Bloodbeat II of Syrtis, T'skrang Nethermancer / Weasponsmith / Elementalist

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Anoush
Posts:160
Joined:Wed Feb 22, 2017 10:53 pm
Bloodbeat II of Syrtis, T'skrang Nethermancer / Weasponsmith / Elementalist

Post by Anoush » Sun Aug 16, 2020 11:39 pm

Roll20 Name: MaryB
Discord ID: anoush#2243
Character Name: Bloodbeat II of Syrtis
Race: T’skrang, female
Other PCs: Mirage, Keel

ECR: 10 (490,000 - 921,999 LP)
Nethermancer 9 / Weaponsmith 7 / Elementalist 1
Unspent Legend Points: 785
Lifetime Legend Point Total: 548,835

Silver: 653.8
Lifetime Silver: 22,360.7

Thread Item Points: 26
Lifetime Thread Item Points:102

Participation Template
Spoiler:
Name: Bloodbeat II of Syrtis
Image
ECR: 10
Last game played: 6/28/2021
Discipline: Nethermancer 9 / Weaponsmith 7 / Elementalist 1
Quote: Tsch!  I hate birds!!
Unique/Notable Abilities: Experience Death, Friendly Darkness, Frighten, Last Chance, Soul Armor, Spirit Talk, Summon Ally Spirits, Viewpoint, Foul Vapors, Lifesight, Recovery, Orbiting Spy, Air Armor
Downtime:
* Alchemy 11 (rank 4) [Booster Potion, Small Light Quartz]
* Forge Armor 19 (rank 8, step 15 + karma)
* Forge Weapon 19 (rank 8, step 13 + karma)
* Item History 19 (rank 8, step 13 + karma)
* Research 27 (rank 9, step 16 + karma +4 [Speed Reading spirit] with library access +3 [20 SP])
Standard Casting and Actions
Spoiler:
Bloodbeat’s SOP
* Nethermancer. Weaponsmith & Elementalist Karma Ritual in the morning.
* Fire Heal (2) in the morning.
* Temper Flesh in the morning.
* Woodskin in the morning
* On watch, stays hidden in shadows via Shadow Meld.
* With a group, generally lurks in the back, away from the front lines.
* When party does Recovery Tests, cast Recovery, with 3 threads, giving a +11 bonus to Recovery Tests

**Matrices**
Enhanced A (9) - Foul Vapors (with 1st thread of 2 in matrix)
Standard B (9) - Air Armor
Standard C (4) - Soul Armor
Enhanced Object D (4) - Viewpoint
— [or Summon Bone Spirit and Aspect of the Bone Spirit]
Enhanced E (6) - Friendly Darkness (with 1 thread of 2 in matrix)
Enhanced Object F (4) — Pain (with 1 thread for 1 extra wound)
Enhanced Object G (4) — Astral Spear (with 1 thread for base spell)
Armored H (3) — Death’s Head (with 1 thread for +2 Frighten)

**Chain Casting** (10 Slots)
* Soul Armor [8 slots] (cast on self & 3 allies, 2 threads each to increase MA by +4, for a total of +7)
* Soul Armor [2 slots] (cast on 2 allies, 1 thread each to increase MA by +2, for a total of +5)

**Spirits**
S-Dial Spirits (SR6 City/Ally Spirits):
* Spirit of Secrets: Find, Invisibility, Tracking
* Spirit of Safety: Awareness, Nobody Here, See the Unseen
* Spirit of Support: Aid Summoner, Enhance Summoner, Baseline Subtraction

Bonebeat (SR8):
* If within 80 miles of one of her Bone Circles, replaces Night’s Edge with Summon Bone Spirit; may summon the Spirit, Bonebeat, with a Spellcasting test
* Bonebeat is the spirit of a previous incarnation of Bloodbeat
* Bone Circle locations: Throal, Syrtis, Sosonopa, Kampung Gajah, Grannagroth, Iron Bark Grove
* She will request the following services:
— Stay and protect her (with Unarmed Combat) for 8 Rounds
— Use its senses to warn her (Awareness, Astral Sight, Lifesight)
— Use Curse to hinder the enemy
— The spirit’s first action is to Manifest
Characteristics
Dex: 13
Str: 11 (base 9 + 2)
Tou: 15 (base 14 + 1)
Per: 16
Wil: 20 (base 16 + 1 + 3 nethermancer)
Cha: 15 (base 14 + 1)

Karma Mod: 4
Karma Step: 4
Karma Max: 36
Uncon: 65 [base 71 -2 absorb blow charm -3 desperate spell charm -1 Otherworldly Willpower]
Death: 80 [base 86 -2 absorb blow charm -3 desperate spell charm -1 Otherworldly Willpower]

Init: 5 (base 6, armor -1
PD: 10 (base 8 with +1 for buckler, +1 for Weaponsmith 4)
PA: 13 (hide armor forged +8; forging expires 9/11/2021)
MD: 13 (base 9 with +3 for nethermancer, +1 for buckler)
MA: 14 (base 4 with hide armor +1 nethermancer +1 crystal buckler +1 Soul Armor +7)
SD: 10 (base 9 +1 for nethermancer)

Movement: 12
Carrying Capacity: 95
Wound Threshold: 16 [base 10 + temper self 6]
Recovery tests per day: 3

Discipline: Nethermancer
Spoiler:
Circle: 9
Discipline Abilities
  • Nethermancer Half-Magic:
    • recognize uses of nethermantic magic, different types of undead and spirits, and magical rituals—especially blood magic rituals
    • understand the effects of different blood charms, as these are linked with Nethermancy
    • sense the presence of spirits within 30 yards of his location.
  • Add +3 to Mystic Defense
  • May spend a Karma Point once per round on any test against a Horror, Horror Construct, or undead target.
  • Add +1 to Social Defense
  • One Standard Matrix upgraded to Enhanced
  • Blood Summon: May take Blood Damage equal to Strength rating of spirit being summoned to gain an extra success on a Summon test
  • May spend karma to increase target’s penalty from a spell by 2
  • Add +1 to Mystic Armor
  • Add +1 to Physical Defense
  • Add +1 all Charisma-base tests (including Interaction and Spirit Talk, but not Summoning) that target a spirit [S-Dial, Rank 6]
  • May spend a Karma Point on Recovery Tests
  • Otherworldly Willpower: spend 1 Blood Magic damage and gain +3 to Willpower
Discipline: Weaponsmith
Spoiler:
Circle: 7
Discipline Abilities
  • Weaponsmith Half-Magic:
    • caring for weapons and armor
    • recognize different types of weapons & armor used or worn by different Namegiver races or their creators
  • May spend a Karma Point on any Test to craft or repair an item
  • Add +2 to Mystic Defense (N/A)
  • May spend a Karma Point on Recovery Tests
  • May spend a Karma Point on Damage Tests when using a weapon she created
  • Traveling Smithy: For 1 Strain, improvise a forge (lasts for 1 day), results at -3
Discipline: Elementalist
Spoiler:
Circle: 1
Discipline Abilities
  • Elementalist Half-Magic:
    • knowledge of nature, the elements, uses of elemental magic and other magical rituals
    • may make Perception-based half-magic test to detect the presence of elemental spirits within 30 yards (TN = the spirit’s Mystic Defense)
Nethermancer Talents
Spoiler:
Circle 9
First Circle Discipline Talent: Astral Sight (10)
First Circle Discipline Talent: Frighten (10)
First Circle Discipline Talent: Patterncraft (8)
First Circle Discipline Talent: Spellcasting (10)
First Circle Discipline Talent: Thread Weaving/Nethermancy (10)
First Circle Talent Option: Standard Matrix C (4)

