game and in Real life... her aim is hella deadly especially when someones family jewels are involved.

I am still busy working on a new game system so there will be no addon's to the Clockwork country till they are required... other than... Swamps south, Mountains East, heavy Forest West and North. Monarchy till the Great movement, 50% gnomish population rest a scattering of others.

Jeargroth

curious-puzzle
2014-12-20, 04:58 AM
Boo! Dishonor on you! Dishonor on your cow! :P

So the next time we play this game will unfortunately be on January 24th at the earliest, due to the before mentioned holidays/wedding/honeymoon. I'm going to harass the peoples who are around to slap on little tidbits of backstory, character interaction, or schtuff like that (or harass them into giving me ideas to do so). Hope it's at least slightly interesting!

On the long, numerous days of travel, and the (blessedly) quiet evenings that weren't filled with orc hordes, the group of adventurers often found themselves playing one sort of game of chance or another, and trading stories. From dice while Fred shamelessly exaggerated the scale of a tavern brawl (and Tywin mercilessly corrected him), to Carousel Hazard while Kas shared the morbid details of a second-story job turned ugly, the time passed. In between the liberal interpretation of events, heroic stories, and outright lies though, little bits of truth slipped through. With these little bits of knowledge, the group worked a little smoother, a little more relaxed. One thing that raised everyone's curiosity, however, was Haearnbydd's evasion of any questions of what he did before this job. The elf would speak liberally about his travels as a youth (hard to tell an elf's age, even for other elves), and the various places he had been, but any questions about the previous few years would be smoothly sidestepped or ignored.
Then there were all the little mentions, how the roll of the tides compared to the rock of a wagon. How stretching a rope for setting tents was much easier than tying sails, and how every last bloody tree looked the same, worse than waves. One evening during a game of cards, Kas decided to get some answers.

"Allright, no sneaking off. What did you do before this job? Were you a sailor?" Raising an eyebrow at the direct approach, Haearn responded.

"Well, that depends. Are you a member of Ishtock's Royal Navy, or in any way associated with the port authorities of Stone Harbor, Roundport, or Liar's Cove?" Confused, Kas shook her head no. "Well, in that case, I was a pirate for a few years. Great fun."

curious-puzzle
2015-01-13, 10:42 PM
We're not dead!We've just been sleeping...

The long hiatus is almost over, the return game should be in either 2 or three weeks, depending on which game starts first (most of us are in this game every 2nd saturday and another every 2nd sunday, alternating). I hope our madness will still be entertaining once it starts up again. In the meantime, here are those theme songs that I was rambling about!

Party theme: Still the most fitting so far, No place for a hero (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vhwDxNqWtxk)

Haearnbydd: I'm only joking by the Kongos - Explicit (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VICVEz4p-N8)

Kas: If I had a heart by Fever Ray (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RTnknFhp4Is)

Fred: I don't Care by Fallout boy - Slightly NSFW (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Alh6iIvVN9o)

Tywin:Weird Science by the great Oingo Boingo (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jm-upHSP9KU)

I'm quite excited for starting up again :). Now as to whether Kas will forgive Fred, seeing as how their players have been on a tropical honeymoon together?

...it's going to get bloody :smallyuk:

curious-puzzle
2015-02-01, 03:34 PM
And here we go!

The tense standoff is resolved with very little tension, actually. We return to our friendly dragon's room and camp out, and Kas just very pointedly lets Tywin deal with Fred (with the unspoken threat that she'll deal with him another way if Tywin can't). There's not that much scolding, but I'm sure more will come later.

We venture forth the next morning, and after I've finished prepping my spells, Bronze mentions that he's smelled green dragon at the entrances to the lower level before. I look at the two non-summoning offensive spells I've prepped: lesser orb of acid and acid breath. Well, here's hoping we don't run into a green dragon right away.

This next level is creepier. It's regularly lit with wispy witchlights, making the whole place dimly illuminated, and the stone is much smoother. The halls are 10ft across now, and there's a lot more traps. Kas finds several with her freshly raised search and takes care of them. In proper burglar fashion, she sneaks ahead and checks the open room down the hall and around the corner, and notices that it's full of 9 ghouls. Luckily they don't notice her, and she sneaks back. Tywin buffs Fred's strength and hands him a flask of alchemist's fire, and then Fred and I advance while Kas and Tywin stay back in case there's ghouls waiting in the flanks like last time. Initiative!

Kas and Tywin do nothing. I draw my wand and shuffle behind Fred. Fred proceeds to the doorway and clangs his shield and armor together, calling the ghouls to dinner. They all rush the door, and the two that can reach Fred scratch impotently at his armor. Fred then willing provokes attacks of opportunity (which deal piddly damage and no disease/paralysis) so he can lob the alchemist's fire right into the middle of the ghoul squad, lighting a bunch of them on fire. and draws his scimitar. Feeling like showing off, I then step up and let out a spell I haven't used yet: Acid breath. As the ghouls are politely all crammed together for me, I hit 6 of the 9. Half of them fail their reflex and outright melt, and the other three take a good chunk of damage from my magical acid reflux. Fred goes to town and kills two more ghoulies. Ghoul's turn! Two burn to (re)death, and the remaining two bounce off Fred and take a small chunk out of me. I shuffle behind Fred, and he finishes the two off. We make out like bandits again looting the various filth piles and leavings (eew), finding a bunch of gold, a bag of gems, a couple potions, and a wand. Continuing on, Kas keeps her disarming streak (and us) alive and well, and we come across a locked wooden door. Failing to pick it, we let Fred use his key, and with a mighty SMASH the door is reduced to sad splinters.

Inside the room is a wraith.

Uh oh (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WmWNEXZzxdw)

We all hastily try to demolish the wraith before it can touch anyone. The GM mercifully rewards us for some creativity, as Kas lobs a potion of cure light wounds that makes it past incorporeal miss chance for some damage, and I summon two celestial badgers who SMITE EVIL. One whiffs right through the miss chance, and the second hits for a mighty 4 pts. Go badgers! Except now they can't touch the wraith...
Fred surges forward, and promptly smashes the floor as he misses. Tywin activates his hammersphere, and wallops the wraith for a big hit. Then the wraith goes.

The GM rolls for the target of its ire, and lands on me. With a horror-movie shudder-flicker, the wraith sails through Fred (who actually lands an attack of opportunity for a lot of damage!) and slaps a hand on my shoulder. I fail my save like a boss and take 4 points of constitution drain.
Funny thing though, because of Fairie Mysteries Initiate, I don't lose any hit points :smallcool: but my Fort save is in the negatives now :smalleek:

In retaliation, I pull off my healing belt trick again, jamming my hand into the middle of the wraith and burning all my charges, exploding the wraith into a cloud of creepy dust. The smell of the wraith dust reminds Kas of home, and she takes a small taste. That's super creepyperfectly natural, right? I snatch the dust up into a bag, partially for spell components and partially to keep it away from little Ms Lector. Oh, and the voices start up in her head again.

There's a solid stone door in the one corner that Kas tries and fails to pick. Fred steps up and HEAVES with a strength check.

Fail.

Try again, this time pulling instead of pushing. HEAVE!

Fail. Tywin makes a knowledge (architecture) roll and realizes that it's a false door, and solid stone. Buuuutt he just tells Fred to keep trying in revenge for being such a pain in the ass, and Fred nearly strokes out straining at the stone before we move on.

Kas scouts on ahead, finds a gang of zombies milling about as zombies do. Setting a trap, she soaks a long stretch of the hallway with a bunch of oil, then wolf whistles to get the undead pack's attention. Once they stagger their way into the killzone, it's barbecue time! The few that make it through the flames get cut down swiftly. Pressing forward, we find a room with an alter dedicated to EEEVVIIILLL and a strange statue of a man that radiates divination magic. Feeling mildly paranoid, I tie a handkerchief around the statue's eyes, which irritably asks me to take the blindfold off. I apologize and pull it o-wait a minute.

Turns out the statue is a partially completed experiment of the necromancer master of this dungeon. Partially complete in that he's partially sentient and aware, and knew he was supposed to be part of something involving the altar, but doesn't know how. The statue hasn't seen the Master in who knows how long, or anything else for that matter, is painfully lonely, and overly thrilled to have people to talk to. It happily points out the secret door in this room, and answers our questions eagerly. The statue also warns us that the deeper you go into the dungeon, the weirder it gets, as the Master went slowly crazier and crazier as the complex was built. It seems we've found a strange ally in this place!

Except none of us trust this magical masonry equivalent of Clippy, so Tywin uses his Artificer abilities to magically euthanize it. Satisfied with a job well done, we wander deeper into the dungeon! And find a succession of empty rooms, trapped empty rooms, and multiple fake stone doors. Finally, Kas finds a wooden door and oh so quietly opens it to find another wraith, and oh so quietly closes the door and creeps back. Tywin infuses Fred's falchion with Ghost touch, and we go for wraith fight round 2!

Which goes a lot more smoothly than the last, as Fred absolutely lays into the wraith, and makes both his forts saves against con drain. I miss with a couple lesser orbs of fire, and then Fred puts the wraith down with Mountain Hammer. I scoop up the dust quickly as Kas is eyeing it with an expression of not-quite hunger/longing, and notice that the first bag has been picked from my pocket. Apparently the voices told her to...I convince Kas to give me the bag as it's affecting her judgement (plus it's weird) despite the voices insisting that the dust makes her "closer to them."

So bloody creepy.

And Tywin's player is wiped from work, so we call it a night there. The dungeon delve continues in two weeks, as we're back to our regular schedule now!

Picanet
2015-02-01, 07:33 PM
Omm Nom Nom wraith dust <3

The map to this dugeon is a nightmare. It makes no sense Lol. This 'master' is a ****. A crazy ass necromancer with apparently nothing better to do than make creepy dungeons and trap empty rooms.

Yay Xps though?

oshi
2015-02-02, 09:44 AM
Thanks, really enjoying this so far :D.
Thought you should know: On the first page in the "We aren't using the "Z" word" spoiler you use what I assume is a player name instead of a character name at the start.

curious-puzzle
2015-02-03, 01:11 AM
*Shifty eyes* This bag of internet cookies says you saw nothing, and mention nothing, deal?

curious-puzzle
2015-02-15, 05:17 PM
We're still relatively fresh, so we continue onwards (wands of Lesser Vigor are awesome). Kas continues as front scout and trap-finder, and has a hot night with her search and disarm rolls all session. More on exactly how many later. We come across another wraith behind yet another wooden door! I bravely stay behind everyone else, as I'm in the range where if it touches me and I fail the fort save (likely at -1) if it rolls a 6 I just die. Kas lobs another cure potion and makes it through the miss chance, Fred absolutely unloads on the wraith, I miss horribly with my lesser orb of acid, and then the wraith moves towards Kas and I :smalleek:.

However, it's Tywin's time to shine. He had delayed his action to use a scroll of cure moderate wounds to his minion's (Anton), and bid him to charge forward with the wheelchair at the wraith! All I can think of is this (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KXOCzB35kFY#t=51)...but he completely misses. The wraith bad-touches Kas, but she makes her Fort save with flying colors. Fred pounds up and wallops the wraith again, and it decides that our tasty souls are too much work to swallow, and retreats into the wall. I'm sure we'll get ambushed from the floor the moment we get into another fightnever see it again. We continue onwards, and Kas and Fred get caught in an arrow trap for a big chunk of health. So after backing up and healing with wands/potions, Tywin and his minion advance forward behind the total cover of tower shields in mini-phalanx (Tywin built one into his chair) and get far enough past the killzone to disarm the trap. Kas scouts up and hears a bunch of goblin voices in the next room. She hides to the side, and Fred trundles up and BOOTS the door open. The 12(!) hobgoblins are surprised, but hold to their race's stereotype of discipline. Initiative!

Fred winds up and swings with a miss. Four hobgoblins surround him and swing, but only one gets through his beastly AC. The rest stay in tight formation, draw bows, and proceed to be not terribly effective. Kas stays low and starts ghosting around the room to get at delicious Hobgoblin backsides (agh, phrasing.) I look into the room, and drop a Glitterdust into the middle of the hobbos, blinding three of them.

And then a ghostly hand reaches out of the wall like I totally called unexpectedly (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bW7Op86ox9g) and tries to grab me by the shoulder! But I was a smart cookie and cast Mage armor on myself right after my first encounter with wraith touching (which is why the arrows missed me) and the hand stops short against my magical protection. Yeek, too close. Fred wallops a hobgoblin and misses his other attacks, Kas executes an unsuspecting hobbo with a sneak attack and moves towards the blind ones, and I fire off an acid splash at the wraith...and miss the incorporeal chance. Tywin saves my bacon, however, and connects with a Lesser vigor on the wraith! It fails its save and retreats with a horrible burning sensation to die somewhere else as it had 2 hit points left. The rest of the fight is cleanup as I summon a fiendish wolf, Kas murders the blind hobgoblins, Fred takes every hit the other soldiers can dish out and retaliates even harder, and Tywin actually lands a hit on a hobbo for a killing blow! In true adventurer fashion we loot everything in the room, realize we're all carrying a LOT of coin, and all agree that Tywin needs to make extradimensional storage for us. I also find tokens and clan markings indicating that these hobgoblins came from the Underdark.

A couple traps (seriously why all the traps) later, we find a a room with a curtain drawn across most of something shiny. Carefully examining, we hear, "I say, could you pull that open? I can hardly see you!" It's another talking piece of furniture, this time a mirror. That, after a bunch of sass, curious questioning, and logic puzzles, we determine can only lie.

This guy, he's the sort of crazy that gives wizards a bad name. If he's still moving around, I'm revoking his magi card. If not, I'm considering desecrating his corpse. Bye-bye goes the mirror mirror on the wall. Figuring we're still good for one more encounter, we creep forward, disarm ANOTHER trap, and then find a long hallway. Kas and Tywin are in front for now, and long rubbery arms snap down to strangle them! Chokers!

The chokers continue to strangle, Tywin and Kas flail and stab at the arms, Fred rushes up to hack at said arms, and I decide that with this being the final fight before resting, I bust out my summon monster III. And I summon a Fiendish Ape, that with its climb speed and reach, appears up on the ledge between the two chokers:Mongo the Fiendish Ape (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RcP91tQ4ZSM) full attacks and rips the chokers to little wriggly bits. He lands on the ground, and to horrified stares from the others, receives chin scritches from me before poofing away. We work our way back to Bronze's room and make camp again.

As Tywin's been mapping while we've been exploring, we decide to fully explore this level before descending to the next. We find some zombies that just get mowed down, find and disarm yet more traps, and make it back to the hallway with the chokers. Kas looks up ahead, and spots two more chokers...hiding in the same place as their brethren. With a sigh, she sneak attack dagger-throws one with a surprise attack, and wins initiative and kills the other one with another sneak-attack dagger toss. Chokers...not too bright. We continue onwards and find a room with two nasty looking undead that glare at us with hateful eyes. I make my knowledge check-they're wights- and shout to not let them touch you as initiative goes down.

Fight time. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0HItAhwZxfQ) Wanting to finish this quickly before we have to deal with negative levels, I summon Mongo the Fiendish ape again, between the two wights and at the edge of his reach (so they provoke if they move closer or away). Mongo roars and proceeds to miss all three attacks rolling a 2, a 3, and a 5. Oops. Thankfully, the rest of the fight turns out better. The one wight steps towards mongo and gets clawed in the shoulder and punches the mighty simian. The other wight charges towards us, but is juust short of laying a hand on Fred. Mongo glares at the wight who hurt him, and full attacks. I hit with all three, and roll max damage on both claws and one short of max on the bite. He rips the wight into three pieces and splatters him across the room. Fred Mountain Hammers the wight for a big hit, and it decides that it would rather rush by us and try to get to the squishy gnome in the wheelchair rather than attack the man in armor. It uses a withdraw to dodge by Fred, myself, and Kas, who nicks him with a kukri.

So I use benign transposition to swap Tywin and Mongo. Mongo mangles the mad wight, and for style points, finishes him with a giant backbreaker Bane style. He assents to another chin scritch before returning to whatever Heart of Darkness spawned him.

We scour the remainder of this floor and find: a)traps. b)occasional zombies c)more traps d)MORE traps e)another enchanted lying mirror that meets the same fate as its annoying siblings. We also find a well that goes down a looong way (using rope, low-light vision, and a continually burning torch, at least 250 feet). Suspecting it's a shortcut for some sort of beastie, we knock some nearby doors off their hinges, drag them over, put spikes into the well, and tightly tie the doors over the well entrance. Then because it technically qualifies, Tywin Arcane Locks it. We giggle over the thought of some monster (like the dragon) soaring upwards, and just smashing headfirst into the sealed doors. We continue onwards to the eyerolls of the DM. After Kas gets hit by an acid arrow trap (and we all stand around commenting on how that must hurt), she then hears a BIG gang of undead waiting to ambush us. So Tywin infuses his armor with the Undead controlling ability, peeks his head around the corner and says, "Gentlemen? Kill each other." 5 of the 9 ghouls and 1 of the 2 wraiths fail their saves, and tear into their comrades.

The DM stares at us. And stares a little more, then throws his hands in the air and declares that they all tear each other apart, as he doesn't want to keep track of that madness. Victory! (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-YCN-a0NsNk)

Not much more is found as we finish off the floor, except for more bloody traps and a group of ghouls that we split up with a web We then light the web on fire after killing the front ghouls, and then firing squad execute the ghouls trapped in the corner by the burning webs. We return to the dragon room for a long rest, and the DM gives us XP for the last two sessions, and we level again to 7! A large part is due to the 15!!! traps we found and disarmed.

Level 3 next session...

Jeargroth
2015-02-20, 11:23 AM
Yeah, was expecting ta bit of difficulty with the dungeon with no cleric and all that rot. Nope they got something better. An Artificer.

that is all.

GM.

Red Rubber Band
2015-02-23, 02:12 AM
Really enjoying this journal!

curious-puzzle
2015-02-23, 02:53 PM
Thanks oshi and Red Rubber Band, glad you're enjoying. It's been lots of fun to write and more fun to play :smallsmile:

oshi
2015-02-25, 02:37 AM
Thanks oshi and Red Rubber Band, glad you're enjoying. It's been lots of fun to write and more fun to play :smallsmile:

I'm sure there's more than just us watching the thread, I hope the criminal lack of comments isn't discouraging :)

ComaVision
2015-02-25, 10:31 AM
I'm sure there's more than just us watching the thread, I hope the criminal lack of comments isn't discouraging :)

Can confirm, I've been lurking since the first couple posts.

Blackhawk748
2015-02-25, 10:38 AM
Still here, still reading, still laughing.

Picanet
2015-02-25, 08:58 PM
Daw - love for the lurkers!

curious-puzzle
2015-02-26, 11:23 PM
:smallbiggrin: Glad to hear! Two days until the mysterious next level...

Lazarias
2015-03-01, 09:52 AM
Player of Tywin emerging from his shadows.

johnbragg
2015-03-01, 09:54 AM
Started reading a few weeks ago. Much fun.

curious-puzzle
2015-03-01, 03:42 PM
We end up making camp for coming up on a week, partially to start setting up a deal with Bronze about long-term accommodation (if we can make this place a base), partially to represent leveling up, and mainly so Tywin can make a Dedicated Wright to work on stuff for him. I also get a scroll of Restoration yay! I scribe Web into my spellbook rather than always having to use the creepy one covered in skin, and spend the rest of the week attempting to hunt with Fred to reduce our ration consumption. Since no-one has ranks in Survival (and no substantial Wis bonuses), it's a bit of a gamble. But Fred and I crank our dice rolls, and catch a substantial amount of food! When we meet up with the Raven's Rangers again, they're somewhat surprised at how proficient we are at hunting.
Ranger: "You're a bit more of a woodsman than I expected...that's some solid hunting. Knife work?"
Me: *Flashback to hunting scene: "Lesser Orb of Acid! Web! Summon Monster!"* "...yes. Yes, we are full of surprises."

We make arrangements for them to check in again in a week, and proceed to the dreaded level 3!

This level is different again, back to narrower 5-ft hallways, flagstones, and lit by patches of softly glowing fungus. The patches were deliberately spaced, but they've clearly become overgrown, making the lighting kind of weird. Two things are still the same from previous levels, though.
1)Traps everywhere
2)It makes NO SENSE

The traps are nastier on this level, too. Kas fails to disarm several, but manages to Reflex her way out of most (not all though). Some highlights include: Kas getting beaned in the head by Falling Rocks, Tywin getting a jet of super-high pressure icy water to the face (and getting thrown back a few feet from the impact), lots of creepy demon faces with Fireball traps hidden inside, and trapped locked doors leading to dead-end hallways. We finally come across an incredibly detailed dragon statue, its mouth wide open with the tongue sticking out, and the wall behind it conspicuously clean and bare. I bet 5 gold that it's a secret door, and behold, the tongue is a lever. Fred pays me in a bag of small rocks, the prat. Inside seems to be a dressing room of sorts. There's rags and boots strewn about, tattered tapestries on the walls, and then we all notice a rack with an intact cloak hanging off it. Tywin wheels closer to check it out, and at the last moment realizes it's not a cloak IT'S A CLOAKER. Initiative!

Tywin goes first and scrambles backwards while activating his Hammersphere, which thunks the Cloaker. I lob my Lesser Orb of Acid and miss horrifically (fun fact, I have missed every single one of these I've cast). The cloaker spreads its wings and moans, and everyone except me fails their save to not be panicked. Kas fails super hard because of Craven and runs away. Fred screams manfully and runs away. Tywin...wheels away in a panic. I sigh, and clap my hands together and cast Summon Monster III to bring Mongo out. Mongo hands out a beating that critics describe as both "savage" and "unrelenting", landing the killing blow while completely ignoring the Mirror image the Cloaker frantically put up as an attempt at defense, and bringing the "Death by Giant ape" count to 5. When the rest of the party stops running and screaming, they come back to me dramatically posing with the Cloaker's corpse as a batman cape. We scoop up all the treasure, and Kas finds a nasty looking Fireball trap at the room's exit. Rather than risk getting exploded, I summon a Celestial Monkey to take one for the team.

Sidenote, in one of the DM's previous games, they had agreed that every time someone summoned a celestial monkey to "find" traps, it was the same monkey. Every time. So I summon up a grizzled, jaded looking monkey that's smoking a cigar. It glares at me, chitters something celestial creatures probably shouldn't say when I point to the ominous doorway, and resignedly walks over to the door and jumps on the pressure pad in front. I spend an imaginary drama point to request the monkey flipping us the bird as its engulfed in flame. Trap defeated!

We continue onwards, and Kas finds a wooden doorway around a corner. While we wait behind said corner, she fails to disarm the Flame strike! trap, but evades the Reflex save. As the door is obliterated, Kas looks in to see a jet-black sinuous winged creature rearing its head back and hissing! She wins initiative and runs past the rest of us yelling, "Dragondragondragondragon!" She gets out of range, but the (Small) black dragon leaps just inside the doorway and blasts the rest of with acid breath for a nasty chunk of damage (half my health, similar for Tywin, still hurts Fred). Fred shuffles his maneuvers and draws his newest acquisition first: Divine Surge. His blade crackling with righteous divine power, he strides forward and brings the blade screaming downwards...and misses. The DM finds this highly amusing. I summon Mongo again, as he can still reach the dragon from inside the room, and he hits 1 of 3 attacks. The dragon decides it can evade the clumsy strikes of these mammals and attack from above, and provokes two attacks of opportunity to fly upwards to the ceiling.

Which both Mongo and Fred crit on, nearly killing the dragon flat-out. We find this highly amusing :). The dragon swiftly changes its plans from "strafing run," to "evasive maneuvers," and double moves the heck out of Dodge above us into the dungeon, fleeing. We spend a big chunk of resources healing up (that wand of lesser vigor is looking a little low), and Kas finds both the dragon's normal treasure stash under one flagstone, AND the super special hidden one. We rob the bugger blind, and agree again that we need extra-dimensional storage as we're all carrying almost enough to go past light encumbrance and Tywin's chair is getting heavy. After shouting a few taunts and bluffs at the hallway where the dragon left by, we continue onwards.

A little while later, we walk around a corner to the black dragon snarling curses at us as it blasts another jet of acid over all of us, then wings off swiftly. It's clear that it's quick and stealthy enough that we can't avoid its ambushes, so we hustle hard back to the stairs leading back up to level two. Tywin burns a bunch of Spell storing Item infusions (which by the way, is the most ridiculous awesome ability ever) on a quill to inscribe 3 pieces of parchment with Explosive Runes while we keep a tense overwatch. We then leave them strewn up the long stairway in eye-catching areas (didn't think of it now, but makes perfect sense to leave some coins holding them down and to draw the eye). We then shout some truly terrible taunts involving the dragon's gender, heritage, sexual promiscuity and low standards of its parents, and beat feet upstairs and several rooms away. Couple minutes later, the DM shakes his head as we roll damage and hear a muffled BOOM. The 1st explosive rune minetrap deals 27 damage...the dragon had 2 hp left. As we start back to the stairs, we hear two more BOOMS in fairly quick succession, and send Kas to scout while we creep behind. Peering with a mirror down the stairway, she spots a beat-up looking super pissed off Drider picking bits of Ettercap off of its chitin, and a bunch of Ettercaps behind it. Deciding to draw them into an ambush, Kas whips a sneak attack knife at the Drider to draw its attention...and rolls pretty close to max sneak attack damage and kills the already wounded drider outright. The ettercaps stare, and she wins initiative and runs for her life. In a probably wise move (seeing as we just wasted their boss and several of their mates with the explosive rune minetraps and a knife), the ettercaps coat the stairway in the Web abilities and book it. We decide to go back to safety for the rest of the day after that, and call it a night.

Victory! Pretty sure we're only going to get away with that trick once, but it was awesome. I'm starting to suspect that when we finally go up against the masters of Romanov, the DM is going to throw every nasty trick we've used on his monsters back at us plus a LOT of interest. I look forward to it :smallamused:. Also, the last two sessions haven't been shorter, I'm just snipping out a lot of the "creep around corner slowly, examine for traps, continue, examine for more traps" because they are EVERYWHERE. This necromancer's comeuppance will be long and unpleasant for inconveniencing us so...

curious-puzzle
2015-03-01, 03:45 PM
And hope you continue to find it fun, Johnbragg, we certainly do!

Lazarias
2015-03-01, 04:04 PM
Victory! Pretty sure we're only going to get away with that trick once, but it was awesome. I'm starting to suspect that when we finally go up against the masters of Romanov, the DM is going to throw every nasty trick we've used on his monsters back at us plus a LOT of interest. I look forward to it :smallamused:. Also, the last two sessions haven't been shorter, I'm just snipping out a lot of the "creep around corner slowly, examine for traps, continue, examine for more traps" because they are EVERYWHERE. This necromancer's comeuppance will be long and unpleasant for inconveniencing us so...

I'm going to turn that necromancer into a flesh golem. I swear.

curious-puzzle
2015-03-01, 07:45 PM
I'm going to turn that necromancer into a flesh golem. I swear.

That's phase 1 of 7.

Blackhawk748
2015-03-01, 08:41 PM
I swear this necromancer is a crazed gnome. Also a Drider with a mob of Ettercaps??

curious-puzzle
2015-03-01, 10:33 PM
I swear this necromancer is a crazed gnome. Also a Drider with a mob of Ettercaps??

Knowing this country so far, it's a distinct possibility. Just adds credence to my theory that all gnomes are secretly evil.

As for the Drider and Ettercaps, this complex has gone far enough down that we're certain it connects to the Underdark.

Jeargroth
2015-03-02, 10:22 PM
The best part is they missed the one important clue that was in an room that they considered irrelevant. It will come back to bite them in the ass later I assure all readers. MUHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

i am GM.

curious-puzzle
2015-03-02, 11:53 PM
The best part is they missed the one important clue that was in an room that they considered irrelevant. It will come back to bite them in the ass later I assure all readers. MUHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

Not sure if trying to tempt metagaming....or bluffing...

Leon
2015-03-03, 11:15 AM
Fantastic so far and I'm awaiting further posts with interest.

curious-puzzle
2015-03-03, 10:03 PM
Thanks Leon!

Jeargroth
2015-03-03, 10:37 PM
Not sure if trying to tempt metagaming....or bluffing...

Mostly just to torment and tease. No bluff... you did miss something. It didn't even make your story... so when it comes to pass we will have to bring people back into the story again.

curious-puzzle
2015-03-12, 11:19 PM
Two more sleeps till game time :smallbiggrin:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=icCmo2p6w8g

Blackhawk748
2015-03-13, 10:59 AM
Two more sleeps till game time :smallbiggrin:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=icCmo2p6w8g

Great movie, also very fitting with you guys.

curious-puzzle
2015-03-15, 06:03 PM
But who would be who? :smallbiggrin:

We (mostly) resist the urge to metagame, and continue on the third floor rather than re-checking everything on the second floor. 37th verse, same as the first. Illogical hallways, numerous traps. But with the combination of Kas rolling like a beast and Tywin's dedicated wright helping to finish a custom item that gives a boost to search and disable checks, they are found and eliminated. They kind of distract Kas from looking up, though, and in one room, something dark and tentacled drops down at her suddenly!

And misses. The epic battle with the 8 darkmantles is predicted in its entirety by that right there. The DM can't roll above 10 to save his life, I dispel some of their darkness clouds, Fred walks in and methodically cleaves through the darkmantles, and then Tywin uses a scroll of summon nature's ally to summon some small air elementals. Kas and I just wait around for the massacre to finish. and peg the fleeing survivors as they try to escape.

The show goes on, and we find a large open room with a bunch of levers to one side. As Kas creeps in to check them out, something hits her with a brutal ZAP! As she turns around, the glowing ball of light wins initiative and ZAPS her again. Kas is understandably concerned by the rather large chunk of health she's just lost, but lashes out with a Death Devotion powered dagger and lands a crit. The will o'wisp fails the save and Kas shuffles out of the way. I fail my knowledge check hard, and fire off a rebuke which does nothing...since, you know...they're immune to all magic except magic missile (which I can't cast) and maze (which I can't cast, and why would you use that on a will o'wisp). Fred steps up with Divine Surge and whiffs. Tywin and I twiddle our thumbs, as there's pretty much nothing we can do to the evil ball of light. It zaps Fred, and he retaliates by rolling an 18 with Mountain Hammer with his falchion...which misses. The total seems low for rolling an 18, so I question Fred's player's math.

And we find out that he'd only been using his base attack bonus and nothing else. And he forgot to take his level 6 feat.:smallannoyed: After some good-natured mockery and determining that he had indeed hit, Fred nearly kills the Will O'wisp with said blow. It panics and gets the heck out of Dodge, turning invisible and fleeing. Fred takes a few experimental swings and I throw out a Glitterdust, but it's long gone. We heal Kas up and examine the mad profusion of levers and dials. They're not magical, and we have no idea what they do, so of course Fred wants to pull them. The GM starts to offer bonus xp, but we manage to move on before pulling what's most likely the self destruct lever.

We find a hallway full of decapitated statues, plus one intact statue. As soon as it pipes up, we all groan and prepare to euthanize again. Blessedly enough though, this one actually tells the truth! We grill him/her/it, and receive enlightenment. The master of this place hasn't been around in at least 5 years, he smashed all the other truth telling statues for doing just that (that he was going crazy), and the necromancer lost it because he tapped into Pandemonium somehow. You know, that lovely vacation spot of madness, insanity-causing wind, and eeevviilll. The statue also mentions that the place is built crazy because the crazy necromancer had earth elementals bound to do his bidding.

Hrm...that sounds like exactly what we came here for. The statue describes a human skull, covered in runes, with amber stones set in the eyes and the teeth replaced with brown diamonds. We all think back...to a room with an open sarcophagus, that had a headless skeleton! We hustle back there, and using the incredibly detailed description, really high spellcraft and knowledge arcana/planes checks, and the resonance of the skeleton, pull off a locate object spell. It points down, so we hustle as fast as we can to the stairs down, poor Tywin nearly bouncing out of his chair.
Appropriate theme music (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MK6TXMsvgQg)

The spell fades just as we make it down a ridiculously long stairway, but we have a direction. This level is rough natural cavern, and pitch black, so we hug a wall and head gradually forwards. Tywin infuses Undead controlling into his chestplate first, though. So when two wraiths pop up out of the black, they fail their saves bad enough that they bow to Tywin and wait for instructions:smalltongue:. We use them as scout/advance murder troopers. They slaughter another group of darkmantles, mangle a gang of troglodytes, and warn us of a group of serpentine creatures with barbed tails and human-like faces. We advance slowly, and a hissing voice at the absolute edge of low-light vision demands to know what we want. Fred replies cheekily with, "Your heads!"

So the 3 dark nagas each blast him with a Lightning Bolt. He makes all 3 saves, but it still hurts. We all slowly scramble for cover (since everyone's moving at half speed due to the rough floor), and I summon a Huge Fiendish monstrous centipede as a mobile barricade. Kas was a little closer, and in perfect Infernal, offers a parley. The nagas agree (possibly influenced by the wraiths lurking in the walls at our command). Turns out they have the skull, but want necromantic magic in exchange for it. All we have to offer is the creepy spellbook we had acquired, plus a miscellaneous item or two. We also promise to not sell them out to the masters of Romanov to be enslaved/killed for parts. The naga don't seem too interested, until Fred pipes up. Fred, who turns out to have max ranks in diplomacy. We all watch in mingled disbelief and horror as the nagas confer, and agree. We make the trade, and scurry away. As Fred hands me the skull, I notice that the stone floor beneath me smooths out. On a whim, I command, "Rise." Two earth elementals rise up. And up. And up. Two HUGE elementals stand before me. We hustle back to base camp, and examine the skull thoroughly.

So the skull turns out to be very narrow in scope, but VERY good at what it does. It offers absolute control over these massive monoliths, but only within two miles or so of the manor. If it's removed from there, at best the magic is suppressed, worst case it breaks and the elementals rampage. Functioning or not, we all agree that the masters of Romanov can't have this. In fact, we agree that it's too risky for any of us to return to Cassandra; we're just going to get more and more attention, and one of us will slip. As we've all been terrified and freaked out by what Romanov is planning, it's time to step up from espionage to full on rebellion and sabotage. The group decides to use the elementals to collapse and rebuild the dungeon as our own hidden underground lair. Since we're using the earth elementals to flatten anything left in the dungeon and collect the loot, the GM turns it into a montage rather than rolling it out. The combination of crushing everything left in the dungeon+previous session+ I assume a large story bonus puts us to level 9!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ih02C_xuXPc

All that's left for loose ends is Joss, Kas' contact/former mentor/former lover. Thankfully, Kas has a gem to communicate with him (and she had used it to arrange a black-bagging for Fred if/when we returned to Cassandra, but none of us know in-game). She convinces/cajoles/threatens Joss into bugging out and meeting us out here, along with Grass Clippings.

Tywin and I use a scroll of Teleport to travel to the neighboring country's capital, and spend our frankly ludicrous amount of loot on gear/materials/SPELLS. I burn through my share in a matter of moments, stuffing my spellbook with new 2nd, 3rd, and a bunch of 4th level spells. Once Tywin's done, we're going to return and finish our secret lair of DOOM, contact the Raven to come meet us, and then we're going to try to find these elusive druids to broker an alliance.

Blackhawk748
2015-03-15, 07:37 PM
I can hear the evil laughter already...

Jeargroth
2015-03-16, 09:11 PM
I can hear the evil laughter already...

Cackling ... Gooooood. Gooooood.

Now I have them suitably levelled I feel an urge to steam roll now...

curious-puzzle
2015-03-17, 11:22 PM
Well, I already used a "Come at me Bro" picture, so instead I'll go with an oldie but a goodie:

"Cry 'Havoc!' and let slip the dogs of war!"

:smallbiggrin:

curious-puzzle
2015-03-29, 03:20 PM
Steamroller got caught in traffic and never made it, might show up next game. Instead we got...well, you'll see.

While we're buying our spells and materials and various sundry goods (bag of boulders for Kas, for example), we decide to spread some ominous rumors and unsettling bits of info about Romanov. I chat up some of the mages in the tower, then lie shamelessly about how I'm an old companion of one of the senior wizards and I'd love to see him again. Said senior wizard moseys down, and is understandably confused, but I lay out all the free will-destroying soul-enslaving elemental-binding loveliness we've encountered. He doesn't throw me out on my rear because a)just dropped almost 7k worth of gold on them b)This is the country in which we saved the frontier town from the massive orc warband (and left a glorious trebuchet as a present) c)they've sent their own agents to Romanov and haven't heard or seen anything back other than, "nothing suspicious, this place is great, will stay to continue investigating" which is suspicious by itself. I don't try for some impassioned speech about rising up and uniting against the evil empire, but I just say that he should be very wary of his neighboring country.

Tywin goes to the church of Boccob, and has a very long and very detailed speech with the high priestess regarding the use (and we feel misuse) of magic that's going on in Romanov. She's quite concerned, especially the using souls as magic item ingredients, and the binding elementals part. His detailed sketches of the airships and scroll with a thorough analysis of the mind-whammy rings puts her firmly on our side. Firmly enough, that when Tywin asks for a volunteer from the church to aid us (looking for a cohort as he just took Leadership), she knows just who to talk to. Tywin will have an answer the next morning.

I also have a chat with the church of Wee Jas to see if I can suss out any more on Kas' "condition." I don't get too far as I'm staying vague just in case there's some prophecy about a stab-happy chosen of death that will murder the world or something along those lines, and because the senior priestess is a DROW. Awkward...I smooth talk my way through the meeting, and hastily make an exit. We get all our various supplies, and Tywin manages to make a converted Handy Haversack in the drawers beneath the seat of his wheelchair (his next plan for the wheelchair is to make it essentially a rolling homunculus). The next morning, there's a knock at our door, and we meet Tywin's cohort: James the cleric of Boccob, with the Magic and Trickery domains! He's super fresh faced, and hasn't really ever traveled outside his city. He's neutral at least, but the poor guy's in for some crazy times rolling with us. We prepare to return back to our lair.

http://www.youtube.com/v/4UqFPujRZWo?version=3&start=61&end=70&autoplay=0&hl=en_US&rel=0

Fred takes to lair-building with a vengeance, and makes the best secret lair ever, with a pool Everything is underground, just like Tywin said (except for a big sign that's left there just to mess with Tywin when he gets back). Fred even makes custom rooms for everyone that he's certain they'll like; a replica of Tywin's cramped workshop, a room with a writing table and a bunch of shelves for me, and an elegant princess room covered in rose quartz for Kas.

...Fred apparently hasn't spent time with many girls other than his mother.

Kas spends most of her time making a little blind and shelter for when Joss arrives, at the absolute edge of the elemental's range. We're still not 100% trusting of Joss, so this is a halfway house of sorts for him. Also, Kas has an excuse to not have to hang around Fred in an enclosed space. We arrive back a little over a week before Joss is due to arrive. James and Fred meet, shake hands ra ra, it'll be fine. Kas meets James and just kind of stares. Then Kas discovers the room Fred made for her, complete with a little "I'm sorry (for pushing you into a trap)." Kas starts swearing quietly, then builds in intensity. When James asks what's wrong, Kas lets loose with some truly horrifying threats involving his kidneys, her knives, and paintings made of said kidneys. I pull James into my room, taking a break from my frantic scribing to explain the dynamics of our motley band. He's a little concerned, but should be allright working with everyone. I spend the rest of the week transcribing my new spells, Tywin works on gear for everyone, Fred keeps building on the lair, and Kas lurks about, before disappearing a couple days early to have a "private" chat with Joss (that happened just between Kas' player and the GM online earlier in the week). Once she's back, she mentions that Joss has "lost some of his edge" and she doesn't know if we can trust him to work with us. So Fred, myself, James, and Kas go out to have a chat with our buddy Joss while Tywin keeps working away.


We wander out, and once we reach the shelter, a raven flaps out, lands on Kas' shoulder, and starts chatting...in Infernal. Suspicion point #1. I ask it how well it speaks, and it snarks back at me before calling its master. I use detect magic and eyeball Joss on his way down the ladder. His gear's magic, and he definitely has some magic humming on him too. The bird is magic as well...Joss grumbles that the damned bird is speaking that freaky language to Kas again. So the familiar speaks Infernal, but Joss doesn't...suspicion point #2. We joust back and forth verbally a bit, and I finally come to the ultimatum that he needs to let me detect thoughts on him. It won't reveal his deepest darkest secrets, but it will reveal any overt manipulation or subversion. He doesn't seem mind-whammied, and after a bit more chatting, we decide Joss can come back with us.

On the way back, I get Kas to bribe the raven back over to her shoulder, and I grill Joss about where he got that raven familiar. He mentions that he claimed him from someone that he killed. It managed to survive, and it just seemed so sad to Joss that he felt sorry for it....and decided to bind it to himself as a familiar.

Suspicion points 3 through 7. Then I hear the raven (still in Infernal!) bragging to Kas how it had caught a rabbit for Joss to eat, since he's absolutely hopeless in the woods. The Raven. Caught. A Rabbit. That's it! I blast the "bird" with a Dispel Magic, and suddenly said birdie is a scaly winged imp.
"Aw crap." says the imp. It wisely flaps away off Kas' shoulder, and then it's time for a little chat. Joss is gobsmacked, and it seems genuine. We decide Joss stays out in the woods for a couple more days while he sorts this out, and warn the Imp that he'd better cooperate if he doesn't want to suffer a most unfortunate fate. We head back to our underground lair (I LOVE SAYING THAT), and have a group drinking/discussion meeting about what just happened. Joss is on his last straw with everyone; he does anything shifty and he's done for. James is understandably freaked out , and we understand to him that this is perhaps...not a place for heroes.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DA1-haV0qWU
And yes, I am commanded to play our group theme song right then.

And that's pretty much the game for the night, except for some personal revelations that Kas receives from Joss about her family and guild that should get its own post.

Jeargroth
2015-04-01, 02:50 PM
Yes the Steam roller got caught in traffic... Primarily due to the players not sure what to do with Joss... I am hoping they decide to either vent his kidneys like Kas threatened to do to the Cohort James the cleric, or bring him into the fold. Cause right now he is circling like a guy in the Friend zone.

https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/236x/e1/0f/73/e10f735cb9bfc550f4d50f3e314c3001.jpg

I will steam roll them I promise. Right now they are making items... and more items. As it was pointed out to me they are way behind on the Wealth per level table.

http://www.journal14.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/1-crying-lib.jpg

I couldn't help but put the last one in... I still love you guys. Despite Landmines, Undead control armour and Elementals that Wipe a dungeon.

I am GM and I DON"T APPROVE this message.

PS... i have a whole scene with Joss and Kas written down as it was done by Text... I will try to fill it in this weekend so if your a follower of this misadventure you can be let in on the background scenery.

curious-puzzle
2015-04-02, 08:35 AM
Salt content levels seem to be rising :smallbiggrin:, is fun to trash talk in multiple mediums. And as we discussed, wealth level will adjust quickly, we just had a serious xp spike and have to catch up.

Now the real thing you have to ask yourself...if you manage to kill one of us and it sticks, will what we come back with be better...or worse?


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wcinzmfZeCc

curious-puzzle
2015-04-09, 09:17 PM
Saturday's game is still on schedule, having defeated zombie-plague level colds, crazy accident causing drivers, and maniacal wisdom-teeth stealing dentists. I'm thinking the danger level of our enemies is going to be increasing drastically...:smallbiggrin:

Who's going to "win" the death lottery?

curious-puzzle
2015-04-12, 04:33 PM
The Raven finally arrives, and strangely enough, is quite enamored with the idea of formally allying with a group of relatively powerful mercenaries who have a grudge against the people who took over his country.

Plus we have a lair! Never gets old saying that. The Raven makes arrangements for his band of merry men and women to begin filtering to said lair.

After a bit more discussion (and introducing the Raven and Joss, who has seemingly established himself as the boss of his imp Druzil) of potential forces against the city of Cassandra, we decide to still go with the Druid circle as our first bet. The other options are necromancers and the remnants of orc tribes, so the druids are much less likely to try and kill us. Leaving Anton in charge (who is officially one of Tywin's followers now that he's taken Leadership) and making sure the Elemental Skull (I'll think of a better name later) is secure in its lead lined room behind multiple traps, we set out for the several week journey (each way) to where we think the Druids should be.

Most of the trip is uneventful, there's a river we cross where the DM is disappointed that we use fly to bypass (open spell slots on traveling days are handy), apparently there was something in the water. A few days later, we come across a broad gorge, 60 ft across and at least 60 feet deep with a bunch of rocks, a creek, and a large pond below. We decide the easiest way across is for me to Dimension door everyone except Tywin across, and Tywin will use Levitate on his chair, holding onto a rope we had shot across the gorge with a crossbow. Feeling paranoid, Tywin infuses his chair with some damage reduction just in case.

His paranoia is warranted when it turns out that those rocks below are hiding a gang of stone giants:smalleek:. Kas spotted them from the edge in time to warn everyone, so Fred grabs the rope and HEAVES to speed Tywin up, I lob a Glitterdust down and blind one of the 5 giants, Kas and James back up, and Tywin...Tywin holds on for dear life. Thanks to one giant being blind and Tywin having that extra DR on his chair, the 4 giant rocks only almost obliterate his chair, dropping it to critically low hit points. Fred catches him as he crosses the gorge, and we listen for a tense moment for signs of the giants climbing up. They seem content to argue with each other instead, so a Mending later, we just leave. Encounter sort of defeated?