Second Circle Discipline Talent: Steel Thought (10)
Second Circle Talent Option: Dispel Magic (7)

Third Circle Discipline Talent: Spirit Talk (9)
Third Circle Talent Option: Avoid Blow (10)

Fourth Circle Discipline Talent: Spirit Hold (4)
Fourth Circle Talent Option: Arcane Mutterings (10)

Fifth Circle Discipline Talent: Summon [Ally Spirits] (12) [10+2]
Fifth Circle Talent Option: Enhanced Matrix E (6)

Sixth Circle Discipline Talent: Willforce (10)
Sixth Circle Talent Option: Banish (4)

Seventh Circle Discipline Talent: Orbiting Spy (5)
Seventh Circle Talent Option: Lifesight (9)

Eighth Circle Discipline Talent: Hold Thread (4)
Eighth Circle Talent Option: Research (9)

Ninth Circle Discipline Talent: Matrix Sight (3)
Ninth Circle Talent Option: Armored Matrix H (3)

Free Talent: Enhanced Matrix A (9) [originally Standard]
Free Talent: Standard Matrix B (9)
Weaponsmith Talents
Spoiler:
Circle: 7

First Circle Discipline Talent: Forge Weapon (8)
First Circle Discipline Talent: Item History (8)
First Circle Discipline Talent: Melee Weapons (4)
First Circle Discipline Talent: Steel Thought (9) [Learned as Nethermancer]
First Circle Discipline Talent: Thread Weaving/Smithing (3)
First Circle Talent Option: Speak Language (3)

Second Circle Discipline Talent: Conversation (5)
Second Circle Talent Option: Fireblood (8)

Third Circle Discipline Talent: Suppress Curse (7) [originally Nethermancer Talent Option]
Third Circle Talent Option: Danger Sense (8)

Fourth Circle Discipline Talent: Wound Balance (7)
Fourth Circle Talent Option: First Impression (3)

Fifth Circle Discipline Talent: Forge Armor (8)
Fifth Circle Talent Option: Resist Taunt (8)

Sixth Circle Discipline Talent: Temper Flesh (6)
Sixth Circle Talent Option: Fire Heal (8)

Seventh Circle Discipline Talent: Spot Armor Flaw (1)
Seventh Circle Talent Option: Etiquette (6)

Free Talent: Craftsman (7)
Elementalist Talents
Spoiler:
Circle 1
First Circle Discipline Talent: Awareness (7) [originally Weaponsmith Talent Option]
First Circle Discipline Talent: Patterncraft (8) [learned as Nethermancer]
First Circle Discipline Talent: Spellcasting (10) [learned as Nethermancer]
First Circle Discipline Talent: Thread Weaving/Elementalism (2)
First Circle Discipline Talent: Woodskin (2)
First Circle Talent Option: Wind Catcher (2)

Free Talent: Enhanced Matrix A (9) [originally Standard] [learned as Nethermancer]
Free Talent: Standard Matrix B (9) [learned as Nethermancer]

Talent Knacks
Spoiler:
Absorb Spell (Steel Thought 6)
Astral Strain (Spellcasting 3)
Bleed (Spellcasting 3)
Improvised Pattern (Patterncraft 8)
Jinx (Arcane Mutterings 5)
Learn Improved Spells (Patterncraft 5)
Lip Reading (Awareness 3)
Make Concession (Resist Taunt 6)
Named Bone Circle (Patterncraft 1)
Piercing Surveillance (Patterncraft 4)
Psychometry (Item History 6)
Roll with the Punches (Avoid Blow 6)
Shadow Box (Patterncraft 2)
Shared Bone Circle (Patterncraft 1)
Unsettle (Spellcasting 2)
Nethermancer Spells
Spoiler:
1st
Astral Spear
Bone Circle
Ethereal Darkness
Experience Death
Life Circle of One
Shadow Meld
Soul Armor
Soulless Eyes
Spirit Dart

2nd
Aspect of the Fog Ghost
Chilling Circle
Death’s Head
Night’s Edge
Shadow’s Whisper
Shield Mist
Summon Fog Ghost

3rd
Aspect of the Bone Spirit
Fog of Fear
Grave Message
Pain
Summon Bone Spirit

4th
Last Chance
Viewpoint

5th
Aspect of the Cruel Physician
Blind
Circle of Astral Protection
Dust to Dust
Reverse Withering
Wither Limb

6th
Friendly Darkness
Recovery
Step Through Shadows

7th
Foul Vapors

8th
Netherblade

9th
One 9th circle spell
Elementalist Spells
Spoiler:
1st
Air Armor
Purify Water
Resist Element (Air, Earth, Fire, Water Wood)
Shelter
Snuff
Skills
Spoiler:
Knowledge Skill: Ancient History (1)
Knowledge Skill: Blood Curdling Tales (1)
Knowledge Skill: History of Barsaive (1)
Knowledge Skill: T’skrang Lore (1)

Read/Write Language: (2) Throalic, T’skrang Hieroglyphs
Speak Language: (2) Throalic, T’skrang (Cliff City of Syrtis)

Artisan Skill: Drumming (1)

General Skill: Alchemy (4)
General Skill: Physician (1)
General Skill: Swimming (1)
General Skill: Taunt (1)
Equipment
Spoiler:
Adventurer’s Kit (backpack, bedroll, flint & steel, torch, water skin, large sack) [Wt 14]
Musical Instrument: Hand Drum [Wt 2]
Dagger [Wt 1]
Grimoire [Wt 1]
Traveler’s Garb (soft boots, shirt, belt, robe, traveler’s cloak) [Wt 3.3]
Trail Rations (1 week) [Wt 8]

Hide Armor (covers the tail) [cost 62.5] [Wt 27.5] Forged +8 (elapses 9/11/2021)
Crystal Buckler [cost 50] [Wt 5]

Whistle [cost 0.3] [Wt 0]
Physician’s Kit (3 doses) [cost 50] [Wt 3]
Firefly Chalk (1) [cost 12] [Wt 0]
Light Crystal Pendant [cost 75] [Wt 1]
Tread Lightly Boots [cost 200] [Wt 2]

Absorb Blow Blood Charm [cost 100] [Wt 1]
Desperate Spell Charm [Wt 1]
Kelia’s Antidote [cost 125] [Wt 2]
Last Chance Salve [cost 300, reward discount] [Wt 1]

Total Weight Carried: 71.8

In Throal
Rider’s Shield [cost 20]
Padded Leather Armor (covers the tail) [cost 25]
Ear Wax [cost 0.3] [Wt 0.2]
Candle (3) [cost 0.9] [Wt 0.75]
Chalk (5 pieces) [cost 0.3] [Wt 0.25]
Climbing Kit [cost 33.8] [Wt 19]
Dwarf Winternight Cloak [cost 275] [Wt 2]

Alchemy Shop [cost 500]
Threads Tied:
Spoiler:
  • Enhanced Spell Matrix Object D: Rank 4
  • Enhanced Spell Matrix Object F: Rank 4
  • Enhanced Spell Matrix Object G: Rank 4
  • S-Dial
    Rank 6
    • Rank 1: Summon +1
    • Rank 2: Dial S for Secrets — spend 1 Recovery to Summon Ally [max SR 6] with Find, Invisibility, Tracking [up to SR/2+1 abilities]
    • Rank 3: Summon +2 (total)
    • Rank 4: Dial S for Safety — spend 1 Recovery to Summon Ally [max SR 6] with Awareness, Nobody Here, See the Unseen [up to SR/2+1 abilities]
    • Rank 5: Gain +1 to all Charisma-based tests (but not including Summoning) that target a spirit
    • Rank 6: Dial S for Support — spend 1 Recovery to Summon Ally [max SR 6] with Aid Summoner, Enhance Summoner, Speed Reading, Baseline Subtraction [up to SR/2+1 abilities]
Brief Backstory:
Spoiler:
Image
Bloodbeat is a t’skrang Nethermancer from the Cliff City of Syrtis, by way of Kampung Gajah.  She’s a young, blood red t’skrang with a striking bone white crest, spine ridges and tail spikes, and speaks in an oddly formal, anachronistic style in both the Throalic and T’skrang languages.  It’s quickly apparent that it’s as though she is a crotchety old t’skrang bat of a Nethermancer in a young woman’s body.  She seems to know her stuff, but it’s very odd as she snorts at all you “hatchlings without the sense your chaida used to wipe your tails with”.  [NB, a chaida is the male t’skrang nanny who takes care of a hatchling in t’skrang culture.]
 
As you get to know Bloodbeat, you get the impression that she believes she is similar to a t’skrang Lahala.  A Lahala is the female matriarchal elder of each naill (extended t’skrang family).  As a Lahala’s body dies, she undergoes a nethermatic ritual to transfer her memories and her essence to her successor.  Bloodbeat doesn’t make any bones about her belief that her adult Name chose her, and her initiation as an adept merged her new body with the pattern of a legendary Pre-Scourge t’skrang Nethermancer of the same mystical Name.  You have seen Bloodbeat get very frustrated with the “slow pace of rebuilding the ability of her descendant’s body to channel the magics that are hers by right”.  She drops references to ancient blood curdling tales into conversation as though they happened yesterday, and talks about preparing the rituals to put her spirit into the wards being woven to protect the Cliff City of Syrtis through the Scourge as if she was there.  Frankly, it’s hard to tell if she is for real or just delusional, but she does wield a mean spell and talks to dead people, so you don’t press too hard.

A few years ago, she had the strangest dream, and woke up completely believing that the events actually happened. In a small valley, she and her friends were attacked by corrupted falcons of some kind. They swooped and dove on everyone, seeming to be in multiple places at once. The dream ended as one of the falcons swooped down on her stabbing her in the heart, and carrying a chunk of her flesh away with it. She awoke with her dying scream still echoing in the air. Bloodbeat hates, hates, hates birds of all kinds. The only good bird is a dead one, roasted and juicy on her plate ready to be carved for dinner.

A couple years ago, a bit north of Clear Creek Crossing, Bloodbeat felt a compelling urge to investigate something off the road. Her instincts led her to a box canyon in which she sensed the spirit of a dead Name-giver. Much to her shock, this dead spirit’s appearance was nearly identical to her own, the only differences being that of clothing and gear. Talking to the spirit, she realized that this was the spirit of her previous incarnation that had fallen in battle when attacked by a large, corrupted crow. Bloodbeat and her sister, for lack of a better term, are now traveling together, with her sister providing spiritual assistance. Bloodbeat collected her sister’s remains and brought them to her rooms in Throal, where they are now safely stored in a beautiful porcelain urn, proudly displayed on a wall shelf.

Bloodbeat arrived in Throal in late 1422 at age 21, and is now 25 years old.
Adventures:
Last edited by Anoush on Mon Dec 06, 2021 9:26 pm, edited 109 times in total.

Anoush
Posts:160
Joined:Wed Feb 22, 2017 10:53 pm

Re: Bloodbeat II of Syrtis

Post by Anoush » Sun Aug 23, 2020 6:53 am

Copy of PC at creation:
Spoiler:
Anoush wrote:
Sun Aug 16, 2020 11:39 pm
Roll20 Name: MaryB
Discord ID: anoush
Character Name: Bloodbeat II of Kampung Gajah
Race: T’skrang

ECR: 1 (0-599 Legend)
Lifetime Legend Total: 0
Unspent Legend: 0
Thread Item Points: 0
Silver: 16.1

Discipline: Nethermancer
Circle: 1
Discipline Abilities
Nethermancer Half-Magic

Characteristics
Dex: 13
Str: 9
Tou: 14
Per: 16
Wil: 16
Cha: 14

Karma Mod: 4
Karma Step: 4
Karma Max: 4
Uncon: 31
Death: 38

Init: 4 (base 6, -1 for hide armor, -1 for shield)
PD: 10 (base 8, +2 for shield)
PA: 5 (hide armor)
MD: 9
MA: 4 (base 3, +1 for hide armor)
SD: 8

Movement: 12
Carrying Capacity: 70
Wound Threshold: 9
Recovery tests per day: 3

[Discipline] Talents
First Circle Discipline Talent: Astral Sight (1)
First Circle Discipline Talent: Patterncraft (1)
First Circle Discipline Talent: Spellcasting (3)
First Circle Discipline Talent: Thread Weaving (2)
First Circle Talent Option: Standard Matrix C (1, attuned to Astral Spear)

Free Talent: Standard Matrix A (1, attuned to Ethereal Darkness)
Free Talent: Standard Matrix B (1, attuned to Shadow Meld with an extra thread, for chain casting)

Other Talents
None

Talent Knacks
None

Spells
Astral Spear (in matrix C)
Ethereal Darkness (in matrix A)
Experience Death
Shadow Meld (in matrix B, for chain casting with extra thread)
Soul Armor
Soulless Eyes
Spirit Dart

Skills
Knowledge Skill: Blood Curdling Tales (1)
Knowledge Skill: T’skrang Lore (1)

Read/Write Language: (2) Throalic, T’skrang Hieroglyphs
Speak Language: (2) Throalic, T’skrang (Kampung Gajah)

Artisan Skill: Drumming (1)
General Skill: Alchemy (1)
General Skill: Avoid Blow (1)
General Skill: Awareness (1)
General Skill: Danger Sense (1)
General Skill: Physician (1)
General Skill: Swimming (1)
General Skill: Taunt (1)

Equipment:
Adventurer’s Kit (backpack, bedroll, flint & steel, torch, waterskin, large sack)
Artisan Tools: Hand Drum
Dagger
Grimoire
Traveler’s Garb (soft boots, shirt, belt, robe, traveler’s cloak)
Trail Rations (1 week)

Hide Armor (covers the tail) [cost 62.5]
Rider’s Shield [cost 20]
Chalk (5 pieces) [cost 0.3]
Candle (3) [cost 0.9]
Whistle [cost 0.3]

Threads Tied:
None

Animal Companions:
None

Brief Backstory:
Image
Bloodbeat is a t’skrang Nethermancer from Syrtis by way of Kampung Gajah.  She’s a young, blood red t’skrang with a striking bone white crest, spine ridges and tail spikes, and speaks in an oddly formal, anachronistic style in both the Throalic and T’skrang languages.  It’s quickly apparent that it’s as though she is a crotchety old t’skrang bat of a Nethermancer in a young woman’s body.  She seems to know her stuff, but it’s very odd as she snorts at all you “hatchlings without the sense your chaida used to wipe your tails with”.  [NB, a chaida is the male t’skrang nanny who takes care of a hatchling in t’skrang culture.]
 