Finally we reach the territory of the druids. At least we think it is with the abundance of wildlife that watches us and shows no fear of people. Well, no fear until Fred decapitates one of the deer for food *sigh*. They keep their distance after that, and we make sure to use all the deer respectfully. Another day later, we're wandering along when the grass, roots, vines, and surrounding shrubbery all tangle about us, grasping and gripping! Everyone fails their save except Kas, who promptly ninjas out of sight. An angry voice tells us to halt, then to turn around and leave. We display the proper amount of plucky heroic defiance and diplomatic smoothtalking, though, and the druid at least dispels the Entangle and comes out to talk. She's a half-elf named Elise, and she states mechanically that the Druid Circle has no quarrel with Cassandra, and will not break its truce. Unofficially, she seems quite disgusted with the whole thing, and quickly reveals herself to have favorable opinions towards our goal. Her hands are tied by her Elders, though. When we insist that we might be able to change their minds though, she grins wickedly and announces that we somehow made it past her patrol without being spotted and points which way to go. We thank Elise and head onwards cheerfully.

The next day, we hear an ominous amount of crashing and thrashing coming through the woods towards us. Kas vanishes (her Hide and Move Silently checks were insane the whole night), and the rest of us wait looking all non-threatening. A T-rex tromps out of the woods, and several Dire Bears lumber in from the sides. We found more druids!

Shifting into a sour-looking elven woman, the former T-rex demands to know why we're here. Explaining that we seek an audience with the elders of the Druidic Circle, she tries to blow us off. Tywin is quite firm and quite eloquent, explaining that the reason we have come is very serious, we don't mean any harm to the circle, but we are not leaving without having a fair chance to speak. We manage to convince the angry lady, and she leads us further into the woods. Kas creeps along behind, safely out of sight. While traveling, the woman grudgingly gives her name as "Willow" of the Duchains.
Fred's last name is Duchain! He was pretty close-mouthed about it, but apparently he and his parents did not get along with the other members of their family name. So he's kept his visor closed and his mouth shut the whole time. Especially because he recognizes this woman as his aunt...and the last words she said to him were, "You have no place here, half-breed." Whee!
We finally reach the grove proper, and once we're in a clearing next to a MASSIVE oak tree, Willow reveals herself to be the ArchDruid of this circle, and not-so politely tells us that we're wasting our time. We politely disagree, and request to speak to all the Elders of the circle, so they can make a decision as a whole. She consents to this, and gives us food and lodging (well, berries, water, and soft grass) while we wait for them to arrive. We also catch Willow in a lie (go cleric cohort!) talking about how the Circle freely chose a truce with the city of Cassandra. Something's fishy about her...Kas finds a shadowy perch in a tree, and keeps watch as best as she can while staying hidden.

That evening, we are summoned to make our case before the Circle. There's four others in addition to Willow, and we pull out all the stops. Tywin's got the evidence he's discovered down to a glass-slick routine (we joke that we make a magic Powerpoint with Silent image, prestidigitation, ghost sound, and dancing lights). The druids are aware of the clear-cutting and creepy Elemental-Air forest around Cassandra, and state that it's still part of nature. Kind of strange, but okay. They're aware of the fact that people are being enslaved by the rings. They're not aware of the fact that people's souls are being used as magical fuel and materials, or of our (pretty solid) theory that anyone wearing a clockwork ring isn't passing to the Outer Planes when they die. This disturbs 2 of the elders more than Willow and the other two. They know about the Airships, but not of the refueling stations being built towards Romanov's borders. All in all, Tywin and I paint a fairly grim picture for them (and laugh down their insistence that the masters of Romanov will hold to their promise to leave the Druids alone). And we manage to do it with only one or two WWII references. Grim-faced, the council states that it will deliberate, and give us an answer in the morning. We wander off, and Kas creeps in juuuusst close enough to listen to them debating.

It's pretty ugly right from the get-go, with the council split along Willow+two members against the two that seemed more receptive to us. They throw something about "death being part of the natural order" at Willow, and she spits back, "He's my Son!" Oho, a possible hostage. It goes back and forth, with Willow nearly full-on threatening the other members that her strength as Arch-Druid makes her authority greater. Kas also hears that apparently Obad-Hai has not spoken to the druids on this matter...creepy/curious. Once the argument starts coiling into circles, Kas sneaks off to report to us.

I shamelessly bribe the child-druids that they've been using to guide us around with candy, and find out that Willow's (human) husband died of old age 10 years ago, and they had a son named Barnabus who went away to the city a few years ago. I also learn that the Arch Druid seems sad and angry all the time, and the kids keep their distance. Once we're alone, Kas lets us in on what she overheard. Pooling our info, seems like the Circle is holding to this "truce" because of Willow. Whether her son is a hostage, or Thiloff is promising something involving her husband, or both, her fear is what's keeping the druids uninvolved. Fred finally lets us in on why his family exiled him: Willow hated her sister (Fred's mother) for leaving the circle to marry a human. When Fred tried to go back after his parents died, Willow cast him out with a lot of nasty language. So our main opposition to allying with the druids is nasty, hypocritical and fearful...and might be suffering a crisis of faith if Obad-Hai isn't speaking to her regarding the whole evil empire thing. Tywin does an Augury on whether revealing Fred's identity would be good or bad; we get an answer of Weal and Woe. So it's a plan B

The elders meet with us the next morning, and their grim faces are not a good sign. Right away, Willow states that it is the decision of the Circle to hold to their truce with Cassandra, and that we should leave. Going right for the soft bits, I ask if it's the Circle's decision, or her's because she's frightened for her son. We can see the eye twitch and hand flex from a loooong ways away. A little more tensely, she reiterates that all five voted, 3 to 2. I spit back her words that Kas overheard, about how Willow was the Archdruid, and her strength commanded their obedience. One of the other druids steps between us and Willow, cause she looks like she wants to beast out on us and show us the inside of our faces. A bunch more fruitless arguing later, they still won't change their minds. On the plus side, we now know that none of the druids could seem to get an answer on how they should deal with Cassandra from their god. How that doesn't seem suspicious to them is mind-boggling. We turn away in disgust, and Fred lifts his visor and throws his family crest dagger at Willow's feet. All she does is sneer at him.

On our way out at least, we make a small ally. Elise, the first druid we met, turns out to be Fred's cousin. And as Fred is family, she can come to the aid of family without technically defying the orders of the Circle. She gives us a hawk to use as a messenger, and promises to bring as many as she can when we call. So...something, at least. Grilling her for last bits of info, she mentions that the stone giants are out of place, they're normally more in the mountains.

On the way back, we decide to try and speak to the stone giants, to figure out what they're doing in the woods. When we reach the gorge, though, the giants are all dead, ripped apart by something very large. Perhaps foolishly, I slap Mirror image and Fly on myself and float partway down the gorge, using my Elemental Reserve summons to poke about. A nymph pops out of the pond below, and I hastily avert my eyes. She mentions that her pet took care of the nasty giants for her, and I wasn't going to try and hurt her was I? Eyes looking elsewhere, I assure her that I would never harm such a beautiful nymph. At the loud words of "nymph" Tywin tells everyone to shut their eyes and clangs Fred's visor down on him. Then the nymph's "pet" shows up; a massively oversized Gray Render. As the nymph invites me to come and visit her, I lie through my teeth that I most certainly will as soon as I ferry my less-handsome companions over the gorge. Kas hops into Tywin's chair, I Dimension Door everyone except Tywin, then I fly back and scoop him up. I then dramatically claim a heart attack due to the merest glimpse of such natural beauty as the nymph's, and we run like hell before the Gray Render climbs up.

We make our way back somewhat grumpily, having little to show for almost a month's trip. Interrogating Joss if he knows of any "Barnabus" in the city, the only druid he can think of isn't a hostage. He's a popular gladiator named "Bloody Barney."

Wait, Cassandra has a gladiatorial arena? He gives us more info, and we amend our theory that the clockwork rings aren't just claiming souls upon death. They might be draining emotions and energy from people still living, if they have an arena to try and encourage blood-thirsty feelings. Suddenly it might not be a force of overwhelming Law behind this, but Evil in the mix too.

We end the session still having to decide on our next course of action. So far the options are:
1)break back into Cassandra and find this arena, this Barnabus fellow, and possibly wherever all this energy/souls are going
2)find the remnants of the orcish tribes and take over one by killing their leader in ritual combat
3)Plane shift to somewhere like the Outlands and try to find some divine servants and figure out why none of the gods seem to care or notice what's happening in Romanov

Any votes?

Bad Wolf
2015-04-12, 08:45 PM
I say do 4) Seduce the Nymph to get a massive Gray Render as a friend.

curious-puzzle
2015-04-12, 09:41 PM
Couple problems with that:
1)My bluff is good, but not that good, and eventually I would roll low and the nymph has a pretty good sense motive
2)My continued being able to see is slightly vital to being a wizard

So tempting, but ultimately not worth the risk :smallsmile:

Bad Wolf
2015-04-13, 01:07 AM
Couple problems with that:
1)My bluff is good, but not that good, and eventually I would roll low and the nymph has a pretty good sense motive
2)My continued being able to see is slightly vital to being a wizard

So tempting, but ultimately not worth the risk :smallsmile:
1) Carefully say things in a way that it isn't a lie.
2) Nymphs can turn it off. How do you think there's so many half-nymphs running around?

curious-puzzle
2015-04-13, 03:12 PM
Lol, both valid points. Still thinking it would end in tears and/or blindness for someone. :smallbiggrin:

Once I can cast the planar binding spells, I'm planning on fishing for extra nasty stuff anyways.

curious-puzzle
2015-04-24, 07:47 PM
Alas, no game this weekend...so the orc tribes remain free from our iron grip for another two weeks...

Lurkmoar
2015-04-25, 12:37 AM
Favorited and shall lurk. Seems like there's at least three folks in the party with the planning skills of 'Elfslayer' minus animosity towards the GM.

Knowing when to walk (or run, fly, teleport, etc) is a handy skill to have.

Jeargroth
2015-04-25, 08:47 PM
Who is elfslayer?

Lurkmoar
2015-04-25, 09:38 PM
Who is elfslayer?

A perfect storm of when a player doesn't get along with the DM and they engage in a battle of wits while staying within the rules of the system as the DM strives to uncover a player's nefarious deeds while the 'elfslayer' tries to stay ahead of the curve.

Can't imagine that the DM was thrilled, and it's a one sided report so perhaps fake, but it's an entertaining read though it's incomplete. (http://1d4chan.org/wiki/Elfslayer_Chronicles)

Strong language and actions in the link. Probably NSFW.

curious-puzzle
2015-04-26, 12:05 AM
Read through part of that so far...I don't know if we're quite that devious. Glad you're enjoying our madness, though, lurkmoar!

Picanet
2015-04-26, 05:41 PM
We're getting there though lol. We're an odd group, but we come up with some pretty insane ideas that have a habit of working...

Rather; you guys come up with trebuchets and crazy magical contraptions; and I make sure you have what you need to pull it off lol.

d13
2015-04-27, 04:34 PM
Commenting for future reference. I'm loving this!

curious-puzzle
2015-04-28, 07:14 PM
I'm happy you're enjoying it, d13!

Random question, I know there are some half-fiend creatures that get their own name, like the Draegloth, or Durzagon, or sometimes Cambion. Anyone know if there's such a name for half-fiend trolls?

For entirely academic and hypothetical purposes, of course.

*cough*

Lurkmoar
2015-04-28, 07:39 PM
Random question, I know there are some half-fiend creatures that get their own name, like the Draegloth, or Durzagon, or sometimes Cambion. Anyone know if there's such a name for half-fiend trolls?

For entirely academic and hypothetical purposes, of course.

*cough*

Cursory look through the srd20 hasn't coughed up any names. I'm browsing through some of the entries for the Tanar'ri right now to see if half-fiend trolls are in there.

curious-puzzle
2015-04-28, 09:07 PM
Found the one I was thinking of in the Fiend Folio, it's just the other way around: A half Troll Barbazu instead of a Half-Fiend Troll. But alas, I can't bind something with the Half-Troll template, as its type becomes Giant instead of Outsider. Curses!

curious-puzzle
2015-05-11, 02:08 AM
Here we go!

So after the disappointing druids, we decide to go find whoever passes as a chieftain for a bunch of orcs and "persuade" them to join up with us. Whether said persuasion is negotiations or just killing them to replace them with someone who will ally with us is up to them. It's an even further trip, almost twice as far as it took to get to the druids. Joss and the Raven help us with plotting the fastest route that still avoids major patrol routes, we make sure everything important is hidden, and set out. Tywin takes his dedicated wright with us this time, to work on quiet projects while we sleep.

Partway through the trip, he's completed a Blessed Book for me! I believe the phrase is "Squee!" Tywin has officially become the only gnome I shall spare when I am the harsh and merciless Overlord of existence. About the only bit of trouble we hit on our trip towards the swamps is resolved quickly by Kas. While scouting ahead, she spots a gnoll dressed in hunting leathers with a big bow the same time it eyeballs her. Thinking quick as she notices the clockwork choker it wears, she holds up her ring. The fact she's still dressed like the secret police helps, and with some smooth lying, has the gang of gnoll hunters saluting and standing at attention on the side of the road as the rest of us pass by somewhat confused.

The upside of our enemy enslaving the minds of its servants means that misdirection and lies go a LONG way.

We eventually reach the edge of the massive swampland, and sneak around the small town aptly named "Road's End." Kas ghosts in during the night and commandeers us a barge, and we set off through the swamp. Despite none of us having ranks in profession (sailor) or a high Wisdom score, we do all right poling the barge along in roughly the right direction. Kas and Tywin (and their players) are singing bad shanties while we trudge along, which is what I blame for our spurt of horrible spot checks to notice the dragon turtle lurking ahead. It announces its arrival with a friendly nudge, trying to capsize us.

On the upside, our barge is just large enough that it only has a chance to capsize us, which it fails. Kas whips a dagger into the beastie's eye for solid damage, I cast Fly and do just that, and the turtlesaurus lays into Fred, hitting with all 3 attacks. Fred responds with a Divine Surge for a hideous chunk of damage. Tywin busts out a Legion's shield of faith and his cohort James zaps the dragon turtle with an Enervation. Next round, Kas fails her hidden blade skill trick (and her dagger bounces off the shell), I blast it with an Orb of Force and fly up a little higher. Which is a wise move as the dragon turtle breathes deep and lets out a blast of scalding steam! Everyone rolls really high and passes their Reflex save, except James. Yes James, even your crippled gnome in a wheelchair rolled higher than you. Fred's looking kind of beat up from all this, so he steps in with a Revitalizing strike, and rolls monster damage (I believe it was a crit) to finish the beast off. The dead dragon turtle has revenge from the grave though, and capsizes the barge as its corpse crashes into the end of the barge. I swoop down and help James not drown in his armor while everyone else makes it back on the boat. Kas rolls a hot Spot check to notice something glimmering down below underwater. Pointing it out, it's juuuusst close enough that with repeated castings of my Elemental summon reserve ability, we drag up a chest and several items. We score a bunch of gold, some precious gems, a scroll with random spells and a beneficial curse (the air around the scroll is always warmer than the surrounding area), and a highly enchanted shield that promptly goes to increasing Fred's AC even higher. I use the last of my flight to zip up and spot smoke rising in the distance. We're going the right way!

Continuing on, we eventually get to dry enough swampland to travel on foot again. We keep camp with no fires for a few days, and eventually come across a line of twisted trees with numerous skulls hanging from them. Making an educated guess that we've reached the edge of orc territory, we build a GIGANTIC fire, then cast Pyrotechnics on it to get some attention.

A couple of days later, attention arrives in the night. Questions are barked at us from the darkness, and once we prove that we aren't "coggies" and that we want to talk to the chief, the unseen orcs demands we wait here. A few hours later I've lost my patience, and light an even bigger fire. A much more intelligent sound voice curses and asks us to dim the fire. A heavily built orc wearing the severed ears of numerous races (including orc and ogre) steps into sight and asks us our business in passable common. Speaking with Garthok the orc, we quickly establish that while he is interested in the idea of invading and burning Cassandra down, he doubts his chief will be. Said chief is apparently a mage who named himself "Deathbringer." Acting on a hunch, we ask if Deathbringer showed up a few months ago from the west. Turns out he did! He had taken a large warband to the west, and returned alone, claiming that the warband was occupying new holdings, and he had returned to build the scattered tribes back up before rejoining them.

It's that orc mage from the town we defended with the trebuchet! The one who turned tail and ran! We send Garthok to go speak with his chief with our offer of alliance, and to mention that the chief should remember us from the town with the trebuchet. Confused, Garthok goes off to do just that. He returns a few days later with the sounds of war drums surrounding us, and sporting a large burn and bruise on the side of his face. Turns out "deathbringer" didn't like the message, and sent Garthok back to bring us to him in chains. Garthok here doesn't like being slapped around though, and especially not by a shifty mage who we flat out call a liar and coward. Speaking more with Garthok, we learn that while Garthok is a very strong candidate for Chieftain if deathbringer suddenly died, Garthok can't challenge him as he isn't a mage. But if a certain mage who had fought him before claimed a blood debt against him and challenged Deathbringer and killed him, Garthok would be very amenable to an alliance against Cassandra. We all smile, and Garthok orders the drums be changed from a raiding party to the beat of a ritual blood challenge approaching. He then offers to escort us to meet his chieftain, unchained of course. Can't deny a blood challenge.

It takes a couple days, and we emerge from the marshy forests/swamp to several massive stone ziggurats, all surrounded by a large stone wall. It's a pretty solid looking base, would have been very difficult to assault. We get to walk in the front door instead. Stopping at the base of the biggest ziggurat, I double check the phrasing with Garthok and scream a blood challenge out. The drums that were escorting us cut out as an orc stomps down the numerous steps towards us. He's cleaned up and gotten better gear, but it's that same mage. After Deathbringer sneers at us daring to stand before him, Tywin tosses him a "gift," a tiny carved stone that resembles the same one that nearly splattered Deathbringer (and his priest), right down to the bloodstain. He snarls, and after I challenge him, he scoffs and asks how an elf intends to challenge to become chieftain. I shake my head and clarify; I'm challenging Deathbringer because of the blood he spilled the last time we fought, and (as an aside) because his cowardice offended me. Garthok riles up the crowd of watching orcs, and Deathbringer nearly strokes out with rage. He spits out his acceptance, and demands that the Test of Eyes be tonight. As he stomps away, Garthok explains that the challenge will have 3 parts: the Test of Eyes, the Test of Arms, and the Test of the Voice. The Test of eyes is a battle of stealth, Arms is martial combat, and Voice is the mage duel. Seeing as how none of the orcs even saw Kas until we asked her to appear out of courtesy, and Fred is well...Fred, I think we're set.

Late in the evening, the Test of Eyes begins. It's a one on one duel. Kas exits the walls on one end, the opposing champion exits on the other. Both are allowed only a ceremonial dagger and their smallclothes, and only one is allowed back into the "city." No outside interference is allowed. Everyone is alarmed at the sheer quantity of knives that Kas has hidden. It makes a RIDICULOUS pile by the time she's done, and no one wants to know how she hid that many. Palming the dagger, she pads off into the dark forest.

What follows is a whole bunch of opposing hide, move silent, listen, and spot checks. Kas is an utter beast at hide and move silent (and she rolls high for most of her checks on them too) but her spot and listen aren't super great. The orc sneak is not as talented, but has the advantage of darkvision. The GM rolls a 2 on the orc's move silent finally, and Kas ghosts off towards him. Setting up an ambush, she begins humming to draw her opponent closer (I didn't find it until today, but I'm totally voting to retcon the song to this: The hearse song (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MGo2yqcUYaY)). As soon as the orc creeps into range, Kas leaps out of the darkness and nails him for a nasty sneak attack hit. Beating him on initiative, she does it again then dances away with spring attack and tumble. The orc roars and charges, slashing (but only once, and not a sneak attack). Kas returns the favor for small damage (without sneak attack she's pretty much just d4), then dashes off out of sight to hide again (yay high movement speed and hide in plain sight!). The orc fails miserably, and while he's roaring about her standing and fighting, she comes around from the other side of the trees and slits his throat.

She returns to the gates with his (clean) knife and her (bloody) knife as proof, and reclaims her gear (along with her victim's gear as plunder). Round one, victory!

This test is straight up martial combat to the death. Buffing is allowed beforehand though, so between myself (the wizard), Tywin (the artificer), and James (the cleric), we turn Fred into an absolute monster. I believe between spells and infusions, Fred is enlarged, bulls strengthed and aided, and his armor has moderate fortification, and his weapon is a +3 orc bane dispelling holy weapon. With his full plate and the fancy new shield, his armor class is near 30 even enlarged. The GM is making notes while this is happening, and we're a little suspicious when he writes down whatever Fred's player does. We announce that we're ready, and Fred steps into the arena. His 3 opponents step in on the other side, and a hard stare with detect magic reveals suspiciously similar magic coming off them. We're a little worried about the number difference first as the orcs spread out, but Fred goes first, and swings with Divine surge, critting as well. The critical plus the divine surge damage plus the copious extra dice from the extra abilities we slapped on him means he cuts the first orc in half with one blow. Not worried anymore! The other two orcs charge in, and here's where something funny happens. See, Fred's player had chosen Stand Still and Exotic Weapon Proficiency (Spinning sword) for his last two feats as we had leveled up, and he hadn't really used the spinning sword until now. With his reach advantage, Thicket of blades, and combat reflexes, he stops the orcs dead in their tracks before they can touch him, then cranks one of the orcs. This repeats a couple times until one orc makes his save against stand still, and lands a greataxe crit on Fred! But the moderate fortification denies it, and we all giggle. Fred kills orc #2, then orc #3 makes it in a lands a couple more blows before Fred finally chops him down (Fred's down to around 20-30 hp and looking pretty rough at the end). I laugh and ask Deathbringer if he's ready to duel yet. He growls and announces that the duel will be at dusk before stomping off. Tywin watches his entourage very closely, looking for one that could be an artificer somehow. Both he and Kas notice an orc "shaman" that seems eerily similar to the orc right next to him....who twitches when Tywin says "who's the artificer?" Hmmmm...

Duel Time! We decide on the complete arcane spellduel rules: Start 30 ft apart, facing opposite directions. One round to buff (no prior buffs), one round to ready a counterspell action, and the third round you turn and duel.
First round: Lesser globe of invulnerability
Second round: ready Dispel magic

Third round: I lose initiative:smallsigh:. Deathbringer (he of the poorly chosen name) fires a suggestion at me. Recognizing it, I choose to save my dispel magic and let it bounce off my globe. I sneer cockily while saying "amateur," and summon two fiendish apes. Mongo and Mingo go to lay into the orc wizard...and bounce off his Protection from evil. No matter, minor setback! Then Deathbringer fires a Dominate Person at me.:smalleek: I roll a 14 on the dice, though, and pass my save. While the duel is going on, Kas, is quietly sneaking up behind the suspicious "orc" who might be an artificer. I focus and throw a targetted dispel at Deathbringer, and roll high enough to shatter his protection spell. I snarl a single word in Abyssal: "Kill." The two apes do just that, the combination of augment summons+flanking+malconvoker abilities making already solid combatants Really Scary. They tear Deathbringer apart, and for the sake of drama, I force them to stomp over and bow before me, while I point at Garthok and shout, "Your new Chieftain!"

Strangely enough, no-one objects.

Tywin notices the suspicious orc muttering rapidly under his breath, and calls out that he may be an imposter. He tries to slink off, but when Kas taps him in the ribs with a knife, he tries to pull a weapon on Kas and goes into initiative!