As you get to know Bloodbeat, you get the impression that she believes she is similar to a t’skrang Lahala.  A Lahala is the female matriarchal elder of each naill (extended t’skrang family).  As a Lahala’s body dies, she undergoes a nethermatic ritual to transfer her memories and her essence to her successor.  Bloodbeat doesn’t make any bones about her belief that her adult Name chose her, and her initiation as an adept merged her new body with the pattern of a legendary Pre-Scourge t’skrang Nethermancer of the same mystical Name.  You have seen Bloodbeat get very frustrated with the “slow pace of rebuilding the ability of her descendant’s body to channel the magics that are hers by right”.  She drops references to ancient blood curdling tales into conversation as though they happened yesterday, and talks about preparing the rituals to put her spirit into the wards being woven to protect the Cliff City of Syrtis through the Scourge as if she was there.  Frankly, it’s hard to tell if she is for real or just delusional, but she does wield a mean spell and talks to dead people, so you don’t press too hard.

She recently had the strangest dream, and woke up completely believing that the events actually happened. In a small valley, she and her friends were attacked by corrupted falcons of some kind. They swooped and dove on everyone, seeming to be in multiple places at once. The dream ended as one of the falcons swooped down on her stabbing her in the heart, and carrying a chunk of her flesh away with it. She awoke with her dying scream still echoing in the air. Bloodbeat hates, hates, hates birds of all kinds. The only good bird is a dead one, roasted and juicy on her plate ready to be carved for dinner.
Last edited by Anoush on Fri Jan 29, 2021 2:05 am, edited 4 times in total.

Anoush
Posts:160
Joined:Wed Feb 22, 2017 10:53 pm

Freedom of the Soaring Espagra

Post by Anoush » Sun Aug 23, 2020 6:55 am

Freedom of the Soaring Espagra
GM: iceface9
2020/8/21
2M

Journal:
Spoiler:
I traveled to Throal from my home in Syrtis, having heard that there was trouble on the Coil River. The Krampung Gajah Lahala had spread the word that something needed to be done about slavers capturing law-abiding citizens. Such activities were unacceptable to her Niall.

The most recent attempted abduction instigated this. During the new Pastry Festival, a K’Tenshin ship attempted to kidnap the award-winning obsidiman chef. Luckily, some daring Adepts stepped in and rescued him. However, the overall problem still exists.

In Throal, I had little trouble finding Adepts to accompany me to Krampung Gajah, to see what could be done about the raids. I ran in a friend, Nib (a windling wizard), and he introduced me to some of his companions, who both seemed strangely familiar: Mal (an elven archer) and Juniper (an elven shadow). Perhaps I knew them in a previous lifetime? Once word got out about our expedition, we were quickly joined by two others: Rendar (an orc cavalryman and his mount Quechia) and Vallone (a windling shadow), with whom I became fast friends; we bonded over a shared hatred of birds.

So we set off. The trip was quite uneventful. About a half day North of Clear Creek Crossing, we came upon a group of t’skrang traders, also heading to Krampung Gajah. Their leader was Named Travis. They proved good companions along the journey. We camped outside of Clear Creek Crossing for one evening. The town was paranoid about something called ‘deceivers,’ and was forcing everyone to strip naked that wanted to come into town. We declined.

Krampung Rajah was a bustling, busy town and river port: lots of shops, taverns and the like. Asking around, we quickly got directions to the town hall, where we met with the V’strimon representative, Jaclaeril Sarris. She told us that what brought the issue to her attention was a fireship leaving here for Lake Ban. At the same time a group of 6 Namegivers — 5 T’skrang and 1 obsidiman — went missing. Certainly not a coincidence. They were all ship crew members; one was a fire engineer.

Between that and the recent kidnaping attempt at the Pastry Festival by the crew of the Soaring Espagra, Jaclaeril felt that it was more than time to deal with this trouble. She wanted us to investigate the unusual traffic on the Coil River, especially by K’Tenshin ships, and learn who or what is behind it. Jaclaeril gave us descriptions and sketches of the people that disappeared most recently. Nib tried to find a pattern in all this information, but to no avail.

Jaclaeril arranged for us to take passage down the Coil River on the Jundar Moonshire, which happened to be Travis’ trading ship. We made plans and departed Krampung Gajah the following day.

The trip went soothly for a few days, but on the fourth day, as we came to a narrow part of the river, we saw bowmen on both sides of the river. Further downstream, one of their companions was starting to chop down a tree, with the obvious intent of blocking the river. Melee ensued.

One of the bowmen was merely unconscious, not dead, at the end of the skirmish, so we questioned him. I convinced him to talk to us using Soulless Eyes; a few glances and he soiled himself. The told us that they were new to piracy. Previously, they had talked to a ship and for a small bribe, that is, a gift to the river gods, let the ship go on its way. He said that that’s how most of the river’s banditry is done. A fight is relatively rare, so far as he knew. Of note, he said that there’s a slaver camp where the Coil River meets Lake Ban, on the North side. We have him note the location on a map.

That slaver camp sounded like where we’d find the missing Namegivers. So we continued down-river, and set anchor a few miles North of the junction. We traveled over land to near the camp, using darkness as cover. Stealth wasn’t an option for our group, so we didn’t surprise them. However, what we found were 5 t’skrang, presumably the slavers, guarding several Name-giver sized cages. 5 of the cages held T’skrang, and a sixth an obsidiman.

Working together, we made short work of the slavers. Just as we were freeing the last of the kidnap victims, a female T’skrang approached from the river: Gerri van Drake, from the description we had. She demanded to know what we were doing. Render proudly announced that we had freed the Name-givers she’d taken in slavery, and dispatched her crew of slavers. We began massing to attack her, whereupon she leaped back into the river and quickly swam to her ship, the Soaring Espagra, anchored well off-shore.

Nib followed Gerri, but was unable to stop her. He did get several splinters of wood from the Soaring Espagra, which we’ll be able to use to track the ship.

We rebounding the Jundar Moonshine, along with the rescued Namegivers, and returned to Krampung Gajah. There, we reported to Jaclaeril what we had found.
Advancement:
Spoiler:
Previous Totals
LP 0
SP 16.1
TIPs 0

Awards
(Including Journal)
LP 840
Lifetime LP 840
SP 250
Lifetime SP 266.1
TIPs 3
Lifetime TIPs 3
14 days of Down-time
 
 
Spends
LP
Astral Sight Talent from Rank 1 to Rank 2: 200 LP
Frighten Talent from Rank 0 to Rank 2: 300 LP
Standard Matrix #3 from Rank 1 to Rank 2: 200 LP
Suppress Curse from Rank 0 to Rank 1: 100 LP

Learn Death’s Head Spell (Circle 2): 0 LP (circle advancement)

Remaining Bank: 40 LP
 
SP
Training for Circle 2 Nethermancer: 200 SP
Remaining Bank: 66.1 SP
 
TIPs
None Used
Remaining Bank: 3 TIPs
 
Down-time
5 days Training to Advance to Circle 2 Nethermancer
9 days unused
Last edited by Anoush on Sun Dec 13, 2020 10:48 pm, edited 4 times in total.