Which Kas beats him on, stabbing him with her dagger of venom for nasty sneak attack damage plus the poison ability. Which the fake orc fails the save for, taking 9(!) points of Con damage and dropping dead on the spot. His features melt and deform, revealing a changeling. We strip and examine the body on the spot, finding a clockwork toe ring. Well, that's not good. I also find a red jewel, much like the ones that have been used for long range communication. I quietly activate it and listen for who's on the other end.

It's Joss, asking for a report. As soon as I demand an explanation that will keep him alive, he kills the spell by breaking his gem. That's not good either. Tywin blasts off a Sending to the Raven, warning him that Joss is a traitor. The reply we receive is that they tried to send a messenger after us, Joss has been gone with the Earth Elemental skull for two weeks.

That's really not good. We end the session with the intention of staying at the orc ziggurat just long enough for Tywin to make a teleport scroll or two . Then we will plan what to do next. I claim Deathbringer's spellbook, and snag a bunch of helpful spells that I had intended on getting, but hadn't managed to yet. The amount of treasure and gear we gained from our respective challenges plus the dragon turtle is pretty impressive, so I think we're a LOT closer to appropriate wealth by level (if not there already). I must also tip my hat to GM Jeargroth for two awesomely evil things from this session:
1) We were all suspicious of Joss, but he hadn't crossed us yet, and we all decided to give him the chance since he had come through for us repeatedly earlier. Turns out his bluff was WAY better than what we knew. Tywin's player in particular graced us with a frown of epic proportions as his response to the doublecross. It's going to be a contest to see who can kill Joss first though, now. Never underestimate the wrath of a PC scorned.
2) We end the session less than 300xp from leveling up :smallbiggrin:

Crazy session, with violence, duels, plot twists, and oaths of VENGEANCE. Now to sleep.

Demidos
2015-05-11, 10:07 AM
You guys could go with a little more paranoia -- our party definitely would've replied as if we were the changeling spy and told Joss that only half the party had survived, and described where they were headed for the next night. Then it would be ambush time :smallamused:

curious-puzzle
2015-05-11, 01:29 PM
Considered trying to bluff, but decided it wasn't worth it. The spy had already reported that I had killed Deathbringer *snrk*, and presumably had done the same with the other challenges. The fact that we're alive and have killed the reason the orcs weren't attacking Cassandra was already out of the bag. As for an ambush, I suspect it'll more likely be a strike on our no longer safe base very soon.

Plus it was more dramatic this way:smallbiggrin:. But yes, we should have went with our first instinct and ventilated Joss' organs regardless of our sense motive checks.

Blackhawk748
2015-05-11, 08:58 PM
Firstly it is spelt Da Orkz, secondly, i heartily second Kas' song change and thirdly VENTILATE HIS ORGANS!!!

curious-puzzle
2015-05-11, 10:23 PM
Wwaaaggh! You iz mucking about, sayinz I used a c stead of a k!

But in more coherent language, my grievous error is now corrected.

Lurkmoar
2015-05-13, 12:18 AM
Glad to see the campaign journal updated again.

So, I'm thinking if Joss doesn't die from Kas in the first round, Fred will chop him up in the second, and I'd say that either Tywin or Haearnbydd would get him in the third.

Unless he's tougher then expected... hmm.

curious-puzzle
2015-05-13, 09:21 PM
Gimme one more level, and the answer will be, "my horde of fiendish monstrosities."

Jeargroth
2015-05-13, 09:30 PM
No my pretties... I think not. Joss will not die. I think what will happen is you will go to try to take him and he ends up animating your corpse for his little army. Joss is not just a Mook... I spent weeks on him. He will survive. MUHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA... Now DANCE FOR ME PUPPETS.

curious-puzzle
2015-05-13, 11:29 PM
He will survive.

:smallbiggrin:

:smallbiggrin::smallbiggrin::smallbiggrin:

We'll see.

Amperzand
2015-05-14, 07:02 PM
Just OMNOM'd this thread, enjoyed it greatly so far!

Lurkmoar
2015-05-14, 10:58 PM
No my pretties... I think not. Joss will not die. I think what will happen is you will go to try to take him and he ends up animating your corpse for his little army. Joss is not just a Mook... I spent weeks on him. He will survive. MUHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA... Now DANCE FOR ME PUPPETS.

Never underestimate a PC's ability to gib an NPC, especially when dice start rolling.

But if the PCs must dance, make it the Safety Dance, please.

Amperzand
2015-05-15, 12:09 AM
Like that one time with a fourth-level party, their necromancer Token Evil Teammate, and the twentieth-level Dracolich? :smallamused:

curious-puzzle
2015-05-15, 08:01 AM
Like that one time with a fourth-level party, their necromancer Token Evil Teammate, and the twentieth-level Dracolich? :smallamused:

...So did this involve PCs gibbing something they shouldn't have, or the Safety Dance?

And glad you're enjoying it!

Blackhawk748
2015-05-15, 10:06 AM
...So did this involve PCs gibbing something they shouldn't have, or the Safety Dance?

And glad you're enjoying it!

Obviously both, one was a Bard :smallwink:

Amperzand
2015-05-15, 08:19 PM
The Dracolich ended up trying to tear the Necromancer's soul out, it rolled a series of crit failures, the Necromancer rolled absurdly well, and the end result was the Dracolich getting its soul transplanted into the Necromancer's body, and vice-versa. Then the Necromancer used his new body's absurd powers to instagib his old one and its inhabitant, and the party proceeded to make the GM find a new BBEG.

curious-puzzle
2015-05-16, 02:00 PM
*blink* *blink* That's quite the string of critical failures and successes.

Amperzand
2015-05-16, 03:34 PM
Indeed it was. Not quite as amazing as Old Man Henderson, but pretty damn awesome.

YossarianLives
2015-05-18, 09:17 PM
I'm loving this campaign log. I can't wait to see what happens.

curious-puzzle
2015-05-20, 07:26 PM
Thanks, Masterkerfuffle! We shall strive to keep things at the same levels of madness!

curious-puzzle
2015-05-24, 01:28 PM
No Kas this time, as her player was away for a work conference. But the rest of us were good to go, so Kas just melted into the darkness to do...brooding, dark things.

Well, Joss has revealed himself as a dirty doublecrosser, and the location of our secret lair is most likely no longer secret. If nothing else, he will pay dearly for ruining my first secret lair. Garthok agrees that the orcs need to move, as there's probably an airship already loading up to bring fire from the sky. While they start doing that, James uses Speak with Dead on the changeling spy. It works, and we confirm that the dearly departed Deathbringer was working for Romanov, keeping the orcs doing nothing in the swamps. The non-combatant orcs (children, pregnant females, the rare old and infirm) will head further south, while the warriors and scouts will head with us back north towards Road's End. All told, we have an orcish force of around 1200 warriors, a small core of which is actually equipped with magic gear!

Our plan is to make a new lair. Another undergound lair, but beneath the unsuspecting town. And then we are ready, we will rise up to devour all who would stand against us! OUR LEGIONS WILL SWALLOW THE SU- I'm sorry, I don't know where that came from. Anywho, while travelling, James uses Lesser planar ally to get an earth elemental to scout for appropriate underground caverns/spots to build from. Once we've found that, a scroll of Planar Binding will let us call up a Galeb Duhr, an elemental with Stone shape at will. We're interrupted however, by the scouts catching sight of a strange cloud going towards the town. We stealthily approach a little closer (still quite deep within the swamp) to peer at the airship to see if it's going to dock.

Here's where it turns out I've been laboring under a misapprehension. When we talked about the airships, I always saw them as sailing ship sized, Santa Maria or ship of the line even, but at most 100 ft long, give or take.

I should have been thinking more modern. This airship is the size of an AIRCRAFT CARRIER. This one carrier could hold our orc minihorde, and there's at least 6 above Cassandra. Ooh boy. We spot a ship floating down from the carrier, so I use Arcane Eye to spy on the town.It doesn't seem to be squads of soldiers or anything, the ship just drops off two suspiciously large crates...and one man.

Boss Incoming! (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=To2avByj5vk)

He seems to be unarmed, wearing light armor, but really emaciated and unhealthy looking though. The whole town is deferring to him though, all the guards setting up around the inn. I study the man closely, and take another peek at the suspiciously large crates. The ship zips back up to the carrier as my spell fades, and we pull back to the group of orcs.

One guy, seemingly unarmed, the whole town obeying him? Yeah, totally a boss. I describe him in detail, and Tywin confirms that he was one of the council that he met. It's the Ghost, the one who seemed obsessed with leaving your body behind while spirit riding constructs. And those crates did seem golem sized...

Stealthy sneaking music (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=38OrYAAYISk)
We decide that we have to take this Ghost fellow out, and if they're dumb enough to send another ship down, we might be able to get up to the carrier. The group of us will sneak in just before dawn and eliminate or capture the Ghost. The scouts and sneaks of the orcs will attack the town about half an hour after us to hold the town hostage after we've taken out the main opposition. We ghost our way to about a minute outside town, then buff up, using all the scrolls of Invisibility we had. Fred gets hulked out (enlarged), Tywin's chair gets levitate, and I toss Fly and Mirror image on myself as well.

The town is eerily quiet, even for the time we enter the place. Fred and James creep up and take out one watchman, then another when he goes around a corner. Tywin levitates up with his chair Xavier style, looking for signs of our enemy. I fly over to the inn, roll max on my summon monster IV, and have the trio of Fiendish apes crash through the windows SWAT-style to attack!

I...uh...was open-ended with my attack instruction, and the apes bash in to the inkeeper's family room. Whoops! On the upside, only one ape has enough actions left to attack, so one kid may have gotten ape-slapped before I rein them in. Fred and James continue their scuffle with the watchmen, Tywin keeps overwatch, and myself and the gorilla gang rumble downstairs to collide with some other watchmen. After some more ineffectual scuffling, we agree to head for the docking tower before our buffs fade. I zoom out still unseen and head for the tower, leaving my apes the instruction to cause a lot of commotion, but only to attack people who attack them. Mongo, Mingo, and Reginald (he's the rebel of the family) spend the rest of the 16(!) rounds (I love Malconvoker) or so I have left on my summons tying up the town guards by being loud and scary. James and Fred hustle for the tower, and Tywin floats along slowly. I zoom up to the top of the 50 ft tower, and start staring with detect magic while James sprints up the top of the tower. After a moment, there's definitely magic in the crates.

So I grease a path under the crate to the edge of the open tower, and get James to bull rush the crate off the edge :smallbiggrin:. The box goes crash! and an inactive clay golem tumbles out in front of Fred. Fred obligingly starts pummeling it before it wakes up, and I bombard it with an orb of Force. Then the second golem activates and steps towards James! Except it slips on the grease and falls over. James fails horribly trying to bull rush the now active golem, and runs away before it has more than one chance of splattering James all over the tower. He reaches the bottom of the tower just in time for Fred to finish his two-round combo of Divine Surge followed by Mountain Hammer, destroying the inactive golem.

By this time, Tywin has hovered his way right close to the tower. So the clay golem jumps off with the intention of squashing Tywin! After some debate, it's ruled like a bull rush. It manages to snag Tywin, but thankfully the levitate effect means he just takes a few points of damage while the golem takes some too. I summon a Fiendish Dire Wolf, and we begin the gang-beating. Tywin gets clocked twice before he manage to get out of reach, but Fred+Fiendish Dire Wolf+another Fiendish Ape+lesser orbs of Fire dismantles the golem in short order while James keeps watch with a drawn bow.

When the emaciated Ghost guy appears down the street in a daze, he gets a readied action arrow to the face. Tywin fires a Spiritual Weapon off, and I lob a lesser orb of acid right as Tywin shouts to keep him alive...aaand I crit. He's okay though! At -6.

James gets close enough to zap him with Close Wounds while my Dire wolf stands over him snarling. The close wounds puts him back to exactly 0. The Ghost tries some funky unique ability to go incorporeal (?) but since it's a standard action, he passes out and goes solid again. As we're gathering around him, Fred notices the air carrier getting closer. That's bad news. I dim-door the Ghost and Tywin along with myself, and James and Fred beat feet. We make it out of the town before they firebomb the ENTIRE TOWN.

The flames light our way back into the swamp for a long time as we call off the attack and retreat into stealth.

We have Fred non-lethally pummel our prisoner to give us more time to plan how to contain someone who can seemingly turn incorporeal at will. The best we can figure out with spellcraft and knowledge arcana checks is a binding circle, using dimensional anchor and magic circle against evil the next morning. Tywin leaves a note outside the circle warning the Ghost not to shift, or he'll die. As he wakes up, we all surround the circle and begin...the interrogation!

The interrogation...doesn't go that well. All we get out of this "Ghost" is he's a fanatic. He's uncaring that the whole town burned for nothing. He's not wearing any jewelry either, and is surprised when we threaten that we can break the clockwork jewelry's hold. I also spam Charm monster, Suggestion, and Charm Person, all of which fail. the Ghost also refers to Thiloff as his Father constantly, and says that he's willing to die for him.

Since we can't get anything out of him, and the circle won't last forever, we oblige him. James has been watching with Detect magic, and the binding circle +a high knowledge religion check means he sees something...odd as the soul departs. Apparently it looks both gnomish and human. After some more inspections and research (and another Speak with Dead), we figure out what's up with this Ghost, why no gods other than those of death seem to be paying attention to Romanov, and exactly what sort of evil gnome we're up against;

This Ghost guy's soul was born from a fragment of Thiloff's. That's right, we're up against a shorter Lord Voldemort. Who's got a full on, "A God am I" create life in my image sort of complex.


The session ends there, and we level! Normally level 10 doesn't do a ton, but I now have access to 5th level spells, and most importantly...Fiendish Legion. Heh heh heh...ha ha ha...AHAHAHAHA!

Picanet
2015-05-24, 04:42 PM
Where Kas Went:

For those who want to know where the merry murderess went :P

Joss teaching her how to throw a knife. Joss first showing hesitation before patting her down to see if he could find all the knives she had hidden on her. Joss teasing her for not keeping up as they raced across rooftops. Joss wrestling the knife away after she missed his neck, the kiss, and everything that followed after. Joss with a bottle of wine and a scarf - gifts to try and make his disappearance easier on her…It was all just a game at the time, a distraction. It hadn’t meant anything.

Kas tore at the scarf at her neck and all the memories soaked into the fine fabric. What had been a source of comfort around her neck had become a choking vice. While the rest of them had started poking at the body of the changeling, she had turned and left. No one was watching where she was going anyway. She needed time alone, and she needed to flay someone living – and one was simply a delay tactic for the other. She didn’t stop her ghostly march until she was well beyond earshot of the orc encampment; her hands oozing violent violet.

Her insides were a raging ball of barbed wire banging about her rib cage. Somewhere behind her eyes a faint burning sensation threatened to get the better of her until she slid the tip of one of her blades far enough under her thumbnail that the hiss of pain quashed any hint of treacherous tears. She glanced back at the orc encampment and made a silent decision a short second later. They would be fine without her. They’d be safer without her. She could feel the murderous spike throbbing behind her eyes– and it wasn’t going away.

It still hadn’t released its hold when she got to Road’s End, but when the Mist Carrier made its arrival for a supply run she seized her chance. Maybe she had some half formed plan about getting back to Cassandra, hunting Joss down, and murdering him slowly with the same scarf he had given her as a gift. She didn’t really think that far ahead other than stowing away on the first supply crate. She waited until the hold was full again and she could feel the ship moving before she risked taking a look around – and ran into her first victim as he walked about with his clipboard; triple checking that everything was in order. He had stared at her in shock – the black clad ghost with a murderous red eye that glowed slightly in the shadows she had struck from. He slid off the blade a second later with a gurgle, and she had watched him finish bleeding out before slicing the tendons in his limbs so that he folded neatly into one of the shipping crates; but not before ripping off his feather fall token. It wasn’t like he was going to need it anymore. As she wiped the blood off the small pin a feral thought raced across her mind followed by a wicked grin. How many worker bees could a hive lose before it ceased functioning?

The first thing she secured was her emergency exit, finding a garbage chute large enough she could dive through if things went south. She found where they kept the shuttles, and their water (into which she tossed an entire uncorked vial of poison - hard to run coordinated efforts when your guts are turning inside out). She stalked the crew through their first shifts and grinned at how well labelled and easy it was to navigate the massive ship. She found quiet rooms and places she could hide herself among the main arteries of the ship. Choke points, darker hallways, and ventilation shafts that would allow her voice to carry down to the wrong levels. She came across the weapons and ammunitions and… left them be. With better planning she might have risked playing with the dangerous stuff, but not this time. This time, Kas was going to keep to what she did best – though she did pocket an evacuation map from each level for Tywin in case she ever saw him again.
As soon as she had started planning the spinning ball of barbed wire had settled into a hover – spinning just as madly, but not wracking her insides. She wouldn’t get her hands on Joss for some time, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t practice what she would do to him; that didn’t mean she couldn’t send him a message.

And then she let loose.

She chose to start her little drama with a bunk of gnomes first. Their little hands stained with the grease of running the beast of a machine from within; their little bodies small enough to get into the inner workings – and small enough she could drag them about easily once she had slit their throats one at a time while they slept. She peeled the skin away from their backs, stretched it down their arms, and stuck their own fingers through holes she stabbed into the edges of the flesh. She strung them up like awkward fleshy bats from one of the cross beams in the room – it took hours, but in the end she was satisfied with her work and left the mirror painted in their coagulated blood.

Gnomes were never meant to fly, their place under earth and not in the sky
Blood in the Cogs

She hadn’t bothered to wash before the first pair of watchmen found them. She let one get away with a glimpse of her as she pulled her knife out of the first little bee’s armpit and dragged the sharp edge along the underside of his arm – imagining it was Joss’s. The screams were Joss. The whimper for mercy was Joss. The last thing the man who ‘escaped’ heard was a hum, a soft song, a lullaby. He scrambled desperately for the stairs and screamed in alarm, but all that was left of his partner was a bloody trail of a dragged corpse with his tendons cut and stuffed in one of the ventilation shafts – his blood leaking from the bottom of the grate.

She had moved onto another level by the time the marines made it to the bottom levels to investigate. She kept to the narrow hallways and stalked the crew as they awoke and began moving towards the sounds of alarm – only to find the man behind was already missing. She picked them off one at a time with cathartic swipes of her blade. Her little song echoed through the pipes causing panic, and when she had time she scrawled her message again with the blood of her latest victim.

Blood in the Cogs. Blood in the Cogs. Blood in the Cogs.

She passed silently through even the heavy iron doors; her newfound speed keeping her ahead of those brave enough to try and run after her - and keeping pace with those who tried to run. They managed to corner the ghost once... her hair was matted in a sticky scarlet, her clothes glistened, and her hands dripped around the grips of her knives. The lower half of her face was covered, but her eyes had turned two colours - scarlet and violet. She’d vanished before their eyes, fleeing to another level while the Marines found themselves with a near panicked crew. She heard something about getting someone off the ship, and was somewhat disappointed that they were returning to Road's End.

She gave them a couple hours peace as she caught her own breath and found herself chuckling softly into the soggy iron smell in her hands. The ship was just another monster with squishy bits that were vulnerable. She didn't have to cripple the ship, she just had to kill enough crew to strand the beast. If she could kill enough, perhaps she'd even be able to deliver a ship to the orcs... bah. Who was she kidding? She would still do it just for fun. The terror, the fear, the begging for their lives... Kas got to practice Joss's death 75 times.

She stayed away from the ship’s weapons, she avoided the actual marines unless she caught one alone, she dragged bloody paths to lead groups into areas where she had an advantage, and she slaughtered whoever she could get her claws into in between, leaving her message on mirrors and glass and windows purely out of practicality (easier to write without going back for more 'ink'). It wasn't until one of the Marines managed to cut her that she realized how much blood she had gotten on herself during her heedless murder spree... even she couldn't tell what blood was hers. Neither could the man who cut her.

"What are you?!" He screeched, even the strong compulsive logic wedged in his brain lost to the bloody apparition before him... and she melded into the shadows again, a single finger pressed against her lips in a hush.

Things started to go poorly after that. They locked down all the squishy workers and the marines were tight in their sweeps. With great reluctance Kas began her quiet journey back towards the shuttles, each smeared trail of blood she came across another crimson memory that brought some small measure of satisfaction. She jammed the key she had stripped off one of her victims into the hatch and pushed the small boat out and away just as the razing of Road’s End began. Grateful for the distraction, she kept to the ship’s own shadow as she glided silently back down to the earth - looking like some creature out of a horror novel as she guided the boat, still humming.

Little one, little one what do you see?
A monster for you, a monster for me,
Quiet your song and shut your eyes tight,
for not all monsters fear the light.

Hey... was that Harry? And James! What luck!
She turned the boat into a soft tilt towards them...

curious-puzzle
2015-05-24, 07:56 PM
She went into the swamp to plot revenge.

And listen to Linkin Park.

Lurkmoar
2015-05-24, 08:16 PM
She went into the swamp to plot revenge.

And listen to Linkin Park.

Crawling in my skin, these wounds they will not heal (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gd9OhYroLN0)

She's walking those empty streets alone. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HTvLFioq2YU)

Alright, that's enough of that. Looking forward to reading the rest of the update.:smallbiggrin:

curious-puzzle
2015-05-24, 11:33 PM
Already done, already done.

Blackhawk748
2015-05-24, 11:35 PM
The session ends there, and we level! Normally level 10 doesn't do a ton, but I now have access to 5th level spells, and most importantly...Fiendish Legion. Heh heh heh...ha ha ha...AHAHAHAHA!

This is how i envision you most of the time.

http://i.imgur.com/gb2BLBb.jpg

curious-puzzle
2015-05-25, 08:23 AM
!!!

I'm sorry I have to do this, Blackhawk748, but...

You know too much.

http://i.imgur.com/eM9tpp8.gif

Blackhawk748
2015-05-25, 10:48 AM
!!!

I'm sorry I have to do this, Blackhawk748, but...

You know too much.

http://i.imgur.com/eM9tpp8.gif

Huh, flying monkeys, been awhile since ive had target practice.

http://media.giphy.com/media/300plYO3yioc8/giphy.gif

Jeargroth
2015-05-25, 01:56 PM
What our narrator hasn't expanded...

Thiloff has cloned himself, killed the clone and through Druidic reincarnation raised it again giving a small piece of his soul away to (kickstart/germinate) create a new soul/humanoid.

I am GM and I approve this message.

Still say that crashing through the walls and window of an inn result in loud noise. So does throwing a body in full plate into an empty ally. Thus negating requirements for the GM to actually have to state the benefits of stealth have disappeared.

curious-puzzle
2015-05-25, 06:52 PM
What our narrator hasn't expanded...

Thiloff has cloned himself, killed the clone and through Druidic reincarnation raised it again giving a small piece of his soul away to (kickstart/germinate) create a new soul/humanoid.



shorter Lord Voldemort


create life in my image

See, I totally explained it.:smallbiggrin:

Jeargroth
2015-05-25, 09:24 PM
PlaceHolder - Where Kas Went

For those who want to know where the merry murderess went :P
(awaiting GM approval before posting :P )

Approved ... post it already...

curious-puzzle
2015-05-28, 02:04 PM
Before I forget to post it, there will be no game to post next saturday (June 6) as myself and Fred's player are going to Lock&Load that weekend. So there won't be a campaign journal entry until after the game on June 20 (so far away)!