Anoush
Posts:160
Joined:Wed Feb 22, 2017 10:53 pm

Talkin' 'Bout My Generation

Post by Anoush » Tue Aug 25, 2020 9:39 pm

Talkin Bout My Generation

GM: Xzandrate
Date: 2020/8/23

Journal:
Spoiler:
Back in Throal, Killian, my obsidiman warrior friend, approached me about going with him to his Life Rock, Named Gannagroth. What a fascinating idea! In this lifetime, I’ve never visited a Life Rock, so it’ll certainly help me expand my current knowledge. He quickly found others to join us: Nib, the windling wizard I’ve worked with before; Juniper, the elven shadow who’s proved very effective in the past, and a new companion, Redsun, a troll archer.

With minimal preparation, we left Throal for the Life Rock. The road there was well-traveled, so no special equipment was needed. The journey was expected to take about 5 days, and one night we planned to stay at the home of an ex-Theran of Killian’s acquaintance, Kerim Ianjyre.

The first 4 days passed uneventfully. On the fourth afternoon, we reached Kerim’s villa. He welcomed us cordially, and had his servants prepare a feast. Yes, servants, not slaves, even though he’s from Thera. Nib confirmed this by talking with the servants privately. Some had been slaved, but were freed by Kerim. Now they are treated well, paid and can come and go as they please as employees.

It’s a very good thing that Nib talked to them. From the moment we arrived, Juniper was looking daggers at everyone, not just Kerim, ready for blood. As a quester of Lochost, he can’t bear to see anyone enslaved, understandably so. Once Nib informed him of the servants’ status, Juniper calmed down, still on alert for anything that would contradict Nib’s statements. Luckily, Kerim and his staff were true to their word. We had a marvelous dinner, got a tour of Kerim’s extensive library, and discussed a variety of topics. Kerim even offered to help teach us Theran if we wanted.

Mid-afternoon on the fifth day, we arrived at Killian’s Life Rock. What a surprise! The Life Rock was set in the middle of a small lake! A small village for visitors was set conveniently on the nearby shore. We settled into our quarters and spent a pleasant evening. The only jarring note was in talking to some of the residents. The obsidimen were concerned that Therans, or others, would learn of the Life Rock’s location, then come here in force to attack and take whatever they could of value. Something none of us wanted.

The next morning, we received a message from a Life Rock Elder to come talk to him. A stone skiff — yes, that’s right, a floating skiff made of rock — arrived with an elementalist ferryman to take us across the lake to the Life Rock’s shore. Everything on the astral plane there was open, a breath of fresh air.

At the Life Rock, we met with Arsea, an Elder obsidiman, made of a reddish-brown stone, beneath one of many protrusions from the Life Rock, intended to provide shade along its shores. Very convenient and comfortable. Killian introduced us all, including describing Juniper as “the most trustworthy elf.” The obsidian described themselves as being “all of one place, but of different bodies.” Most interesting.

Arsea explained that the Life Rock has been sending out groups to explore the nearby areas, and report back on what they find. They’re stretched pretty thin trying to learn as much as they can as fast as they can. So one issue has been left hanging. That’s where we come in.

Arsea said that he needed us to re-attune the land. We all looked dumbly at each other. Re-attune? Arsea continued, explaining that the Life Rock was not in its original, pre-Scourge position so he’s concerned that the Life Rock has disrupted the natural flow of the land in this area. What? The Life Rock had moved?! Nib asked if he thought the lack of attunement was due to the Crystal Entity’s passage through the area, but Arsea did not believe that was related.

Arsea added that they have not been able to sing to other Life Rocks since they emerged after the Scourge. By “sing” he meant communicate. This caught everyone’s attention! Life Rocks can communicate with each other?! What a marvelous, if unknown until now, ability! Arsea gave us all a solemn look. Although I’m writing this in my journal, I will hesitate to spread this information any further. Arsea confirmed that in ancient times Life Rocks could communicate with each other, and the could speak to the land around them. Now they can do neither.

Arsea continued explaining that there’s some static, an interference that is preventing them from singing. There’s also pain when they make the attempt. He said that most of the pain was coming from the North, and that it felt like a scratching, trying to escape. Most of the interference was coming from the South, where their song was muffled, feeling as though they were dinging into a darkness from which the sound could not escape. As nethermancer, I’m familiar with both. Perhaps some kind of horror is responsible?

Arsea instructed Killian on how to recognize where the problems were focused. With that, we set out in the morning, heading North first, to deal with the pain.

After about one and half days of travel in rough, rocky terrain, Killian called a halt, saying that he felt an itching. We were at one end of a canyon, and saw a group of earth q’wrli scattered across it. Nasty creatures, rodents with bird-like beaks! They attacked and we made short work of them. I used Frighten and Spirit Dart to great effect, Killian was surrounded by the vermin and bashed one after another, Juniper and Redsun skewered them with arrows and knives, and Nib helped us all fight and move better, while attacking with his Mind Dagger spell.

After the battle, we skinned the creatures. We gave Killian the skins to make slippers out of, while I kept the sharp beaks for, … future use. You can never have too many, … ingredients at hand. Nib dissected them further and sketched them. The creatures were bloated with food, their skin stretched tight over rounded bellies and an enormous amount of sinew and muscle. The earth q’wrli were slightly tainted, not horror constructs, but still not right and certainly infecting the land with their taint as they moved through it.

We traveled back to the Life Rock and reported to Arsea. Arsea told us that the pain was gone, but the interference remained.

The next day, we headed South to deal with the interference. After about a day, we reached a valley with a plateau on the Southern edge. Water from a newly opened stream had flooded a forested area at that end, forming a swamp. Killian felt the itching strongly there. Astrally the area was open, but we sensed a taint in the swamp. Again, it was not from a horror construct, but still, a taint of some kind.

So we proceeded cautiously into the swamp. We stayed mostly to the solid portions of land that weaved through it. Suddenly we heard a loud thrumming come from the swamp, and looking around for the source, we saw some large frog-like creatures approaching. Bringing us their rear was the strangest creature I’ve seen in this incarnation; is was part toad, part frog, with a bear’s head with a large beak attached. One of our member recognized the frog-like things as Jub Jubs, and the oddity as a Molgrim.

We fought them handily. To start, we focused our attacks on the Molgrim, assuming it was the leader. Killian blocked its path on the land bridge, allowing everyone to join in. Only after it was dead did we attack the Jub Jubs with full force using much the same tactics as with the earth q’wrli. We killed two of the frog-like creatures, but the third escaped back into the swamp.

After the fight, we studied the astral more thoroughly. The taint was already fading, so we believed it had been caused by the now-dead creatures.

We reported back to the Life Rock. Arsea was pleased with our report, but said that the obsidimen would monitor both areas to prevent future trouble.
Advancement:
Spoiler:
Previous Totals
LP 40
Lifetime LP: 840
SP 66.1
Lifetime SP: 266.1
TIPs 3
Lifetime TIPs: 3

Awards
(Including Journal)
LP 1,470
SP 343.8 (base)
Half Price Training for History of Barsaive Skill: 5
SP 338.8 (actual)
TIPs 3
14 days of Down-time
Half-price SP training for knowledge & artisan skills; obsidiman & Theran languages

Available
LP 1,510
SP 404.9
TIPs 6
 
Spends
LP
Frighten Talent from Rank 2 to Rank 3: 300 LP
Steel Thought Talent from Rank 0 to 3: 600 LP
Suppress CurseTalent from Rank 1 to Rank 2: 200 LP

Spell (2) Shield Mist: 200 LP

Skill History of Barsaive from Rank 0 to Rank 1: 200 LP

Remaining Bank: 10 LP
 
SP
Training for History of Barsaive Skill: 0 SP [half price training]
Training for Shield Mist Spell (2nd circle): 100 SP

Absorb Blow Blood Charm: 100 SP
Crystal Buckler: 50 SP
Kelia’s Antidote: 125 SP
Ear wax: 0.2 SP

Remaining Bank: 29.7 SP
 
TIPs
None Used
Remaining Bank: 6 TIPs
 
Down-time
5 days Training History of Barsaive Skill [cool-down 14 days]
9 days unused
Last edited by Anoush on Sun Dec 13, 2020 10:49 pm, edited 3 times in total.

Anoush
Posts:160
Joined:Wed Feb 22, 2017 10:53 pm

The Generalist Fraternity

Post by Anoush » Tue Sep 01, 2020 6:13 am

The Generalist Fraternity
GM: bronzemountain
Date: 2020/8/29
4M

Journal:
Spoiler:
Bloodbeat's Journal:

A rumor was spreading around Throal about a fairly new settlement called Harmony (Hex 43.14). People said that Harmony was peaceful, idyllic, wonderful, a perfect place. They were supposedly free from attacks by Horrors and wild beasts, and needed no protections.

Well, I didn’t believe it. Much too good to be true. So, I decided to travel to Harmony and see for myself. The journey was uneventful.

I arrived at Harmony to be greeted by two Name-givers, both dressed in white tunics and pants. They were an elven male, Arvin, and a dwarves female, Katrina. They offered my clear, cool water to drink, and bade me welcome. I began asking questions about the community and walked through the gates. They answered my questions cordially. And to my surprise, did not stop me entering. There was no request for a demonstration of artistic ability, or anything else to prove that was not horror marked.

The town consisted of a central green, a cobblestone plaza with benches and cushions, a well, a variety of simple homes, an group of buildings dedicated to all manner of crafting, a large dining hall, a dormitory, a tea house, and a few buildings for the residents most in-tune with nature. There were no stores, no taverns. In fact, no alcohol of any kind. All the villagers were mundane; no adepts at all apart from a few visitors. The village was surrounded by various agricultural fields. Some chicken and goats were being tended in one area as well.

While wandering the town, I met up with several acquaintances from Throal, all bent on investigating Harmony for one reason or another. I met Redsun, the troll archer and Nib, the windling wizard there; all interested in finding out more about Harmony. One the group, Jarock, the ork weaponsmith, was very familiar, … as if I knew him in a previous lifetime. They introduced me to one of their companions, LaShana, a windling, um, acquisition specialist. I also met up with Mal, the elven archer, who had come to Harmony to see his friend Berk, a weaponsmith who’d relocated to Harmony a couple of months ago. We continued touring the village together, a buffer against the too-welcoming, over-friendly villagers.

We met with the elder Jehona, an elven woman, who explained more about the town to us. She said that the only magic of the village was that they were attuned to the earth. By attuning themselves, dangers naturally avoided the village, which maid it perfectly safe. Yeah, right.

During the communal, vegetarian dinner, Jehona told a story about how Harmony was founded. Jehona and her sister Rekha, a shaman, traveled Barsaive looking for a place to settle. Rekha communed with the spirits of the land, or the plants, of the animals. But no place was right until they came to the site where Harmony now sits. The two sisters established the village and then invited their friends and others to join them. Now, there are roughly 400 Name-givers living in Harmony.

When asked where Rekha was, we were told that she was sequestered, performing a type of silent meditation that would grow her inner balance and bring her even more in tune with nature. Rekta had been sequestered for about a year now. At ffrst, they fed her occasionally, but now the meditation alone sustains her. I reacted with surprise. So they explained that it took a great deal of spiritual strength to sequester, and that individuals were tested for sure endurance before being allow to sequester. Yeah, right.

Most of the villagers seemed to behave perfectly normally, apart from their placid friendliness. However, we saw a few villagers dressed white robes (not tunics and pants). These robed-ones were the only villagers to enter the buildings for the enlightened. And some, no matter how long we watched, never re-appeared.

Asking about the robed villagers, we were told that they were the most enlightened villagers here. They were more connected to the earth, with a greater level of spiritual focus. They wore robes as a sign of their status, and mostly performed spiritual duties, not menial labor. Huh?

Our group declined to sleep in the dormitory overnight. Instead we camped out on the village green. The villagers had no complaint about this either. After dark, when the village was asleep, the two windlings, Nib and LaShana, boosted by Shadow Meld, scouted out the well. Just above the water level, they found openings, about 4’ high, in the well shaft, leading into the earth. The openings were not natural, nor smooth, nor did they look like the work of Name-givers. Rather, the tunnels were most similar to those of animal burrows or tunnels. Given the troll’s weight, we decided to delay this exploration.

We set up watches. During the second watch, LaShana saw a dog, about the size of a beagle, crossing the road that led to the village, then was shocked as she got a better look and realized it was not a dog, but rather a giant ant! Later in the same watch, LaShana saw three wolves approaching the town, perhaps to make off with livestock. The wolves were intercepted by four giant ants. LaShana couldn’t tell if the ants and wolves actually fought, but there was certainly a good deal of growling and posturing, until eventually the wolves slunk away from the village. The ants then turned around and returned North. Later LaShana also saw one of the robed villagers leave the village, but they did not return before morning.

The rest of the night was peaceful. The village woke up early, pre-dawn, about 5 am, and began doing communal exercises on the village square.

During my morning tea with the spirits (karma ritual), I was joined by a number of visitors. They enjoyed meeting the spirits, even if they could neither see now hear them. For that brief period, I felt a home here, accepted by the people. Hmm, strange.

We asked Jehona about the giant ant. She readily acknowledged that there were giant ants in the area, with a large mound nearby. She told us that the ants were in harmony with the earth and like the village, they don’t act out of violence. Sometimes the ants help out in the fields. In any case, the village and ants were at peace with each other and the earth. Nib flew high above the village, and located the ant mound, roughly a half mile North of the village.

After searching the entire village (barring the few buildings restricted to the most enlightened), Mal had not yet found his friend, Berk. Asking around, no one had heard of Berk either. Yet, Mal had received a letter from Berk a few weeks past, writing about life in Harmony. Odd.

After breakfast, we watched the enlightened buildings — 1 main building with 2 adjacent ones — for a while and tried to find a way to sneak into one. But somehow, there were always villagers with an eye, or two, on the door.

We gave up that effort, and explored the village’s fields. They grew a wide variety of vegetables, legumes, and even some rice. We estimated that the village was producing enough to feed themselves well, but not enough for significant trade. North of the village, we spied the large ant mound. Ants were going in and out of the mound, sometimes carrying things. At any given time, we saw perhaps 20 to 30 ants, each the size of a beagle. So far as we could tell, with our limited knowledge of insects, giant or otherwise, the ants were busy doing “ant” work.

Nib started watching the mound astrally. One of the ants that came out had some sort of astral residue on him. Perhaps he’d rubbed up against something that as astrally active? None of the other ants had such a residue, but were all completely mundane.

Giving up on this pursuit, we returned to the village and made another concerted effort to get inside the enlightened ones’ buildings. I actively distracted the villagers who had eyes on the entrance, getting them to look a different way. Meanwhile, Nib quietly went in through the door. Soon, Nib reappeared at a window, gesturing for us to join him. The others went into the building, either through the window or door, and then I finally let the villager go about his busy. Even he was relieved when our protracted conversation was done. Then I slipped in through the door.