Unless Tywin and Kas decide to go off by themselves, but I'm thinking probably not...

Picanet
2015-05-28, 10:37 PM
Where Kas Went:

For those who want to know where the merry murderess went :P

Joss teaching her how to throw a knife. Joss first showing hesitation before patting her down to see if he could find all the knives she had hidden on her. Joss teasing her for not keeping up as they raced across rooftops. Joss wrestling the knife away after she missed his neck, the kiss, and everything that followed after. Joss with a bottle of wine and a scarf - gifts to try and make his disappearance easier on her…It was all just a game at the time, a distraction. It hadn’t meant anything.

Kas tore at the scarf at her neck and all the memories soaked into the fine fabric. What had been a source of comfort around her neck had become a choking vice. While the rest of them had started poking at the body of the changeling, she had turned and left. No one was watching where she was going anyway. She needed time alone, and she needed to flay someone living – and one was simply a delay tactic for the other. She didn’t stop her ghostly march until she was well beyond earshot of the orc encampment; her hands oozing violent violet.

Her insides were a raging ball of barbed wire banging about her rib cage. Somewhere behind her eyes a faint burning sensation threatened to get the better of her until she slid the tip of one of her blades far enough under her thumbnail that the hiss of pain quashed any hint of treacherous tears. She glanced back at the orc encampment and made a silent decision a short second later. They would be fine without her. They’d be safer without her. She could feel the murderous spike throbbing behind her eyes– and it wasn’t going away.

It still hadn’t released its hold when she got to Road’s End, but when the Mist Carrier made its arrival for a supply run she seized her chance. Maybe she had some half formed plan about getting back to Cassandra, hunting Joss down, and murdering him slowly with the same scarf he had given her as a gift. She didn’t really think that far ahead other than stowing away on the first supply crate. She waited until the hold was full again and she could feel the ship moving before she risked taking a look around – and ran into her first victim as he walked about with his clipboard; triple checking that everything was in order. He had stared at her in shock – the black clad ghost with a murderous red eye that glowed slightly in the shadows she had struck from. He slid off the blade a second later with a gurgle, and she had watched him finish bleeding out before slicing the tendons in his limbs so that he folded neatly into one of the shipping crates; but not before ripping off his feather fall token. It wasn’t like he was going to need it anymore. As she wiped the blood off the small pin a feral thought raced across her mind followed by a wicked grin. How many worker bees could a hive lose before it ceased functioning?

The first thing she secured was her emergency exit, finding a garbage chute large enough she could dive through if things went south. She found where they kept the shuttles, and their water (into which she tossed an entire uncorked vial of poison - hard to run coordinated efforts when your guts are turning inside out). She stalked the crew through their first shifts and grinned at how well labelled and easy it was to navigate the massive ship. She found quiet rooms and places she could hide herself among the main arteries of the ship. Choke points, darker hallways, and ventilation shafts that would allow her voice to carry down to the wrong levels. She came across the weapons and ammunitions and… left them be. With better planning she might have risked playing with the dangerous stuff, but not this time. This time, Kas was going to keep to what she did best – though she did pocket an evacuation map from each level for Tywin in case she ever saw him again.
As soon as she had started planning the spinning ball of barbed wire had settled into a hover – spinning just as madly, but not wracking her insides. She wouldn’t get her hands on Joss for some time, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t practice what she would do to him; that didn’t mean she couldn’t send him a message.

And then she let loose.

She chose to start her little drama with a bunk of gnomes first. Their little hands stained with the grease of running the beast of a machine from within; their little bodies small enough to get into the inner workings – and small enough she could drag them about easily once she had slit their throats one at a time while they slept. She peeled the skin away from their backs, stretched it down their arms, and stuck their own fingers through holes she stabbed into the edges of the flesh. She strung them up like awkward fleshy bats from one of the cross beams in the room – it took hours, but in the end she was satisfied with her work and left the mirror painted in their coagulated blood.

Gnomes were never meant to fly, their place under earth and not in the sky
Blood in the Cogs

She hadn’t bothered to wash before the first pair of watchmen found them. She let one get away with a glimpse of her as she pulled her knife out of the first little bee’s armpit and dragged the sharp edge along the underside of his arm – imagining it was Joss’s. The screams were Joss. The whimper for mercy was Joss. The last thing the man who ‘escaped’ heard was a hum, a soft song, a lullaby. He scrambled desperately for the stairs and screamed in alarm, but all that was left of his partner was a bloody trail of a dragged corpse with his tendons cut and stuffed in one of the ventilation shafts – his blood leaking from the bottom of the grate.

She had moved onto another level by the time the marines made it to the bottom levels to investigate. She kept to the narrow hallways and stalked the crew as they awoke and began moving towards the sounds of alarm – only to find the man behind was already missing. She picked them off one at a time with cathartic swipes of her blade. Her little song echoed through the pipes causing panic, and when she had time she scrawled her message again with the blood of her latest victim.

Blood in the Cogs. Blood in the Cogs. Blood in the Cogs.

She passed silently through even the heavy iron doors; her newfound speed keeping her ahead of those brave enough to try and run after her - and keeping pace with those who tried to run. They managed to corner the ghost once... her hair was matted in a sticky scarlet, her clothes glistened, and her hands dripped around the grips of her knives. The lower half of her face was covered, but her eyes had turned two colours - scarlet and violet. She’d vanished before their eyes, fleeing to another level while the Marines found themselves with a near panicked crew. She heard something about getting someone off the ship, and was somewhat disappointed that they were returning to Road's End.

She gave them a couple hours peace as she caught her own breath and found herself chuckling softly into the soggy iron smell in her hands. The ship was just another monster with squishy bits that were vulnerable. She didn't have to cripple the ship, she just had to kill enough crew to strand the beast. If she could kill enough, perhaps she'd even be able to deliver a ship to the orcs... bah. Who was she kidding? She would still do it just for fun. The terror, the fear, the begging for their lives... Kas got to practice Joss's death 75 times.

She stayed away from the ship’s weapons, she avoided the actual marines unless she caught one alone, she dragged bloody paths to lead groups into areas where she had an advantage, and she slaughtered whoever she could get her claws into in between, leaving her message on mirrors and glass and windows purely out of practicality (easier to write without going back for more 'ink'). It wasn't until one of the Marines managed to cut her that she realized how much blood she had gotten on herself during her heedless murder spree... even she couldn't tell what blood was hers. Neither could the man who cut her.

"What are you?!" He screeched, even the strong compulsive logic wedged in his brain lost to the bloody apparition before him... and she melded into the shadows again, a single finger pressed against her lips in a hush.

Things started to go poorly after that. They locked down all the squishy workers and the marines were tight in their sweeps. With great reluctance Kas began her quiet journey back towards the shuttles, each smeared trail of blood she came across another crimson memory that brought some small measure of satisfaction. She jammed the key she had stripped off one of her victims into the hatch and pushed the small boat out and away just as the razing of Road’s End began. Grateful for the distraction, she kept to the ship’s own shadow as she glided silently back down to the earth - looking like some creature out of a horror novel as she guided the boat, still humming.

Little one, little one what do you see?
A monster for you, a monster for me,
Quiet your song and shut your eyes tight,
for not all monsters fear the light.

Hey... was that Harry? And James! What luck!
She turned the boat into a soft tilt towards them...

There, sorry for the delay :P - though who knows? Maybe we'll win the day while you're all off on your road trip!

Lurkmoar
2015-05-29, 02:12 AM
There, sorry for the delay :P - though who knows? Maybe we'll win the day while you're all off on your road trip!

Good job unleashing your inner Hannibal Lecter.

Picanet
2015-05-29, 08:09 AM
Good job unleashing your inner Hannibal Lecter.
Thank ye. When I first approached Jeargoth with the idea, he gave Kas a 48 hour window and he wanted to know what she did with that time. I wasn't going to be able to take the carrier out, but a reign of terror on squishies? So long as I was smart about it, I didn't have to make too many rolls once I was on the ship.

My coplayers are pretty sure that Kas has started to do some alignment switching... lol

Blackhawk748
2015-05-29, 02:46 PM
Thank ye. When I first approached Jeargoth with the idea, he gave Kas a 48 hour window and he wanted to know what she did with that time. I wasn't going to be able to take the carrier out, but a reign of terror on squishies? So long as I was smart about it, I didn't have to make too many rolls once I was on the ship.

My coplayers are pretty sure that Kas has started to do some alignment switching... lol

I played the Hearse Song on a loop once Kas started humming, greatly improved the murder spree.

curious-puzzle
2015-06-02, 07:12 PM
Fun Filler! Since our cover is totally blown (and we've ganked one of the ruling council) we I decided that our characters have wanted posters now! At the moment, there's just the crimes. Little pictures may come one day from Picanet (Kas' player) as she is the only one who doesn't commit a war crime when attempting to doodle or sketch.

WANTED FOR CRIMES AGAINST THE KINGDOM OF ROMANOV

Wanted for crimes of:
Mass Murder
Treason
Theft of Crown property
Stalking
Renditions of non-Crown approved songs
Impersonation of an Officer
Human trafficking
Fraud
Providing false information to an immigration officer
Possession of illegal substances


Wanted for crimes of:
Treason
Murder
Magical Malfeasance of a malevolent nature
Theft of Crown property
Unauthorized extraplanar Summoning
Accessory to Human trafficking
Disturbing the Peace
Fraud
Providing false information to an immigration officer
Slander and libel against the Crown

Wanted for crimes of:
High Treason
Misuse of Crown property
Accessory to murder
Espionage
Use of Crown sanctioned labor for personal gain
Aiding enemies of the Crown
Tinkering without the approval of local Overseers
Fraud
Knowingly filing improper immigration forms with malicious intent
Intention to sell Crown secrets

Wanted for crimes of:
Treason
Murder
Mass property damage
Dereliction of Duty
Disruption of Bovine operations
Aiding enemies of the Crown
Theft of Crown property
Fraud
Providing false information to an immigration officer
Littering


ALL ARE CONSIDERED EXTREMELY DANGEROUS AND IRRATIONAL. CONTACT YOUR OVERSEER IMMEDIATELY IF YOU SPOT ANY SIGN OF THESE CRIMINALS. REMEMBER, IT’S YOUR DUTY TO WORK TOWARDS THE GREATER GOOD

Hadn't put any bounties up yet, since you don't have to pay people when you have them mind-controlled. However, I leave it up to you fine folk! Should there be gold values, and if so, who's bounty should be the highest?:smallbiggrin:

ComaVision
2015-06-03, 09:56 AM
Hadn't put any bounties up yet, since you don't have to pay people when you have them mind-controlled. However, I leave it up to you fine folk! Should there be gold values, and if so, who's bounty should be the highest?:smallbiggrin:

None of you are worth a red copper. Your insignificant meddling doesn't even qualify as a setback in Romanov's grand scheme. If your abilities rivaled your hubris, we may have cause for alarm.

curious-puzzle
2015-06-03, 11:51 AM
ppffft you're obviously wearing a piece of clockwork jewelry. We're totally the quirky and lovable band of underdogs struggling against the faceless conformist empire. The baddies don't stand a chance:smallbiggrin:

And I'll have you know that if my abilities matched my hubris, I'd have Graz'zt in a frilly dress and Demogorgon fetching my slippers already.

Jeargroth
2015-06-03, 03:08 PM
Thilloff, "Come my people! Come unto me for the blessing of the Great Movement! We must purify the heathens, with righteous FIRE! Let it RAIN from the HEAVENS."

Chorus, "One of us! One of us! One of us."

Blackhawk748
2015-06-03, 05:12 PM
I like how Fred has "Littering" as one of his crimes.

Also, never mess with a summoner, especially one that has a permanently summoned Slaughter Demon. Oh wait thats Fred.

Jeargroth
2015-06-10, 08:39 PM
And what rough beast, its hour come round last,
Slouches towards Cassandra to be born.



William Butler Yeats (1865-1939)
THE SECOND COMING

Turning and turning in the widening gyre
The falcon cannot hear the falconer;
Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold;
Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world,
The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere
The ceremony of innocence is drowned;
The best lack all conviction, while the worst
Are full of passionate intensity.

Surely some revelation is at hand;
Surely the Second Coming is at hand.
The Second Coming! Hardly are those words out
When a vast image out of Spiritus Mundi
Troubles my sight: a waste of desert sand;
A shape with lion body and the head of a man,
A gaze blank and pitiless as the sun,
Is moving its slow thighs, while all about it
Wind shadows of the indignant desert birds.

The darkness drops again but now I know
That twenty centuries of stony sleep
Were vexed to nightmare by a rocking cradle,
And what rough beast, its hour come round at last,
Slouches towards Bethlehem to be born?



So the end is coming for our intrepid Adventurers. If you wish to take part in the possible saving of Cassandra from these rough villains, or you just want Romanov to destroy the world or you're a troll. Please PM me. I am taking suggestions on challenges for our heros(???) if your idea is used we will happily credit you in our journal to be displayed in perpetuity on these boards... or until the forums implode from ragers and flamers.

Picanet
2015-06-21, 04:37 PM
Somewhere out there is Puzzle's entry doooooooooone?

Played well past midnight, almost died twiiiiiice, hoping loots' nice! Where's my diiiiiiiice?

Lurkmoar
2015-06-21, 05:14 PM
Somewhere out there is Puzzle's entry doooooooooone?

Played well past midnight, almost died twiiiiiice, hoping loots' nice! Where's my diiiiiiiice?

Did you check under the couch? It's a real pain if the couch is low to the ground.

Jeargroth
2015-06-21, 06:37 PM
Somewhere out there is Puzzle's entry doooooooooone?

Here, here. I too wish to see the interpretation of lasts nights escapades. The group is now into levels where getting beaten to death is unlikely, but death from a bad saving throw almost expected.

curious-puzzle
2015-06-21, 10:29 PM
Like the spoiler says, our murderous little cutpurse brought us a flying ship! It's about 20ft long, so enough room for all of us, and two castings of invisibility Sphere will turn us fully into stealth mode. While Tywin examines and figures out how the ship works, I use a scroll of Planar Binding to call up a Galeb Dur. Negotiating about a week's worth of work, we set the elemental creature to making us a new underground lair. In the meantime, we fly off to check on what remains of our first lair.

On an alarming note, Kas is back to hearing the arguing voices in her head, and now the male voice is louder. Can't imagine why that's happened...*cough*. To make sure our allies don't mistake us for the bad guys, we invert the ship's flag of Romanov, and paint a jolly roger over it. So...we're sky pirates now.

https://encrypted-tbn1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcR71ShmLWuB5DT0N770QYBpU3sT2sI70 Ev_vJyApsFIAGGH5Nzz5A

When we arrive at where our base used to be, the whole forest has been burned to ash for practically a mile in every direction. Continuing on, we eventually attract the notice of the Raven's men (they probably spot our wicked flag). Landing, we have a sharing moment with the Raven: We have an orc army (yay!), only a couple people died when Joss smashed out of the base (yay!), Joss left a note taunting Kas about he got a better offer and challenging Kas to come and get him (boo!), and our next course of action is to go talk to the necromancers (ugh).


Apparently the largest orc hold was in a mountain named Broken Fang by the orcs (because it has a broken peak, surprise), and Ragnor's Peak by everyone else. It should be relatively easy to find, as it's an inactive volcano. So we set off through the skies!We avoid several encounters such as a gang of trolls, and an ogre encampment, since we're flying and all. It's a little over a week compared to close to two months to get into and through the mountains. It also means that I spend the trip working on various scrolls. Eventually we spot flying creatures in the distance - Zombie Dire Bats! We put up a white flag, and two bearing riders eventually flap close enough for us to negotiate a place to land and speak.

The two necromancers are more than happy to escort us to their leader (Methinks a combination of us having a stolen flying ship, our confidence in stating that we killed a member of the ruling council, and we might actually be gaining a bit of notoriety), who we quickly learn is a lich named Maximus. His second in command/advisor is Talos, a priest of Erythnul. We also have about a part day's travel to reach the base proper; this is just an outpost apparently. We chain up and Arcane lock the wheel of the ship, creating Ye Olde Club. The necromancers provide us with zombie mounts (blessedly all hit with Gentle Repose, and we set off to the hidden lair of the dread necromancers, inside of a volcano. Points for respecting the classics, certainly.

When we arrive at the entrance to the caverns by nightfall or so, it's...unimpressive. The wooden palisades are a horrific mess, clearly no one majored in both necromancy and architecture. There are a ridiculous number of zombies and skeletons about, though. Tywin is personally offended enough by the shoddy work that he jots off some quick fixes and hands them to one of our escorts, who bemusedly hands it off to a vampire leading a work crew of zombies. We travel deeeeepp into the caverns, wandering by a checklist of various undead beasties including ghouls, specters, wights, etc. Finally we enter a room with an unassuming gnome, and a walking corpse with burning eyes and an aura of power.

Making small talk with a lich, even one who is being polite and is interested in working with you, is a tad awkward. We fumble our way through without any major social gaffes, even with the revelation that Maximus is/was the lord of the manor ruins we raided. Kas nearly starts shouting at him about the RIDICULOUS TRAPS LEADING TO CLOSETS AND STUPID TALKING STATUES before we remind her that we're trying to make nice (and he could probably kill us with one spell). We get to see a lich look vaguely embarrassed; meddling with portals to Pandemonium had driven him utterly loopy in life, but undeath seems to have restored his sanity and clarity. Cutting through all the dance back and forth and pleasantries, Maximus is intensely interested in our proposal; all he wants is a "small favor." At those words, we all tense. Apparently while he was alive, Maximus had opened a portal to Pandemonium in another part of the mountain range. When he went to correct this mistake after becoming a lich, Maximus found himself forced back by a group of mysterious priests that had claimed the caverns the portal was in. All we need to do is take out these priests and close the portal, and we have a contingent of several hundred skilled necromancers (divine and arcane both), several tomb-fulls of undead, and Maximus himself.

Oh, and Kas gets a LOT of uncomfortable attention. Apparently she has an aura of death about her, tinged with being 'godtouched' by both Wee Jas and Erythnul. The creepy little gnome priest of Erythnul, Talos, nearly walks right into her personal bubble while staring with far more interest than is appropriate. I possibly-hypothetically hint that being allies with us might encourage Kas to answer more of Talos' inquiries (I get a bit of a glare for that). So we have a side quest to complete!

Not wanting to sleep in a cavern complex full of undead, I Teleport us back to the ship. Using the handy map from Maximus, we head for the other end of the mountain range, the "dead" mountains strangely enough. Without our airship we wouldn't have had a chance to get there, there is practically no flat ground, or vegetation, or animal life of any sort. We decide to stealth our way to the small cave entrance, and activate the Invisibility spheres and park above the narrow ledge leading into the caves.

Kas scouts ahead for us, and finds a chest hidden behind a wall! Despite our jokes that it's a mimic chest full of other mimics, it's instead full of some scrolls and potions, and a giant sack of copper. She also finds a trap in a large open cavern; the whole cavern floor is rigged to shoot spears and blades up to repeatedly stab any schmucks walking across. Kas disarms it and starts trying to drag the copper pieces back, and we meet her partway down the tunnel. We carefully advance to the entrance to the large cavern, and Kas ghosts across it to check the tunnel on the other side. Creeping around the corner, she hears the sounds of grunting and hoofs.

It's a pack of 3 gorgons. And they spot Kas. Blessedly, she reacts first and hightails it away at maximum speed, her prestige class allowing her to ignore the difficult terrain of the cavern floor. She's fast enough that we have enough time to set up a cunning plan: Tywin Levitates up to the celing of the large cavern, I fly up next to him, and Kas re-arms the blade floor trap.

The gorgons trundle in! And all get stabbed repeatedly for respectable damage. Tywin thunks one with a orb of fire, and Fred/Kas/James all wait at the cavern entrance. I slap down a Black tentacles to lock the gorgons down even more, and they take a little damage from that too.

Here is the first time tonight several characters nearly die.

Both Tywin's player and myself had thought that gorgon breath was 30 feet, which is WRONG. It's a 60 foot cone. So the other three at the cave entrance are still safe due to the gorgons being slowed to a crawl, but Twyin and I floating 30 feet in the air are just lovely targets. We both cringe and look away as we roll with our pathetic fort saves...and I roll a natural 19! Tywin rolls right close, and we aren't petrified in mid air. Whew! Next round I don't want that happening again, so I bust out a Summon monster IV and flank the forward-most gorgon with two fiendish Dire wolves. They tear the injured (from the tentacles, the blades, and Tywin's orb) gorgon apart, and turn to intercept the remaining two gorgons, who take more damage from the blade trap and the tentacles. Tywin wisely hits himself with resistance. The gorgons go, and one dire wolf is stoned while the other makes it. Kas and Fred shuffle a little back from the entrance just in case. Next round, the combination of the blade trap, the tentacles, the wolf, and an enervate from James is enough to finish the gorgons off.

Kas scouts ahead again, and finds a pack of otyughs. One spots her somehow, and lumbers after her.

We just reset the trap and let the thing kill itself. After that we decide to disarm the trap and scrap the plan to lure everything into the cave into this room and let it do the work. Fred clangs his weapons together and advances into the tunnel, drawing the attention of the 11 remaining otyughs.

Now, being outnumbered 11 to 1 would normally be very bad, except Fred can fight in a choke point, and with his full plate and massively enchanted shield, the otyughs can only hit him on a natural 20. Also, Tywin cast Ablative armor on him, so even a crit could only damage Fred on a max roll. The fight basically is a drawn out, "otyughs flail ineffectually. Fred winds up and kill otyughs in 2 blows give or take, then cleaves. Repeat." There's also some maniacal giggling in there, and the voice in Kas' head that we're pretty sure represents CE and Erythnul whispers that it likes Frederick. We advance into the second larger cavern that the otyughs were squatting in, and as we start looking around, Kas and I spot something large, bright red, and winged rocketing down the opposite tunnel at us.

That's a red dragon. I crank my initiative roll, and whip my most powerful damage spell at the dragon as it enters the cavern, an Orb of Force...and roll a 1. Kas dances up and whips a sneak attack dagger into the dragon's side, then spring attacks back. Fred readies an action to hit the dragon when it's close. The dragon makes it into the room, swoops up to the ceiling, and blasts us all with its fire breath.

For 9 damage. As we're all scoffing and laughing, the GM realizes he was looking at the entirely wrong stat box, and rerolls.

For 46 damage. Kas dives out of the way with evasion, Fred makes his save, but that puts Tywin, James, and myself all down to dangerously low health. Ow! I scan through which summons would be useful, and decide on yeth hounds; they don't do as much damage as dire wolves, but they can fly. One bounces off the dragon's AC, but one hits for some damage. Tywin uses a scroll of Levitate on Fred, and James does some healing on Tywin. Next round!