Inside, an astral survey of the room revealed an astral splatter of some sort, diffuse, yet spread out through much of the room. Nib had also found a trapdoor. We went down without delay and found organic, rough caverns. Using a light crystal to see, we notes a good number of ants walking here and there. They ignored us completely. The caverns were embedded with glowing crystals in a variety of colors. As we explored, Nib used firefly chalk to mark our path, high enough on the walls to be out of reach of the giant ants.

Turning a corner, we found 9 cocoons, from human too troll sized. Astrally, each was connected to an astral ovipositor, that served as a conduit to the bodies inside the cocoons, allowing the ants to lay eggs within. The people inside the cocoons were still alive, in fact, more alive than usual. They were a mix of gender and race, with one male dwarf among them. Probably Mal’s friend, Berk. Nib tried using Dispel Magic on the astral connection; it worked but the ovipositor was still present and active.

Then we heard scuttling in the tunnel. Around a corner appeared several white robed figures. When their hoods went down, faces that were half-ant and half-namegivers were revealed! Beneath the robes’ hems we saw an extra set of legs, ant-like legs. We attacked.

I put up Shield Mist on myself, then tore off my face, turning it into a Death’s Head, and Frightened the enemy along with shooting Spirit Darts at them. Nib flitted back and forth, buffing the party with Dodge Boost and shooting Mind Daggers. Redsun and Mal shot arrow after arrow after arrow at the ant-like creatures. LaShana zipped through the air and attacked the creatures from behind. Although at one point, she seemed to develop, um, romantic feelings towards one of them. That makes even my nethermantic soul cringe! Jarock bashed them repeatedly with his axe. The creatures hit hard, some burrowed through the earth, others scuttled along on the walls and ceiling. But eventually they all lay on the floor, dead or dying.

The creatures seemed to be Namegiver-ant hybrids. Nib named them Invae, insect spirits who take over a Namegiver’s body, eating their soul until nothing’s left, and then using the body as they please, possessing it completely. He reminded us of the events at Landis, before the Scourge, when hordes of Invae invaded the city, infected the people with insect spirits. Powerful magic was needed to correct that, but the situation was reversible. Weeks, at least, were needed before a Namegivers was unrecoverable. How could I have forgotten all this!

Leaving that for a while, mid-battle Nib had heard more scuttling further East in the tunnels. We investigated the area where he had heard the noises, but found nothing. The tracks indicating they were moving away from the battle.

We returned to examine the cocoons. We tried moving one, but the ovipositor followed along with the body and cocoon. Using Suppress Curse on Berk, I was able to temporarily stop the astral flow in and out of his body via the ovipositor. Then we removed one of the Namegivers, a troll, from his cocoon. Doing that disconnected the ovipositor. The troll had developed a large bug-eye instead of his normal eye. When the ovipositor was disconnected, the eye temporarily returned to normal, but unfortunately, quickly returned to its insect form.

We decided that we needed help to restore the Namegivers, so we resolved to get them back to Throal. Somehow.

We removed the remaining Namegivers from their cocoons. That night, LaShana borrowed a wagon and mule from the village, leaving some silver as payment. We loaded the infected Namegivers’ forms onto the wagon and set off back to Throal. After about one day of travel, the infected people began to wake, but they were confused and weak. Gradually, they became of aware of their surroundings and could begin to walk.

When we reached Throal, we remained outside the gates while we sent a messenger on to get help from the questers of Garlen. We turned the Namegivers over to their care and hoped for the best. We made it a point to tell as many troubadours as we could about Harmony, about what’s really going on there. Hopefully that will stop more people from settling there and encourage an expedition to take care of the ants once and for all.

Nib did further research at the Great Library and reported the results. We had assumed that an ant-queen was supplying the eggs that were put into the Name-givers. But Nib learned that that was false. It’s the reverse for Invae, so it’s unlikely there is — at present — an ant-queen at the Harmony mound. Someone — powerful enough — needs to intervene there before a queen is created. In addition, he learned that Invae can only enter our world by transforming a host into a suitable form. But Adepts — like Mal’s friend Berk — who are infected allow for greater spirits to come to this world and possess a body. And even more frightening, if there’s one Invae colony, there are no doubt others.
Advancement:
Spoiler:
Previous Totals
LP 10
Lifetime LP: 2,310
SP 28.7
Lifetime SP: 604.9
TIPs 6
Lifetime TIPs: 6

Awards
(Including Journal)
LP 2,310
SP 468.8
TIPs 3
14 days of Down-time

Available
LP 2,320
SP 498.5
TIPs 9
 
Spends
LP
Astral Sight 2->3: 300
Thread Weaving/Nethermancy 2->3: 300
Suppress Curse 2->3: 300
Spirit Talk 0->1: 100
Avoid Blow 0->3: 600
Spellcasting 3->4: 500

Spell Pain: 0 (Nethermancer 3rd circle training)
Spell Shadow’s Whisper: 200

Remaining Bank: 20 LP
 
SP
Training for Nethermancer 3rd Circle: 300
Training for Shadow’s Whisper Spell: 100
Physician’s Kit: 50
Firefly Chalk (1): 12

Remaining Bank: 36.5 SP
 
TIPs
None Used
Remaining Bank: 9 TIPs
 
Down-time
5 days Training for Nethermancer 3rd Circle
9 days unused
Last edited by Anoush on Sun Dec 13, 2020 10:51 pm, edited 2 times in total.

Anoush
Posts:160
Joined:Wed Feb 22, 2017 10:53 pm

Long Ago, But Not Forgotten

Post by Anoush » Sun Sep 06, 2020 11:17 pm

Long Ago, But Not Forgotten
GM: Iceface9
Date: 2020/9/3
3M

Bloodbeat’s Journal:
Spoiler:
One night, I had a vivid dream about my pre-Scourge past. In the dream, I taught alchemy to a group of dwarves in a village, called Kohldur, a few days North of what-is-now Throal, in the foothills of the Throal Mountains. I awoke from the life-like dream as I bade farewell to the dwarves, heading off for new adventures …

Pondering this, I now remembered that one of the dwarves in particular, Jodot Oakbraid, caught on very quickly. When I returned that way a few years later, he had built up quite a business of supplying alchemical products — potions, salves, light crystals, etc. — to traders, who came from near and far.

I investigated at the Great Library, and learned that no word has reached the Library from Kohldur post-Scourge. I did find pre-Scourge entries, noting Kohldur’s location (hex 40.08). I decided that it was high time to look up my old students and see what’s become of Kohldur and Jodot’s descendants.

I then began looking for adventurers willing to make the trek with me. First, Nib readily agreed. He’s always ready to get out on the road. My two favorite archers, Mal and Redsun, were happy to come along. And the crow-hating windling, Vallone — truly a kindred-spirit — agreed to join us.

My friends did some more digging and asking around, and learned that Kohldur kaer had indeed opened, and the town of Kohldur re-established. So, one sunny day we set out from Throal.

The trip took a few uneventful days. Kohldur turned out to be a small but bustling town. The guards at the gates asked us the usual things, like what was our business there, and requested that we each demonstrate an artisan skill. We asked about the Oakbraid family. The guards told us that they still had an alchemy business, but that it was shady, disreputable. It was run by the head of the family, Victor Oakbraid.