Kas uses her hidden blade skill trick and lands another sneak attack dagger toss, I shuffle to one side to spread out while my yeth hounds do a tiny bit of damage, and then Fred floats up and absolutely cranks the dragon with a Divine Surge. It tries to continue flying, clearly intending to strafe us repeatedly from the ceiling, and succeeds in powering through the attacks of opportunity from the yeth hounds and Fred (who tried for a Stand Still attack). It's coming around for another blast...Tywin prepares to hide in cover from another blast, and James heals himself some. I burn another summon monster, and call up two Huge Fiendish Monstrous Centipedes, which are juuussst big enough to reach the dragon :smallbiggrin:. They both try and grapple the clumsy flier to bring it down. The first gets the attack of opportunity in the mandibles, but the second does it! With a crash and an angry roar, the dragon is brought down to earth. A yeth hound crits for nice damage!. With a mighty roar, the dragon manages to break free of the grapple, but is now surrounded by two fiendish huge centipedes. We might have a chance now...Kas maneuvers for a flanking attack, Fred shuffles closer in preparation to smack the dragon, and Tywin uses his Hammersphere for solid damage.

Next round, and it's getting late, so we have to pull out all the stops. I use my last Summon monster spell to call up two Fiendish apes (for those of you keeping track, that's now 6 fiendish beasties beating on this dragon) and surround the dragon while I shuffle more to the side. The centipedes try and grapple, the yeth hounds bite, and the apes claw and bite. Kas dances in and out of the one spot still open to reach the dragon and sneak attacks it, and then Fred is close enough. He rears back with an Elder Mountain Hammer!

And rolls 13 damage. So on 7d6 (6d6 plus 1d6 for weapon), he rolled a 10. Sad...

The dragon does not like this turn of event in the slightest. It blasts out a gout of flame at anything between it and escape...which is one of my centipedes, James...and Tywin. On the plus side, he has cover from his chair (he had raised his shield defence) and the giant centipede. We all cringe as damage is rolled; the centipede is hurt (whatevs, that's what they're for), James is hurt, and Tywin is...Tywin is...

At 5 hit points. The dragon then panics and tries to flee from the crowd of ripping and tearing around it. I fail on most of my attacks of opportunity, but Fred wallops it with another Stand Still and the dragon fails! Another round of my 6 minions beating on it, Kas stabbing, Fred smacking, Twyin's spiritual weapon, James' spiritual weapon, and some high rolls finally finishes the beast off. Yay!

The GM then ends the night on a cliffhanger with a voice calling out, "What's going on?"

Whew! Couple tense situations in a fun combat heavy night! Next session might be interesting, with Tywin at super low health, me running low on my more powerful offensive spells, and James using a good chunk of his spells too.

Jeargroth
2015-06-22, 09:38 PM
"Whew! Couple tense situations in a fun combat heavy night! Next session might be interesting, with Tywin at super low health, me running low on my more powerful offensive spells, and James using a good chunk of his spells too."

I believe the words used were I have no spells left above 1st level, by Haern, Tywin was concurring as well as people going on about how low their hit points were. Except Kas... who has rogue evasion and probably Improved evasion now. So yes our intrepid adventures entered the fray, and spent their spells on the random Mobs that populate this small dungeon... Worse of all NO TREASURE... Gorgons don't have any, and the Dragon was from another place. So wealth by level table is broken again... in a bad way for the party :nale:.

I am GM, I approve this thread and the potential character deaths that follow. Only problem is if I do manage a TPK how: to end the series :xykon:

If you have a favorite hero please post who deserves death the least of our Outlaws. I will give that character a Saving Bonus vs spells, a get out of jail free card so to speak at any given time. Yes, like alot of this adventure I have ripped off other popular culture sources, the Survivor Immunity Idol is up for grabs. "Surviors! I mean Forum Goers! Are you READY!"

ComaVision
2015-06-22, 11:45 PM
If you have a favorite hero please post who deserves death the least of our Outlaws. I will give that character a Saving Bonus vs spells, a get out of jail free card so to speak at any given time. Yes, like alot of this adventure I have ripped off other popular culture sources, the Survivor Immunity Idol is up for grabs. "Surviors! I mean Forum Goers! Are you READY!"
I vote Haern for immunity.

Lurkmoar
2015-06-23, 06:25 AM
I am GM, I approve this thread and the potential character deaths that follow. Only problem is if I do manage a TPK how: to end the series :xykon:

If you have a favorite hero please post who deserves death the least of our Outlaws. I will give that character a Saving Bonus vs spells, a get out of jail free card so to speak at any given time. Yes, like alot of this adventure I have ripped off other popular culture sources, the Survivor Immunity Idol is up for grabs. "Surviors! I mean Forum Goers! Are you READY!"

Hey now, with all those necromancers around, death could just be the beginning!

And I vote for Kas, at least until her loose ends are tied up... or more likely, snipped by her blades.

YossarianLives
2015-06-23, 11:49 AM
I vote for Fred.

Hey, I'm a sucker for a killing-machine encased in full-plate

Blackhawk748
2015-06-23, 08:54 PM
I vote for Fred.

Hey, I'm a sucker for a killing-machine encased in full-plate

I concur! Thought i also appreciate the summoning of Fiendish Legions

curious-puzzle
2015-06-25, 11:15 AM
So...is that half a vote for Fred and I?:smallwink:

Or are you going to make the fateful decision and pick one of us?

Korilith
2015-06-25, 11:45 AM
I'll add my vote for Kas!

Bad Wolf
2015-06-25, 04:53 PM
I also vote Kas.

And out of curiosity, whats the stats for everyone by now?

curious-puzzle
2015-06-25, 05:17 PM
I also vote Kas.

And out of curiosity, whats the stats for everyone by now?

That's Kas in the lead with 3, Fred with 2, and my poor self with 1.

*sniffle* I thought you liked me best? :smalleek:


:smallbiggrin: I kid, I kid.

Lurkmoar
2015-06-25, 05:52 PM
That's Kas in the lead with 3, Fred with 2, and my poor self with 1.

*sniffle* I thought you liked me best? :smalleek:


:smallbiggrin: I kid, I kid.

Nobody has voted for Tywin yet. The votes don't mean we think your character is disposable, we just wanna see how the stuff about Kas plays out. Though getting a report about what would happen to the soul of Kas after death would be very interesting reading...

Bad Wolf
2015-06-25, 07:00 PM
Also, what exactly is happening to Kas? I'm sort of confused about the whole voices thing.

curious-puzzle
2015-06-26, 12:31 AM
Oh, I know Lurkmoar, it's just that being melodramatic is fun. :smallbiggrin:

And as for Kas' voices, you'd have to pin down Jeargroth for 100% accuracy, but I'm pretty sure it's that she's been marked/touched/noticed/what have you by both Wee Jas and Erythnul (or at least powers dedicated to them). Her behavior and actions gives more influence to one voice or the other; I imagine at one point a choice will have to be made. Seeing as how the choices are between the patron of magic and necromancy, and wanton slaughter, neither are that peachy.

Bad Wolf
2015-06-26, 12:52 AM
Oh, I know Lurkmoar, it's just that being melodramatic is fun. :smallbiggrin:

And as for Kas' voices, you'd have to pin down Jeargroth for 100% accuracy, but I'm pretty sure it's that she's been marked/touched/noticed/what have you by both Wee Jas and Erythnul (or at least powers dedicated to them). Her behavior and actions gives more influence to one voice or the other; I imagine at one point a choice will have to be made. Seeing as how the choices are between the patron of magic and necromancy, and wanton slaughter, neither are that peachy.

She could pick a couple levels of Favored Soul or Cleric or something for Wee Jas, and start raising the dead.

Picanet
2015-06-26, 01:57 PM
I have looked at throwing some divine class in the mix for her build. The prestige class Puzzle and some others helps me build is a lot of fun and well worth picking up some of the final abilities (note to self, post class for our forum lurkers to enjoy).

I hadn't given favored soul a hard look in a while, i'll do so again and see where things might fit. Thanks for the suggestion!

Also getting warm fuzziness from all the forum love for my little hanibaless. Yay get out of jail free card! Here I come!!!

Bad Wolf
2015-06-26, 02:29 PM
I have looked at throwing some divine class in the mix for her build. The prestige class Puzzle and some others helps me build is a lot of fun and well worth picking up some of the final abilities (note to self, post class for our forum lurkers to enjoy).

I hadn't given favored soul a hard look in a while, i'll do so again and see where things might fit. Thanks for the suggestion!

Also getting warm fuzziness from all the forum love for my little hanibaless. Yay get out of jail free card! Here I come!!!

Yes go divine spellcasting immediately. And that prestige class should be posted.

Picanet
2015-06-26, 03:18 PM
Only trick to taking the divine spell casting is she'll have to pick which side of the argument to take in her head; she finds the whole thing terribly annoying and wants nothing to do with their hullabaloo.

At least that's been the stance so far, but she can't stand on the fence forever. Even i'm not sure which side she'll jump to yet.

Bad Wolf
2015-06-26, 03:27 PM
Wee Jas is the cooler God though....

Blackhawk748
2015-06-27, 11:29 AM
Wee Jas is the cooler God though....

She is far more predictable, but with Erythnul you get to yell "Blood for the Blood God!!", and who doesnt want to do that?

Bad Wolf
2015-06-27, 01:28 PM
She is far more predictable, but with Erythnul you get to yell "Blood for the Blood God!!", and who doesnt want to do that?

But Kas isn't really the blood-rage type, more the quiet stabby type with deep psychological problems.

Blackhawk748
2015-06-27, 06:11 PM
But Kas isn't really the blood-rage type, more the quiet stabby type with deep psychological problems.

Well she could just whisper it into their ear as they die. Now i wanna make a character that does that....

curious-puzzle
2015-07-03, 12:29 PM
Skulls for the throne...shhh...

Yeah, that is suitably creepy :smallbiggrin:

Game tomorrow! And my spell situation is not as dire as Jeargroth thought...its not that I'm out of spells above 1st level, oh no...I'm out of major offensive spells (ie summons) above 1st. I've still got a good arsenal of toolbox spells (and spells in general). So we are ready to rumble!

Lurkmoar
2015-07-03, 01:02 PM
Skulls for the throne...shhh...


"Faithful... enlightened... ambitious... brethren.

In but a single decade, a few mere swipes of the pendulum, we have gathered a sacrifice to KhorneErythnul that will be made legend. Though it was a simpler, weaker voice that illuminated me during my centuries upon the Judgement of Carrion... it was Khorne'sErythnul's messenger that showed me the true path of freedom from our pathetic corpse-Emperor.

And what is this path? This meaning, this purpose to which we gather the skulls of our foes? It is nothing. There is no meaning, no purpose. We murder. We kill. It is mindless savagery, this UNIVERSE IS MINDLESS!

In mere hourstime, billionsall will die. Innocent! Guilty! Strong and weak! Honest and deceitful! ALL of them! They will scream, they will burn, and for no purpose but that mighty KhorneErythnul may revel in their bloodshed! And united in this void of purpose, fear, or duty... we shall at long last be free!

BLOOD! FOR THE BLOOD GOD!!! SKULLS! FOR THE SKULL THRONE!!! LET... THE GALAXYTHE MULTIVERSE... BUUUURRRRNNN!!!"

On second thought.... maybe go with Wee Jas.

That said, looking forward to your update!

Blackhawk748
2015-07-04, 10:57 AM
"Faithful... enlightened... ambitious... brethren.

In but a single decade, a few mere swipes of the pendulum, we have gathered a sacrifice to KhorneErythnul that will be made legend. Though it was a simpler, weaker voice that illuminated me during my centuries upon the Judgement of Carrion... it was Khorne'sErythnul's messenger that showed me the true path of freedom from our pathetic corpse-Emperor.

And what is this path? This meaning, this purpose to which we gather the skulls of our foes? It is nothing. There is no meaning, no purpose. We murder. We kill. It is mindless savagery, this UNIVERSE IS MINDLESS!

In mere hourstime, billionsall will die. Innocent! Guilty! Strong and weak! Honest and deceitful! ALL of them! They will scream, they will burn, and for no purpose but that mighty KhorneErythnul may revel in their bloodshed! And united in this void of purpose, fear, or duty... we shall at long last be free!

BLOOD! FOR THE BLOOD GOD!!! SKULLS! FOR THE SKULL THRONE!!! LET... THE GALAXYTHE MULTIVERSE... BUUUURRRRNNN!!!"

On second thought.... maybe go with Wee Jas.

That said, looking forward to your update!

I LOVE this speech, it makes me wanna play a Khornate Librarian

Picanet
2015-07-04, 03:59 PM
Go Wee Jas after a speech like that?! Are you nuts? Lol!

Game is on tonight folks!

Bad Wolf
2015-07-04, 06:55 PM
Go Wee Jas after a speech like that?! Are you nuts? Lol!

Game is on tonight folks!

But Wee Jas is awesome and death-themed...

Picanet
2015-07-04, 07:01 PM
But Wee Jas is awesome and death-themed...
Well, i've been told i'll have to make the choice soon. We'll find out soon!

Lazarias
2015-07-05, 01:40 PM
Tywin is feeling the love. :smallannoyed:

Oh well - sucks to be the cripple.

Lurkmoar
2015-07-05, 01:52 PM
Tywin is feeling the love. :smallannoyed:

Oh well - sucks to be the cripple.

I love all of you rascals. It's just that Kas is a face: an attention getter. But I believe the group is more then the sum of its parts. Without Tywin, it just doesn't work. Kas is definition, Fred is muscle, Haearnbydd provides focus while Twyin is structure, bone, rigidity. Without a straight man, the rest falls into a shapeless, rudderless mass.

And the straight man typically lives through these kinds of things(barring bad dice rolls and the like). After all, stories this good don't come from magic users casting Speak With Dead.

Edit: I acknowledge the irony of a Chaotic Neutral providing group focus, but Chaotic types have a way of doing that. :smallamused:

Lazarias
2015-07-05, 01:59 PM
It's true that the moral paragon of the party and leader is the TN Artificer, in the wheelchair. ****. Tywin is Dr. Xavier only more practical.

Lurkmoar
2015-07-05, 02:31 PM
It's true that the moral paragon of the party and leader is the TN Artificer, in the wheelchair. ****. Tywin is Dr. Xavier only more practical.

You haven't used your abilities on the team to make them do what you want either. So you are more moral the Prof X.

Man, later writers sure did go out of their way to make Xavier flawed to the point of being unlikable. Ah well.

...

You're not going to make a magic ring that charms the wearer to come around to your goals and ideals are you?

Lazarias
2015-07-05, 09:19 PM
You're not going to make a magic ring that charms the wearer to come around to your goals and ideals are you?

Meh. If they can't listen to reason. **** 'em. :smallbiggrin:

curious-puzzle
2015-07-05, 09:51 PM
So we return to our heroes, wounded and worn down, as a voice calls out a challenge!

Kas disappears in case combat breaks out, and I play the whole "innocent adventurer" game.

"Hello? I hear there's supposed to be a portal of some sorts here?" There's a weighty pause, and the voice asks what we know about the portal. After some more back and forth (and James uses the "fellow cleric" card), we agree to a parley, and meet in the middle of the cavern. There's three heavily armed and armored clerics, two aasimar and a tiefling, and they all have a strange symbol on their armor. Turns out they are priests of Order, as in dedicated to the concept of Law with a capital L...and they're from Sigil.:smalleek:

After some chatting, we find out that these three are hunting for a renegade from Sigil, who used this portal to get into our world. They also want to close the portal, but they haven't had any luck. Well, we're here to close the portal too, and we know how, so we offer to help them close the portal in exchange for them sharing some information with us. We all mosey down to the portal, and just as Maximus promised, there's a portal key hidden in the pillar to the left of the portal itself. After the portal is closed, we break bread and sit down to do some talking.

The renegade these priests are chasing is a being they know only as the Fool. He (or she) is a highly talented arcanist and shapeshifter, a powerful agent of Chaos and destruction. The Fool's favorite game is to empower and influence others, raise them to positions of great power, and then bring it all toppling down in a bloody fiery mess. The Fool is also quite talented with clockwork arcana...and is very persuasive.

Sounds a lot like this "Father" Thiloff kept talking about that. After we share information about Romanov, the three priests are also fairly convinced that the Fool is the Father. There had also been rumblings that this Fool they were chasing was planning something big and bad to destabilize Sigil (and by their beliefs, the Multiverse as Sigil is the center of everything); conquering and enslaving a world, then burning it down while you merrily head off to Sigil with a giant army would definitely qualify. It really doesn't take long for the priests and us to agree to work together to stop Thiloff, Romanov, and the Fool. We sign a (non-magical) contract of alliance, give them a Sending stone, and give them the location of our underground lair for the upcoming war council that we'll be holding in several weeks. With that, we head off to find the dragon's hoard! Kas reappears and scares the snot out of the priests, and off we go.

We find absolutely nothing in the cavern complex. However, looking around from the entrance of the caves, Tywin spots a large crevasse set into the side of another mountain several hundred feet away. Gold-lust burning in our veins, we soar off to the crevasse. Seems empty as we creep in, but as we make it around a corner, we come across what seems to be a bunch of boulders and stalagmites. However, they rear up and reveal themselves to be six giant hideous crustacean beasts with tentacled mouths, giant crushing claws, and bad dispositions! We seem to have encountered a group of rare mountain dwelling chuuls, which we quickly dub...


I act first and heave a Glitterdust at the two closest together, one saves while the other is blinded but seems unaffected. Then the rock lobster lumber forwards! Fred, Tywin, and James all take some damage, but they all manage to not be paralyzed. Fred clocks one with Divine Surge, James and Tywin buff, and Kas stabs one for good damage. Next round I hit one with a lesser acid orb, then the rock lobsters go. Even with poor rolls on the GM's part they knock James, Tywin, and Kas down to half health and grapple Kas and Fred. Yeep! No-one is paralyzed yet luckily, so Tywin yells for everyone to get close and readies a Teleport scroll. Once everyone is close except for me (everyone escapes their grapples like bosses), they warp to safety. I flip the Rock lobsters the bird and do the same. Once we're in the ship and at a safe spot, we rest and prepare for our revenge. Tomorrow, we will dine on giant ugly lobstermonster!

We plan on a one-fight adventuring day, and bust out all the stops. Tywin infuses all the melee weapons with all manner of abilities, including aberration bane, and slaps ablative armor on Fred, James buffs himself, I put on fly and blur, and we march/fly/levitate in. Round two!

It goes bad for the chuuls. I call up fiendish dire wolves and fiendish apes, Tywin busts out blasting rods, Fred's enlarged with all his buffs, James has Divine Power going, Kas is flanking, and all three of the melee fighters have all those buffs on their weapons. I also finally get a good opportunity to cast Mass snake's swiftness, and amazingly enough, 8 melee combatants getting extra attacks does wonders. Tywin rains fire down with his blasting rod, and it's over pretty swiftly. We find a healthy pile of platinum, some gems and art, and a ring of arming.

We fly back to the necromancers and conclude our end of the bargain, and officially gain their aid. Maximus and his creepy little gnome buddy agree to meet us for the upcoming war council, and we head out with the intention of having a week or so of downtime before the meeting.

Doesn't work that way, of course. Our invitation sent to the few friendly druids is responded to with a call for aid. Apparently the Archdruid has gone full on insane, killed two of the sympathetic druids, and is holding the rest of the younger druids hostage for "their own safety." After a large number of frustratingly vague Sendings (poor Tywin can't get anything relevant or tactical out of the poor girl), I send a last ditch attempt to bluff/threaten/harass the Archdruid directly, which doesn't really do much. Tywin decides that we need some backup in dealing with a unhinged archdruid, so he politely asks Maximus if he would assist us. :smallbiggrin:

So next session will begin with us teleporting to the grove with a powerful lich on our side. Might be able to talk her down, but probably not.

Kas also received information on her little..issue. After some advice from Maximus (the fact that he's so reasonable and civilized makes him more creepy) and James, she meditates and directly speaks to the voices. Which at first makes it even worse, as now instead of arguing with each other, they're speaking directly to her and trying to convince her! However, Kas manages to claim several days of silence by declaring that she will make a decision soon, and that the first of them to speak in those 3 days will immediately lose their claim on Kas. Blackmailing deities...I approve.

And the end is near! There are only several sessions remaining...so it's going to get bloody.

Lazarias
2015-07-05, 10:19 PM
You missed the ArchDruid's threat to Fred...

YossarianLives
2015-07-06, 12:25 AM
This is really heating up. I don't want it to end.

Picanet
2015-07-06, 09:25 AM
Personal favorite moment of the evening:

"Who's antagonizing the Lich?!"
"I'm not antagonizing; I'm asking legit questions about the voices in my head."
"...Kas did you lose your sense of self preservation?"
"What? He's cool -"

ComaVision
2015-07-06, 10:46 AM
You missed the ArchDruid's threat to Fred...

Go on, please.

curious-puzzle
2015-07-06, 11:51 AM
Right!

The Archdruid (who is Fred's evil aunt remember) used a sending to threaten Fred that if we showed up, his remaining family would die (so his cousin, and probably some other youths). It...didn't go as the Archdruid planned, as Fred's response was about this:
"The family I never knew and who have never done anything for me? Go ahead. My allies are my family, and we're coming for you."

Blackhawk748
2015-07-06, 04:31 PM
I feel that this (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tDZy6-fMCw4) is appropriate.

Also, give that crazy aunt hell!!

curious-puzzle
2015-07-06, 05:02 PM
That in fact was exactly what was playing while we fought them!

curious-puzzle
2015-07-19, 01:09 PM
So everyone's preparations are completed, spells are prepped, and the gang meets in the open clearing used for teleporting.

We're loading for bear/T-rex/druid, so Tywin throws out a lot of buffs onto everyone's items, including elf-bane on Fred and Kas' weapons, resistance, ablative armor, and a mithral chain shirt with the Twilight for me. I use my usual favorites of Fly, invisibility and blur (mirror image I'm saving for after the druid throws dispels around). With that, and with Maximus ready to mosey along with us, we teleport directly into the center of the druid grove.

And are shunted up a little and take d6 damage as there's now a large wicker pen/cage full of druid children in the center of the grove. There's also 4 druids guarding the cage, one of which is the Archdruid's #1 ally on the council! Initiative!
Battle music! (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m9kGaw216HM)
Kas goes first and tumbles off the cage, plants a dagger in the council druid's spleen, then uses her prestige class ability to go invisible. Fred sidles over and Divine Surges...and takes the druid's head in a deeply disturbing and graphic manner. Tywin yells for the other three druid mooks to surrender or die. They promptly make a poor life decision and run for it. Between Tywin, James, myself, and Kas, one manages to escape to the safety of the underbrush and flee (with apparently 2 hp remaining). We tear open the cage and tell the tree-brats to flee, don't want them in the way of a high-level fight, and one of the older kids runs up to Fred babbling about how the archdruid "got her, she got her."

Apparently Fred has a child(...?) and the Archdruid kidnapped her. I use my reserve elemental feat to pile the remains of the wicker cage and make a large "bring it" signal fire (then reapply invisibility). Fred yells out a challenge to the Archdruid with her newly minted title of "Bitchasaurus." A moment, her voice echoes out of the woods, threatening to do unpleasant things to Fred's child if we don't flee. Our counter is that we can raise the child after we kill the Archdruid. Tywin yells out that it's time for any druid who wishes to save their country to fight, and the woods explode with the noise of a massive furry jungle rumble. He also hears spellcasting, and throws up a Wall of Force to try and give some cover. As the Archdruid throws a Firestorm, it doesn't really matter. She can only hit Fred and James easily though since everyone else is spread out and invisible (and I'm 50 feet in the air), but she drops James to 0. Boss fight! (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oeeLDadND_Y)

I fly forward and ready an action to try and dispel the druid whenever she shows her face. Fred runs forward and bumps into the forcewall (whoops!), James heals himself, and then a mighty Tyrannosaurus Rex crashes out of the woods and reaches the edge of the clearing. I shoot my Dispel magic and fail to dispel anything, though I do manage to roll 2 17s in a row. The Archdruid returns the favor with a Greater Dispel and I float to the ground buff-less. Kas zooms forward while still hiding and also bumps into the forcewall, then Tywin dismisses it. New round! I'm close enough that I bust out two fiendish Dire Wolves, who both hit (between my malconvoker abilities and augment summons, they hit HARD). Fred steps up, takes an attack of opportunity on the shoulder, and swings with the Divine Surge that he managed to draw as a granted maneuver again...and crits while rolling fire on the Surge damage for a whopping 78 total! The Archdruid falls over, very dead.

...so...uh...I guess the NPC druid out of the DMG doesn't have that many hit points, even at level 17...

Maximus the lich raises a non-existent eyebrow and politely inquires why we thought we needed his aid. Then he raises the archdruid as a wraith (who hides underground to avoid the sun). We kind of shuffle around awkwardly for a moment, then we notice that the surrounding forest is eerily silent. We manage to get the attention of one of the council druids who had previously supported us, and who is now the new Archdruid (by virtue of all the other council members being dead). He very quickly agrees to our alliance, though the druids are pretty mauled from this brief civil war. Apparently a man dressed like a jester had rolled through, and suddenly the druids were split 50/50 in their support either hiding away or fighting against Cassandra. A few awkward moments later, we teleport back to home base. The next few days until the war council are spent scroll-scribing, item-crafting, poison-making, and general what have you.

Super appropriate (http://www.tubechop.com/watch/6457808)
Everyone shows for the meeting; The Raven, the Orc chief, and Maximus are already here, and the new Archdruid and the clerics of Order arrive right on time. There's very little tension thanks to everyone being warned ahead of time what to expect, and we quickly get down to business. Deciding on roles for the attack, the druids will go after the airships (using some oils that Tywin will craft to convert their fire resistance to sonic instead), the orcs will crash against the walls and draw everyone's attention while they invade, Maximus and the order clerics will attack the Towers of magic, the Raven and his men will sabotage and disrupt within the city...and we'll head for the arena in the hopes of messing up whatever Eldritch machine is involved with the clockwork rings there. We all agree to begin the attack in 9 days (in hindsight, we handwave and say that all the ground forces have been stealthily heading towards Cassandra for a while already). So the final 9 days are spent crafting, scribing, and finally shopping with our copious amounts of loot (Kas grab elvenkind boots and cloak, a headband of intellect, and something else I don't remember. Fred grabs toxic gloves, great-reach bracers, and a strength item. I grab an infinite scrollcase, a vest of resistance, a headband of intellect, and more spells. Tywin gets us to grab...something). Kas has some further "discussion" with the voices in her head, and I bind myself a minion, but those will get their own little posts shortly. The day arrives, and off we go in our airship.

The end begins (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FMriBENYN3A)

We activate "Stealth mode" as we get close, and we see the beginning of the attack pretty quickly. The orc wardrums and battle cries pound out outside the city, pieces of the city start blacking out, and then gouts of flame start shooting up from the shipyard. Seems the oil is working very well. Then Tywin's Detect Scrying goes off, and he cranks his roll to get a peek at Thiloff's location and ugly mug. We then use the druid sending stone to send them after that airship in particular...and then we reach the arena. As we float over it, a "cutscene" begins; a pair of giant stone hands reach up and smashes our ship, and we all float down to the arena floor. 5 holes appear in the floor, and Joss' mocking voice rings out, taunting Kas to come and play. When we don't obliging split our party and dive down the individual holes, a series of walls rise up to separate us. I use my newly acquired anklets of translocation to jump over into someone else's area, forget fighting by their rules - but another wall immediately pops upno such thing occurred, move along citizen. We end the session preparing for individual challenges.

So it's looking like the final session will be next up...but won't be for a month due to people being on vacation. In the meantime, I shall do a story version of summoning my fiendish minion, Picanet will do up her interactions with the divine voices in the same way, and we'll do some shenanigans of some other sort.

The End is nigh (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EytSP67tg_0)

Bad Wolf
2015-07-19, 03:16 PM
The end is near...

So, what level are you guys now? Sorta lost track.

curious-puzzle
2015-07-19, 03:33 PM
We are a mighty level 11, and after the druid *cough cough* we're about 3000 xp from hitting 12.

Picanet
2015-07-19, 05:35 PM
As per request - a small Kas scene after the three day 'silence' has passed

Days? Weeks? Had it been weeks already since she had played her game on the airship; come back soaked in the blood of mind-controlled minions who might otherwise be innocent? Kas sat on the far end of the bench at the noodle-hut the group had decided to stop at for lunch after teleporting out of Romanov for a last minute shopping trip. As old as the table was, any rough edges had been smoothed out after thousands of customers and enough hand and sauce grease to almost give the wood a patchworked polish. She poked at the bowl and the bits of green stuff she had picked around for the small amount she had eaten. Tywin and James were discussing that he should probably go make a report to his church while he was in town, Haeren had to pick up some supplies to start work on a summoning project of his, and Fred ... like usual didn’t seem to have a plan at all. He had a bag of money at his side and all afternoon to window shop; he seemed content with that.

They didn’t look like the core of a resistance group that was about to overthrow a clockwork government run by some planes-hopping fugitive. She smirked into her bowl of half eaten noodles and untouched greens. She hardly recognized the woman she had seen in the mirror at the shop - whoever she had become, it wasn’t the gutter girl doing **** jobs for a guild anymore. She’d stopped trying to keep track of the number of people she killed, she’d stopped thinking about what she’d ask for when she got back, she’d even forgotten to think about Booker for months.

She was here to finish the job, and to finish Joss. The rest could sort its **** out later - including the Gods arguing in the back of her head; speaking of which... Kas tilt her head thoughtfully to the side as she realized three days had passed, but she hadn’t heard the arguing start up again.

Suddenly the emptiness in her head made sense. Since coming to Romanov, the voices had gotten louder, more distinguished, but the hum at the back of her head she hadn’t realized was there - was also missing. How... long had they actually been there and she just hadn’t realized what it was? She had never been filled with the empty silence that Joss had once told her to reach for during another lesson in stealth.
She flexed her hand, and her fingers still flickered to life in the necromantic glow. No - they hadn’t left; they were simply silent.

Did she look a gift horse in the mouth? If they were content to remain silent and she didn’t have to deal with their bickering... perhaps she wouldn’t have to make a decision. Perhaps she wouldn’t have to play their little game. Still...

Kas closed her eyes and imagined that thin apartment wall she often compared to hearing the voices from behind... and gave it a gentle ‘are you there?’ tap. The echoing and synchronized boom of two presences making themselves known rang in her mind, raced along her arms in a wave of goosebumps, and caused her to smile. How many mortals had been tools of the Gods? Forced to play along with their little schemes? And here she was, with two Gods on time-out and playing ‘the quiet game.’ It sent a blasphemous glee down her spine. She couldn’t resist...
Tywin saw Kas tap out the rhythm on the table with her fork. ‘tok-tik-tik-tik-tok-tok...’ and the rest of the table went silent as her head was thrown back and then forward onto the table in time for the rest of the ‘knock’ she had decided to play on that thin little wall in her mind.
“First liches; now Gods.” James muttered, “Will she ever learn?”
“Interesting...” Haeren flipped open the small journal he was saving for these little ‘incidents’ and started marking down little jotted notes and Fred pulled Kas’s face out of what was left of her lunch. “Out cold.” he remarked, amused.

Tywin sighed and shook his head. “James, can you put her somewhere safe while you give your report and we finish up in town?”
“Yeah... I can do that.”


Sooo... Gods don't like knock-knock jokes. :P
Kas then woke up in a priest's cell, walked out and upstairs, then proceeded to scare an acolyte, and then returned to the 'meeting point' no worse for wear... yet.

curious-puzzle
2015-07-19, 06:07 PM
And the scene on how my wizard acquired a half-fiend troll via Lesser Planar Binding:

Haearn finished the placement of the final candle with a satisfied grin. The circle was drawn, the sacred words of binding were inscribed, and with an earth elemental’s help, everything was set into the ground so it was even less likely to be disturbed. All that was left was the ritual itself. He turned to Kas.

“Now, don’t say or do anything until I tell you it’s safe. Anything unusual could disturb the binding, and I’d really rather not have to fight this thing.” Kas nodded, curious enough about the calling to follow the wizard’s rules. Fred had already been “encouraged” to leave after he tried to poke the binding circle. It was too bad-Haearn actually liked having an audience for his magic, call it a weakness. He settled down in front of the circle, and began the incantation. A constant flow of words filled the room as the ring of candles surrounding the circle ignited together, and the smoke from them coiled and twined together in strange shapes. As Haearnbydd babbled his nonsense words (at least to Kas), she noticed that some of the phrases seemed to hang in the air longer, ring out differently somehow. The smoke formed an elaborate fence about the circle, symbols that made the eye water to look at for too long. Finally, just when Kas was starting to get bored, Haearn stood.

“Cruorvorax.” The room darkened. “Cruorvorax.” The candles flared up and become tiny pinpricks of light as blackness shrouded everything. “Cruorvorax, I call you!” There was a rush of wind, and the candles went out, leaving the room pitch-black. One by one, the candles relit, revealing a figure in the circle.

It was massive, close to 10 feet tall even with a hunch. Disgustingly slick greenish black skin, disturbingly long arms ending in wicked claws, and a mashed face with a too-wide maw beneath a hooked crooked nose were all that of a troll, but there the resemblance ended. A pair of curled horns jutted from either side of the snarling face, the creature’s eyes glowed an eerie incandescent green, and two large leathery bat wings strained against the sides of the circle. Even more strange, the wings looked...upside down. The beast snarled, drool spattering as it surged against the side of the circle, but was held in place by glowing symbols that faded only once it relented.

“Let me OUT!” Haearn scoffed at the fiend's demand.

“No. Perhaps once you’ve heard my proposal though, oh Cruorvorax the mighty, the feared Gore Glutton.”

“Let me out, then I listen.” The creature’s eyes were scrunched in a vaguely cunning manner.

“Hmm...tempting, but no.” Haearn began to pace slowly about the circle, the fiend turning to keep him in sight. “I find myself in the position where I need to kill a lot of people very soon. You like killing, don’t you?” A rumbling growl was the thing’s only response. “Of course you do. I am working to overthrow a country that plans to conquer the whole world in blind obedience. Unthinking law across the whole world, sterile order. Would you like to help me break that into tiny pieces?” Cruorvorax stilled, its head tilting slightly, and Haearn smiled faintly. “Here is my bargain. Serve me as a bodyguard for 10 days and obey my commands while you keep me from harm. Kill who I tell you to kill, eat who I tell you to eat, smash what I...well you get the idea. In exchange, you will soak your claws in the blood of the lawful, be an important part of an entire empire being destroyed, and you’ll get to eat anyone you have time to after killing them. And as a show of good faith…” Haearn walked out of the room for a moment, an uncomfortable silence filling it as the creature glared at the silent Kas. The elven mage walked back in with a cow of all things, various symbols painted across its side.

“This is the sacred guardian animal of the Butterchurner halfings, a village of sickeningly good and noble creatures. They all pray to this animal for good crops, healthy lives, and fresh milk so their children can grow up and praise the gods of goodness.” Kas barely resisted the urge to roll her eyes; Haearn was laying it on a bit thick. But Cruorvorax was enraptured, saliva oozing down the sides of its mouth as it bared jagged fangs and flexed its claws. “If you agree to serve me, I will sacrifice this vessel of benevolence to you, Gore Glutton. You will consume it entirely, and thus crush all those little children's hopes and dreams. So what say you?”

Cruorvorax squatted down, then sprang at Haearnbydd! Smashing against the side of the circle, the creature howled threats and obscenities at him. Shrugging, Haearn turned around, leading the cow out and gesturing for Kas to leave.

The next day, Haearn returned to the room and addressed the sullen monster once more.

“You are truly a spiteful fiend, Cruorvorax. Very well, not only will I gift to you the sacred cow of the Butterchurners...I also grant to you their replacement guardian!” Kas lead two cows into the room, then exited and closed the door. The creature’s eyes widened greedily, and after a moment, it nodded quickly.

“So you agree to our bargain, Cruorvorax?” Haearn crossed his arms expectantly.

“...Yes. I agree! Now give!” Haearnbydd dismissed the circle with a gust of conjured wind, and his eyes narrowed as the creature attempted to pounce for the cows.

“Then Kneel.” The creature swayed as its will collided with the wizard’s. Jerkily, it strained at the cows, glaring at the elf. Inexorably though, the fiend sunk to its knees, bowing its head as Haearn’s willpower crushed its own. “For 10 days, what am I?”

“...Master.”

“Good! Then eat!”

It was going to take several prestidigitations to clean the room afterwards.

Lurkmoar
2015-07-21, 04:06 PM
Use evil to fight evil. Now you're thinking like a Yugoloth!

Jeargroth
2015-07-22, 09:30 PM
and then we reach the arena. As we float over it, a "cutscene" begins; a pair of giant stone hands reach up and smashes our ship, and we all float down to the arena floor. 5 holes appear in the floor, and Joss' mocking voice rings out, taunting Kas to come and play. When we don't obliging split our party and dive down the individual holes, a series of walls rise up to separate us. I use my newly acquired anklets of translocation to jump over into someone else's area, forget fighting by their rules - but another wall immediately pops upno such thing occurred, move along citizen. We end the session preparing for individual challenges.

So it's looking like the final session will be next up...but won't be for a month due to people being on vacation. In the meantime, I shall do a story version of summoning my fiendish minion, Picanet will do up her interactions with the divine voices in the same way, and we'll do some shenanigans of some other sort.


The End is nigh[/URL]

:smallfurious:Soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo. Yeah, after losing the Druid and a few other choice encounters along the way to them reaching this level my patience had hit its breaking point. I realize I allowed the players to pick somewhat broken and powerful classes, but still wasn't expecting the degree of brokenness that I have had occur thus far. (Yo undead horde, Kill each other or landmines or oh so carefully (luckily hitting and killing the Ghost in the Golem) So when my players decided they weren't going to play along with the remaining last part of the adventure the GM snapped. Not his best moment as GM. Thus there is a a little railroading on the last part of the adventure. I assure all readers it is for the dramatic best, as the way they are going it would be over in one encounter. Correction one Attack by Fred with the rest standing by in general amusement. :smallfurious:

I am GM and I don't know what to do with this post:smallconfused:

Lurkmoar
2015-07-22, 10:09 PM
I am GM and I don't know what to do with this post:smallconfused:

It's all good in the hood. You can't plan for every possible contingency and wild plans that PCs come up with.

*cough AMF*

You're up against four devious and clever minds that work well together.

*hack Sphere of Annilhilation NO SAVING THROW VERSION that blows up when the wizard that didn't create it tries to move it hack*

Cursed items can be fun. For you. :smallamused:

This trap is pretty evil too. (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showsinglepost.php?p=19526866&postcount=27)

But when the players are excited and work well, it's that a sign that you did a swell job?

curious-puzzle
2015-07-22, 11:37 PM
I am GM and I don't know what to do with this post:smallconfused:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0gTX2tyZUIw

curious-puzzle
2015-07-23, 12:39 PM
It's been a fun ride, and that's the most important part. And we are fully prepared for the fact that sometimes, the hero dies at the end.

Good thing my wizard isn't the hero type.:smallbiggrin:

Lurkmoar
2015-07-23, 12:59 PM
Good thing my wizard isn't the hero type.:smallbiggrin:

History is written by the victors. So... you know, don't lose. :smallbiggrin:

Picanet
2015-08-01, 10:25 AM
So while the lot of you are chewing your fingernails in anticipation for the grand finale, Fred and Kas delay things yet again with a trip to Ottawa!

Fred set off the metal detector (no surprise there) while Kas argued with security. All of her poisons are under 100ml but her face cream is 150 ml. No blood was shed on the matter, but she grumbled something about if her nose peels there'll be hell to pay. They finally got Fred through the scanner after they brought a can opener and some WD40 - his armor has to be checked with the baggage. Staff didn't understand what all the fuss was about when Fred tried to ask them how much the penalty was.

They both managed to find their gate and have made final preparations via sending stones asking the Tywin if he'd mind making sure Fred's nasty hippogriff Basil has food pellets and water, and Haeren gets to live with two dire wolves for the week - one of which apparently started the morning with raging diarreah.

Should be a fun trip!

curious-puzzle
2015-08-08, 12:06 AM
One week to go until the final battle(s)! Must continue collecting suitably epic music...

Lurkmoar
2015-08-11, 08:25 PM
Heart of Courage! (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LRLdhFVzqt4)

Or if you don't mind some old school anime music...

Heart of Madness (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W9kp9SwVIvU)

Give me my life! Give me my energy!

curious-puzzle
2015-08-16, 04:01 PM
http://healthy-lifestyle.most-effective-solution.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/the-end-is-here.jpg

Here we go; the final session...of DOOM! We roll randomly for who does their solo encounter first, and I "win."

I do a little bit of buffing, and my minion and I fly down the hole. Which goes down to a smooth spiral staircase that continues down...and down...and down. It's several hundred feet straight down before it opens up into a massive underground arena. The only thing visible in it is a single unassuming-looking gnome, sitting about 100 feet away.
Me: "I suppose you're here to stop me?"
Gnome: "Well, yes. Though if you didn't want to fight, you can just reach into that bag next to you and put the ring on."
Me: "...you know, this whole country just offends me. The mind control, the scheming, the planned mass conquest. And your idea of an offer to avoid conflict is to try and enslave me?" *Realize I'm monologuing* "Ahem. Anyway, you get one chance now to back down and walk away. Otherwise, I'll kill you."
Gnome: "Father won't let me do that."

Initiative! Battle music (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A0rkfT6R4pM) The gnome (who is apparently the Toymaker) goes first, and two large constructs rise out of the sand on either side of me while the gnome draws a wand. The constructs look vaguely ape-ish, but don't seem able to fly, so both Cruorvorax and I fly up (him with his wings, me with Overland Flight to head towards the gnome I lob a Black Tentacles down to be a hinderance. Two more creatures rise up further down the arena, these ones with crossbows, and they proceed to plink me for the whole fight for bits and pieces of damage (normally pretty low, one or two spikes of 8). The minion and I run/fly towards the gnome, planning on cutting the master down rather than dealing with the lackeys. The one bruiser construct flails feebly in the tentacles, while the other trundles after us. The Toymaker casts Protection from Evil on himself, and two more small winged constructs wriggle out of the sand. My turn! I pull out the high level scroll of Suggestion we found and try to make him Just close your eyes and lay down for a quick rest. The little monster makes his save though. However...he's in range of my troll lackey now, and protection from evil doesn't stop called creatures from hitting you with giant greataxes. Which is exactly what my faithful monster does for 26 points of damage or so. The Toymaker has Stoneskin up though. Not for long...

More of the big constructs rise up, and one reaches Cruorvorax and hits him ineffectually (no magic weapons on them, bwhaha). The Toymaker pulls out a whip and misses the giant demon troll, and I find out what those little flying ones are. They zip over, and EXPLODE in my face for a big chunk of damage, dropping me to 30 some hit points. OOOWW! I counter by dispelling several of the Toymaker's buffs, most importantly the Stoneskin and the Protection from Evil, and Cruorvorax drops his axe to try for a rend (but only hits with one claw). The Toymaker manages to hit with his whip, and Cruorvorax has to save vs Banishment (eep), but I roll like upper management and save successfully! The big constructs manage to trip Cruorvorax, but DR plus regeneration means their blows do practically nothing lasting. I use all my healing belt charges and move further away from the crossbows, and Cruorvorax tries to eat the annoying gnome right in front of him. However, a roll of 3, 4, and then 6 means nothing but the taste of failure.

The Toymaker hits twice with the whip, but my luck holds out on both rolls, rolling 18 and 17. More of those exploding dudes crawl up, and I take it in the face again. I was too overconfident and didn't use enough buff spells, time to finish this. I blast the Toymaker with an Orb of Force, but Cruorvorax only hits with one claw again. The Toymaker manages to slip out the troll's reach, and pulls out a wand and Lightning Bolts me in the chest. I'm down to 4 hit points, so I bust out a Summon Monster IV and flank him with two fiendish Dire Wolves. The first bite closes around his head and neck, dropping the Toymaker to negatives. The second one removes all doubt and chomps his stubby little legs off. I go invisible and the two wolves + my hard to kill troll scrap the now aimless constructs remaining. I quite gleefully strip the corpse of all his shinies, especially his super light mithral chain and the banishing whip.

Ow. So, was a little too conservative with my spells, but on the upside, I used mostly scrolls for that fight so I still have most of my daily spells for whatever's next.

Fred marches down his sloped tunnel, which loops and spirals and doubles back...to lead to another arena. Methinks spatial magic is afoot. There's a twitchy looking halfling there, festooned with wand holsters. He makes the same offer of surrender, and Fred just laughs in derision. Initiative!
One of the songs used (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YayK1hPzmmk)

We are treated to game of tag, as it roughly goes like this;

Fred quaffs his potion of Enlarge Person and stomps forward.
Halfling zaps him with two wands for some damage.
Fred runs at the halfling, getting almost close enough to threaten.
Halfling Dimension doors away.
Fred runs after halfling again.
Halfling zaps Fred with another wand.
Fred gets close enough to hit with a single charge attack.
Halfling Dimension doors away.

This happens a couple times, then the halfling pops on top of a 20 ft pillar in the center of the arena, and Fred burns all of his Dimension Stride boot charges to pop right in front of the halfling with a very unhappy expression and Thicket of Blades up. The Halfling uses his final dim-door to escape, but is still within charge range. All Fred has to do is leap off the pillar, keep his balance, and then bisect the halfling. He makes his balance check with flying colors, and strikes the halfling. Most importantly, though, is the halfling is starting to be cornered. He electrifies Fred (who is okay due to him having a LOT of hitpoints, and rolling consistently high on his reflex saves), and finally Fred is close enough to Divine Surge his foe for 58 points of damage! The halfling promptly fails his massive damage save and dies on the spot. We see it as the whip sword cutting deep into the shoulder, then the follow through yank sawing into the ribcage and sending the corpse tumbling and bouncing across the floor. Fred loots the body, then follows another tunnel to eventually meet back up with me. His healing belt+a potion+every healing potion I still had puts me nearly back to full health. We bro-fist, and find another tunnel to travel down in search of our companions. Go Fred go!

Two down... two to go.

Now, during the gap between games, Kas and Jeargroth had done the first part of their faceoff writing back and forth. She may or may not post it, but the quick and dirty is that Jass lured her into an illusory duplicate of a tavern they used to frequent. He taunted her into losing her cool and slipping up, and she got hit by three giant scythe blades! In her dying moment, though, Kas' consciousness is transported to a massive chessboard. It's decision time; Kas is either choosing Wee Jas or Erythnul, or she's not coming back. Sarcasm, insolence, and clever wordplay almost get Kas smote, but she manages to still keep herself worth the cheeky backtalk. Finally, Kas chooses Wee Jas, and Erythnul takes his ball and goes him. The Ruby Lady breathes life back into Kas, and before Joss' panicked eyes, Kas painstakingly wrenches herself off the blades impaled through her body. The wounds seal themselves up, and a bloodsoaked but now untouched Kas declares herself Joss' personal reaper come to collect. Joss (wisely) disappears, and the true battle begins in a large natural cavern.

Ambience (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mlTRcMowLkc)

Joss and Kas have a bit of a conundrum. Their capacities for stealth are both far higher than their abilities to detect someone else hiding. So while Joss is flying and invisible, he can't spot Kas who is lurking in the shadows behind rocky outgrowths. Both have pretty good bluffs to cause distractions in the hopes of making their opponent slip up, but not great sense motive to determine if it's a trick. There's some maneuvering and feinting, and then Kas decides that passion and haste made her lose focus. The true assassin waits for the opportune moment to strike, and not before. So she waits until Joss' nerves get the better of him. There are several opposed will saves to see who breaks, and both zap each other with an eldritch blast and a sneak attack dagger back and forth.

Side note, we actually went and did Fred's encounter now while the waiting game was happening, but I'm keeping them separate in the writeup.

Finally, Joss breaks and pops into existence lobbing hellfire blasts at random. Kas grabs a dagger soaked in black lotus extract, and throws it into his calf, then vanishes. Joss makes the first save, but fails the second and takes 10 con damage. Kas nicks him with another thrown dagger coated in black lotus extract, and Joss vanishes. He doesn't move however, and Kas makes the miss chance and hits him with her third and final black lotus extract dagger. The initial saves are passed, but the second save from the second dagger hits him for another 12 con damage. Now, Joss is still alive because he has a level in Binder (and has Naberious bound), but he's not happy with this turn of events. Finally, his nerves crack under pressure one final time, and a sneak attack dagger to the back kills Joss. There's an explosion of sickly yellow flame, and a devil comes to collect. Malinuntius (a unique fiend made up for the backstory of another character in the upcoming game I'm going to run - Jeargroth stroked my ego and stuck him in here) daintily plucks his soul out, and politely thanks Kas for hastening Joss' demise. Kas takes Joss' head as a trophyloots the body, then ghosts off to find us.

Tywin rolls down a gently sloped ramp, that eventually opens into what seems to be an arcane workshop or laboratory of some sort. Thiloff sits at a table in the center of the room, two glasses and a bottle of wine on the table. He politely greets Tywin, and invites him to sit and discuss things like civilized beings. Turns out Thiloff is so supremely confident/arrogant/utterly insane that his children will slay the rest of us, that he feels no need to engage in a physical battle with Tywin. Instead, he challenges Tywin to a battle of wits. Three riddles. If Tywin fails to solve them, he dies.

Tywin is having none of that, however. He chews Thiloff's argument up, and taunts/argues/entices Thiloff into adding more stakes to this riddle challenge. If Tywin wins, Thiloff retreats immediately and shifts to another plane for 1000 years. Maybe the influence of the Fool has driven Thiloff crazy, but he agrees. The first riddle!

There are two mugs of wine. One is poisoned, one is not. The twist however, is that each mug can speak (each mug turns to reveal their freaky little faces at this point). One always lies, and one always tells the truth. Tywin must determine which is safe and which is not with one question asked of one of the mugs. While Tywin is deliberating, Thiloff reveals that two of his children have died (my opponent and Fred's, respectively). Then Thiloff smugly informs Tywin that Kas has fallen, but a moment later shows actual anger as Wee Jas pulls of a divine intervention moment. With that, Tywin chooses correctly and Thiloff sweeps the mugs off the table.

The second riddle! Tywin must identify the purpose of a strange eldritch piece of machinery and equipment. A super high UMD and spellcraft check reveals the answer, and Thiloff grumpily proceeds to the final question.

Thiloff names several obscure houses and lineages of fallen deities / unknown powers, and challenges Tywin to name where they refer to (basically a crazy high Knowledge planes check). Tywin pulls out one of his big guns; a scroll of Limited Wish and magically knows the answer. Somewhat angrily, Thiloff turns into an owl and flaps off.

Victory! We all meet back up (including James), somehow all back at the original arena, now free of holes and walls (definitely some space/time shenanigans involved). Using our combine spellcraft checks, some summoned elementals, and general saviness, we determine that whatever device is powering Romanov's clockwork rings must be directly below the arena floor. I use more elementals to clear the sand away, and find there's about a foot of sandstone between us and a large chamber. Tywin uses Stone shape to make a weak point, flying members grab non flying ones, and Fred winds up with a massive Elder Mountain Hammer.

The floor crumbles to reveal a large room, with half a dozen figures all circling a massive crystal pillar, runes and words of power pulsing and flashing across it while streams of magic flow in and out of it. In the corner is a masked individual, dressed like a jester and holding a small girl with hair the color of Fred's.

Final Round - Fight! (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KiQnb8X3HKw)

The Fool goes first, and spellcraft checks reveal he put a Wall of Force up somewhere. Next goes the other baddies, and they shoot up at us with various things, including one repeating crossbow shot that has enough magic on it to knock over a third of Kas' health off with one shot. Next is me, and I drop Kas next to the crossbowman and summon fiendish dire wolves (one of whom trips the crossbow dude) while Cruorvorax drops Fred and cuts into one of the other guys with his giant axe. James hits one of the baddies with an Enervation, and then Kas shows off exactly why she's been spending feats on the two-weapon fighting tree, and deals an insane 112(!) points of damage to the prone and flanked crossbowman.

Shockingly, he dies. Fred starts laying into nearby opponents, and now is when the big moment happens. Tywin hits the Fool with Reciprocal Gyre...and the Fool fails and is dazed for multiple rounds. The remaining bad guys hit some people, I summon more wolves, Kas shanks another guy, Tywin uses another Limited Wish scroll to Disintegrate the Wall of Force, and James hits the Fool with an Enervate. This triggers the Fool's contingency, and he Plane shifts the heck out of Dodge/Cassandra. The girl rolls a natural 19 though, and doesn't go along for the ride!

Even with their compulsion rings, the remaining opponents surrender quickly after their Father ran away. Tywin uses all of his remaining infusions to give himself a ludicrous bonus to Use Magic Device, and that combined with aid others, CRUSHES a DC 41 check to deactivate the crystal obelisk. The clockwork rings fall to the ground and shatter.

After that, it's just a matter of cleanup.

Blackhawk748
2015-08-16, 05:57 PM
Victory!!! (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZanZRU14o_Y)

Bad Wolf
2015-08-16, 07:41 PM
That seemed a bit.....anticlimactic.

YossarianLives
2015-08-16, 08:40 PM
Hurrah!

It truly was a pleasure to read this excellent campaign log. You are a skilled narrator, your DM is exceptional, and the whole party is clever and hilarious.

Lurkmoar
2015-08-17, 04:08 AM
Hmm, wonder if Joss was the only rotten apple in the bad apple barrel of the thieve's guild. Who put out the hit on Kas again...?

The epilouge should be very interesting. Thanks for keeping us abreast of the situation.

oshi
2015-08-17, 05:23 AM
Victory!!! (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZanZRU14o_Y)

Spoilers pls.

Thanks for sharing curious-puzzle, looks like I came back to this thread just in time to get the last few sessions sequentially without waiting :D.

curious-puzzle
2015-08-17, 06:00 PM
That seemed a bit.....anticlimactic.

I is sorry, Bad Wolf. The big baddie failing the reciprocal gyre save was kind of the death knell for that fight.


Hurrah!

It truly was a pleasure to read this excellent campaign log. You are a skilled narrator, your DM is exceptional, and the whole party is clever and hilarious.
:smallredface: Why thank you! Glad you enjoyed.



Hmm, wonder if Joss was the only rotten apple in the bad apple barrel of the thieve's guild. Who put out the hit on Kas again...?
The epilouge should be very interesting. Thanks for keeping us abreast of the situation.
Oh, there's barrels upon barrels of suspicious apples involved with that. Kas' father may not be her father, the Guild master may not be who he seems...if/when we come back to this game, the next part was about going back to deal with the Guild.



Spoilers pls.

Thanks for sharing curious-puzzle, looks like I came back to this thread just in time to get the last few sessions sequentially without waiting :D.

You're welcome! And thank you for reading!

curious-puzzle
2015-08-17, 06:24 PM
We manage to contact the Raven, the Druids, and the Orcs. Everything went according to plan for them;the Orcs stop slaughtering and fall back, good as their word. The druids finish up igniting the airships, and the Raven agrees to meet up with us shortly. No response from Maximus and the creepy Order clerics though...

We head to the towers of magic to see what's up. The towers...that aren't there anymore. There is nothing but a giant smoking crater where the seven towers used to stand. All that knowledge, all those spells, gone. The tragedy is nearly too much to bear *sniff*. Why yes, I was planning on ruthlessly looting the towers for as many spells as I could carry, why do you ask? Either way, when Maximus reforms himself, I'm sure more will be revealed.

We then head to the former secret service headquarters, and it's painfully easy to get the now liberated defenders to go along with us, and the fighting stops like that. I fly up and use a combination of summoning elementals and bullying druids to start rainstorms, which put out the majority of fires in the city. Finally, we meet up with the Raven and any other commanding sorts at the Royal Palace. They arrive to find me sprawled across the throne.

That's right, it was my plan all along. I am now the ruler of Romanov. Bow before your master, ingrates! BWAHAHAHAHAHA *cough* kidding, that's waaayyy too much work. While the new ruling council of Romanov (the Raven, the new Archdruid, Garthok the orc chieftan, and Maximus whenever he comes back together) start trying to figure out how to smooth over relations with nearby countries, Kas and I help ourselves to the royal treasury as a well deserved reward for oh, I don't know, saving their entire country.

While doing so, Kas receives her first holy mandate from Wee Jas! She is to find this being known as the Fool, and within one year, kill him.

We get a boatload of experience and money, so we are all level 12 now. If we come back to this world/game, seems like some planehopping is on the menu.

GAME OVER

ROLL CREDITS Y/N?

And now for some shameless self promotion! The next game we're playing every second saturday (so starting in just under two weeks) is one I'm running, and it will be called the Curse of Artaith. Writing this journal has been fun, so there will definitely be a journal for it too. Seems like Picanet and I will both be writing it, though.

Leon
2015-08-17, 07:28 PM
Thankyou for letting us in on this great adventure. Was a good read from start to finish.

Harmelyo
2015-08-18, 11:14 PM
Thank you for this great piece of campaign, it was a fun fun FUN reading. I will look forward to your next journal.

tgva8889
2015-08-18, 11:55 PM
I just read through the entire journal and I must say, this was GREAT fun. Thanks for writing, and I look forward to your next campaign!

curious-puzzle
2015-08-19, 08:32 AM
Thank you, Leon, Harmelyo, and tgva8889! Happy that you enjoyed reading our shenanigans.

Jeargroth
2015-08-21, 08:15 PM
That seemed a bit.....anticlimactic.

I tried my best. The optimization of the characters and lack of ability to focus them a certain direction was to blame. If I optimized further it would have been a TPK. You can see from the hits being taken that if I pushed any further there would have been deaths. And it would have been to a GM going to far overboard in challenge. Scrolls of limited wish, The gyre etc did more than level the playing field it destroyed the challenges. I blame myself as GM and take a lesson out of it. I understand why some GM's limit classes.

Thank-you all for coming along on this journey with me, with these rough villains.

"Cause this Ain't no place for a hero"

I was GM and I aprove this message.
Good-night, Giant Tip Forums

Blackhawk748
2015-08-21, 08:17 PM
I tried my best. The optimization of the characters and lack of ability to focus them a certain direction was to blame. If I optimized further it would have been a TPK. You can see from the hits being taken that if I pushed any further there would have been deaths. And it would have been to a GM going to far overboard in challenge. Scrolls of limited wish, The gyre etc did more than level the playing field it destroyed the challenges. I blame myself as GM and take a lesson out of it. I understand why some GM's limit classes.

Thank-you all for coming along on this journey with me, with these rough villains.

"Cause this Ain't no place for a hero"

I was GM and I aprove this message.
Good-night, Giant Tip Forums

You did a solid job. Honestly you cant account for lousy rolls.

curious-puzzle
2015-08-22, 11:32 PM
I started the new journal up already cause I felt like writing and was impatient.

Bam! (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?436134-The-Curse-of-Artaith-(a-3-5-Campaign-Journal)&p=19714752#post19714752)

Picanet
2015-09-01, 07:21 PM
Player written epilogue!
A small conversation between Kas and Tywin late one evening not long after the victory over The Fool and his machinations.

It was gone. The spinning barbed wire ball in her chest was gone and in its place was a sort of silence that could almost be construed as peace. It was exhausting.

Kas had peeled, scraped, and scrubbed the last battle off of herself before squirreling away in Joss’ former office. She had flipped through stacks of papers, looked through drawers, checked for hidden compartments and niches where he would have hidden a secret – not that he would have left any clues as to the true reason for his betrayal behind. Not intentionally. Pulling secrets from him was worse than pulling teeth out of middle class men with their fillings.

They never gave them up willingly.

In a moment of ‘hell, why not?’ she squatted down next to the fireplace and started poking about the cold ash, and was rewarded with the sudden shift of a mostly charred piece of paper wrapped around a less charred piece of paper.
“Hello there.” She whispered as she plucked the delicate and crispy thing out of its grey bed and blew the loose ash away as best she could. The first piece was practically illegible for the most part… save one section: ‘She cannot return.’ Which was met with a sneer, and then a frown as she read ‘my son.’ Signed by the Day Master. She tossed the charred piece back into the cold fire pit and unfolded the piece of paper the other one had protected from the flames.

‘Here are the instructions to summon Malinuntius, you’ll need to speak with him to acquire the power you’ll need to see this through.’ Followed by some very old and cryptic Infernal – probably a summoning ritual of sorts.
A polite knock at the door drew Kas from her thoughts. She placed the parchment on the desk and then opened the door a creek to find Tywin sitting there.
“Done playing mediator for the night?” She grinned before opening the door the rest of the way and gesturing an invitation for him to enter the suite. “I already found his spirits stash – can I offer you a drink of the traitor’s best?”

"I have a potion to protect me from the poison should he have been an ass and trapped it." Tywin quipped as he wheeled his way into the room, a wry smile on his face as he extended a hand. The three iron defenders from the crystal room had been reanimated by him and flanked door outside dutifully. "... You however might be buggered." He added with a chuckle.

Kas smiled, an odd sort of look for her, and shrugged while she nodded. "Given that it was contraband until just recently and I pried it out of the back of the cushion? I'm feeling comfortably dangerous."

She walked back to the desk and shoved one chair out of the way for Tywin and pushed the other back for herself; leaving the chair behind the desk pushed in and empty. A short moment later the small glasses were poured and Kas handed Tywin both a glass and the summoning ritual as she sat down.
"I haven't found much else. He kept the place clean." She sighed and sipped lightly at the honey-amber liquid Joss had always been fond of.

"Even foolish spies keep double lives seperate, If he had a place in the city for mementos it's a hole in the wall someplace and probably ash now." Tywin replied, then took a small sip of the liquid.

"I'm afraid I didn't have time to question him either - find out if anything he ever said since we found him here was true or not." She gave the glass a gentle shake to send the liquid swirling in the glass. "Did Fred and Haeran ever tell you what he told me to try and get into the compound in the first place?"

Looking dubious, eyes peeking over the frames of his spectacles, "... No, pray tell." The small glass resting on the arm of the darkwood wheelchair.
Kas set her glass to the side, and pulled at the ring on her hand until it popped off and placed it on the desk between Tywin and herself before retrieving her drink. "I had you look at this before we even left home- remember? I thought the old Crow might have had it enchanted to keep tabs on me - maybe use it as a kill switch. Didn't realize it until Joss pointed it out; the damned thing looks like a signet ring with the Old Crow's sigil on it."

She crossed her arms and leaned as far back into the chair as the cushion would allow. "He said that the Crow, not the Day Master is my father. Everyone knows the Crow lost his family to poisoning - took him years to get ahold of the city after the fact. Things were rough for everyone." She took a proper swallow of her drink, "It seems like a 'just preposterous enough to be true' lie - except that Joss mentioned what type of poison was used - Wraith Dust."

She scoffed, "even if it is the truth, then what of it? A thieves Guild is not run like a kingdom; there are no rights to succession - they’ve waved that title of ‘heir’ about more like a death sentence than anything - a mockery of the legal system. Even if there were...let's be honest. I'd make a ****ing awful leader."

"You'd make a marvellous enforcer and disciplinarian, But I admit you lack the administrative skills to oversee more than a handful of skilled agents - though you could learn it, but you don't have the temperament and would loathe it. In that role you'd hate your routine, get sloppy, and likely die very, very messily." Tywin nodded, then took a sip before adding, "But humans tend to like succession even non-nobles it's a dynastic thing. Not really much you can do, not after all this, you are clearly capable and that I believe is the measure that matters to him."

"Tch." Kas glared into a corner of the room, clearly not impressed with the idea. It was a moment or two of drumming her fingers against the crystal glass before she spoke again.

"Sure there's something I can do. I can refuse. I can find someone actually capable of making the guild function and thrive - create some Gods-damned stability." It was then that a strange sort of smile crept into her features - sparkling with a sort of inspiration as her eyes hovered above a dusty chessboard set in one of the bookshelves. "How about you?"
Tywin blinked, clearly taken aback at the turn of the conversation he made to mouth a reply but his voice cracked as all the moisture of his palate evaporated in an instant. He took a long swig from his glass and swished it around his mouth as the silence hung in the air, coughing he finally replied, "Your sense of humor remains dry as ever, Kas."

"Take a moment, let the thought simmer. I can think of some pretty compelling reasons if you need me to."

She set the glass to the side and began counting them off on her fingers. "You're long lived compared to humans, you're used to dealing with 'my type' of people, you have an ability to think ahead and around problems, you're diplomatic, and perhaps most importantly - you already have a core group of enforcers that can work together and... trust you and each other...somehow.”

"Kas, when you died, did a spirit of whimsy come back with you? I could live 4 or 5 centuries - with each day someone, likely several people conspiring to shorten that lifespan considerably. I'm no rogue, stairs are a difficult enough problem for me as we've both discovered. The gnome cripple leading a den of thieves and assassins." he looks around a moment as if self-aware "that sounds like the storyline from some fantasy novella."

"It is not how the King moves on a chessboard that determines if the game is won, but how his pieces are moved around him - Your disadvantage becomes your advantage as foes continue to underestimate you; and you have already lived through worse dangers. You've organized three armies of normally mortal enemies and faced off against the greatest threat this plane has probably seen in an age. You'd be able to keep the peace between the Crown and the Crow."
Kas finished her glass and let the empty glass balance and twirl on the tips of her fingers.

"It would make an excellent memoir - and save the city another five years of a street war as the guild cannibalizes itself until clear leadership is found again. Yes - I could do it, for a time; a reign of fear and tyranny after a major downsizing of the guild. Not very prosperous and would end as bloody as its beginning." The glass halted on its edge, precariously balanced at a tilt on the edge of her hand. "Working around you, enforcing and ensuring your needs were met from the shadows - that's what I've been doing this whole time. It's effective, it works."


“You’re not joking, are you?” Tywin says, sitting up a little more straight in the wheelchair, his eyes narrowing at Kas. “Let’s leave aside the absurdity of this all for the moment and consider it, what would the Day Master, the Night Master and all the other powers that be have to say on this? Surely, if you are being groomed for the position they do so because of a certain bond with them from blood and common-purpose. I have none of those bonds except with you, I would be an outsider and one that they have no reason to trust, fear or even respect. In fact to most, me and mine are the principal prey of your ilk, we are the quasi-wealthy craftsmen who have neither rank to protect them from above or below.”

"No. I guess I'm not."

A quick flick of her wrist and the glass was back on the desk with a soft tap as she actually witnessed Tywin... almost look flustered with the very prospect.

"Tywin, the Daymaster put the hit out on me, he's Joss's father and the next of that line on my personal hitlist. The Nightmaster? Who knows - things were bad last I had the chance to talk to the Crow. I have no idea how bad - the bugger could be dead already." She crossed her legs and pulled out a clean dagger to trim her nails with.

"They're grooming the wrong person. You're either born with that talent or you start early. I started with fear mongering and being the most vicious little prat on the block to keep my skin on my shoulders. You said it yourself - I wouldn't be suited to it. Are you second guessing your assessment because I've thrown the opportunity your way?" She flicked a sly grin his way. "Having the right blood doesn't mean you are the right person for a job."

She looked begrudgingly at the ring that still sat on the desk. "You overthrew a country and you don't think you could handle a single city's thieves guild? You already have something the Crow would probably give his right nut for. A singular deciding factor in making this entire little scheme viable - my trust."

“Point.” Tywin mutters, then finishes his drink in one gulp. “Gods, it alarms me that you are making a valid case, Kas. But I want to reiterate, I never said you wouldn’t be suited to it… you are a singularly adaptable person.. but you would hate it. And that would kill you.” Tywin leaned back against the cushion of his chair and steepled his fingers in thought. The light reflected off the silver diadem he wore across his forehead. Finally after a long silence, he exhaled, “I won’t disregard it out of hand, but first it appears you and I will need to sort out the Day Master and his treachery - regardless.”

"Certainly - My new patroness wishes for me to finish off this fool, and there is likely trouble brewing back home while we were away. There's much to do before we'd have to consider any serious plans; but I figured better to plant the idea in your head now."

She sighed, "that is, of course, assuming that you all decide to come along and help finish the fool proper. It is not part of the original contract. You owe no further obligation to any of this. You were supposed to be a cover - a means of getting in. Instead?" Kas swept a hand about them abstractly. "You became crucial to this entire thing. I thought I was getting the weak end of our deal for a very, very brief time."

Tywin looks to the special blade he made for her and smiled. “Some treasures are more than simply gems and gilded metal, Kas.” He paused, reflecting, “Before we go, If I do decide to pick a fight with a godling, I expect we’re both going to need a rest break.”

"What - you mean like a vacation?" She all but snorted in amusement. "Never had one. Though the idea of not rushing right back into another heavy responsibility and battle... sounds nice." She lifted the bottle again with a small questioning tilt Tywin's way; inquiring if he'd like another.

"Anything but more Gods-damned camping though."