We wandered around the town a bit. It had a nice atmosphere, a busy town square, a few troubadours entertaining the villagers. We found Oakbraid’s Apothecary. Entering it was a typical, but sparsely stocked, shop. There were the usual displays of healing aids and blood charms. A young dwarven man stood behind the counter and greeted us.

When I explained who I was, he was speechless for a few long moments. Then seemed to accept me at face value. I know that reincarnation is rare, but really, it’s not unheard of! We chatted a bit. This very young dwarf, perhaps all of 25 years, was indeed the head of the Oakbraid family. His grandparents had died many years ago, his parents perhaps five years ago, attacked and killed by creatures while on a trip to acquire materials. His two sisters had moved out of town. The Oakbraids had not been particularly prolific, so unlike most dwarven families Victor didn’t have a wealth of cousins, aunts, uncles to call on either.

I asked about the shop’s reputation. He seemed furtive, but explained that the business had been fine until a few months ago when his supply chain had been disrupted. Some kind of flying creatures had attacked the people who supplied his with basic components. As a result, his supply was limited. The city guard sent out a couple guards to investigate, but they never returned. Victor hired a couple adepts to scout the area and learn more. They did return with tales of humanoid flying creatures, human-sized, that took over a crucial pumpkin patch. Victor gave us rough directions and said that the adept he hired practically lived in the local tavern, a big troll.

At one point in the conversation, we heard a noise in the back room and Victor excused himself, saying he had to “deal with something.” After he went back, we peaked around the curtain in the doorway and saw Victor with another man (just a glimpse, but astrally mundane). The only part of their conversation we could make out was Victor saying “Hold on, I’ve got customers. I’ll get you that when I’m done.” Given the secretive nature of the interchange our thoughts speculated on Victor’s connections to the local organized crime group, whoever they might be. But we had no evidence at this point. Nib spied what looked like a trap door in the back room, too.

Next we went to the tavern. There was only one troll there, currently one of the finalists in a drinking contest. We cheered him on and after he won, bought a round for the table, introduced ourselves and sat down. The troll introduced himself as Xhorf. His companion was an elven woman named Gwynevere. Astrally we could tell that they were newly initiated adepts, a swordmaster and a scout, respectively. We asked about the scouting trip. They reported that they saw two bird-like humanoid creatures — two legs and wings. Based on their description, Redsun believed the creatures to be harpies, which he’d fought in the past. The pair reported that the harpies were eating pumpkins in the field and had a camp nearby. They estimated there were at most three harpies in the area. Collective knowledge indicated that harpies fought with their claws and spread disease when they clawed you. Their trip had been about two weeks ago. Gwyn sketched us a map, showing the pumpkin patch to be about one day southeast of Kohldur.

To prepare for our trip, we bought some cheap, but high-proof alcohol, not for drinking, but for sanitizing wounds from disease-ridden creatures like harpies. We also bought some near-rotting meat from the local butcher, to perhaps use as a lure or decoy when fighting the harpies. Harpies were reported to be scavengers and that rotting meat was a delicacy to them.

We left in the morning, with Mal and Vallone leading the group, Redsun and me in the back. On the way, we discussed tactics. Without a fierce front-line fighter, we’d most likely get hurt. But we decided our best tactics were to try to use nearby cover to prevent the harpies from swooping down on us, and to stay near each other for defense.

We reached the pumpkin patch mid-afternoon. Brief scouting indicated that their nest was probably 300 yards away. The patch was surrounded by fairly dense woodlands, so we decided that standing under the branches at the edge of the woods would be our best bet for grounding the harpies.

Then we saw them, four harpies spread out around the patch They immediately approached and taunted us with their screeching. Most of us were affected by the noise, making us less effective in combat. I had miserable luck. They seemed resistant to both Frighten and Spirit Bolt. Luckily, the archers, Mal and Redsun, were extremely effective against them. Nib’s Dodge Boost was Passion-sent. Vallone’s flying and sneaking helped sliced the harpies to ribbons. Finally it was done. They were all dead, while we had taken little damage. We rested and bandaged up, cleaning the wounds with the alcohol.

We found their nest, but no other harpies therein, nor any eggs. On one side of the patch, there was a dilapidated cottage. It seemed abandoned and in need of repair. But it sufficed for shelter that night.

The next morning, we left heading back to Kohldur with good news. Mid-day, Redsun caught a glimpse of a hooded figure by the side of the road, then we were immediately attacked by five large cat creatures. The hooded man seemed to order the cats to attack. A beastmaster, perhaps? Someone identified the cats as troajins. They were fierce in melee. We eventually got the better of them, using much the same attacks as we had on the harpies. One harpy ran away too quickly to catch, but we killed the others.

We healed up and continued on to town. There, we first talked to Xhorf and Gwyn. This time Xhorf was in an arm wrestling contest. Again, we cheered him on, and bought a round for the table after he won. We asked the pair if they near of a beastmaster in the area. They had heard of none. The closest type of person they could recall was a farmer, Named Veridian, who grew a variety of beans. She was a good farmer and neighbor, helping others, and very good with animals. Her farm was about a half day northeast of Kohldur.

Then we visited the apothecary shop. This time, the shelves were empty, the counter broken and damaged, glass vials were broken and their shards littered the floor. The place had been ransacked, too. We checked the back room and the trap door, but found no one. Then Nib sensed someone, or something, nearby, within about 40 yards. This presence was an adept and likely more powerful than us.

hen we saw a hooded figure, an elven man. He berated us for killing his pets, the troajins. We mentioned the harpies, and he hand waved, calling them “a happy coincidence.” We were exchanging glances, and pondering whether we could overpower the man, when Nib noticed astrally that he had three companions, all more powerful than the elf. The elf warned us to “stay out of his business,” with an implied “or else.” So we backed off and left.

The next day we visited Veridian’s farm. The crops looked abundant and there were a variety of animals on the farm. Talking to Veridian it was clear she was no adept. Her only knowledge was of farming and farm animals, not wild animals. She hadn’t heard of a beastmaster either. She mentioned that the pumpkin patch’s owner had had to move away because of the harpies. We assured her the harpies were gone and she promised to let the owner know.

Back in town, we talked to the guards. The only robed figure they could think of was a trader who frequented the tavern. So, next stop the tavern. There we met the trader, Jasper, a t’skrang who dealt in furs. Definitely not the elven man we’d seen.

We talked to some of the other merchants in town, but none of them knew of, or were willing to speak of, anything resembling organized crime. There was nothing more that we felt capable of dealing with or following up on, so we left for Throal the following morning, vowing to report these events to adepts who might be able to help.

On the way back to Throal, our conversation was full of speculation about the elven man. Was he a representative of some crime organization? Just how powerful was he? Who or what were his allies? Astrally Nib had determined that his pattern was not that of a spell caster, nor did he carry weapons. So, a beastmaster seemed the likeliest discipline.
Expenses:
Spoiler:
Previous Totals
LP 20
Lifetime LP: 4,620
SP 36.5
Lifetime SP: 1073.7
TIPs 9
Lifetime TIPs: 9

Awards
(Including Journal)
LP 1,470
SP 393.8 (base)
Half-price Healing Aids: Healing Potion (300)
SP 93.8 (actual)
TIPs 3
14 days of Down-time

Available
LP 1,490
SP 130.3
TIPs 12
 
Spends
LP
Avoid Blow 3->4: 500
Frighten 3->4: 500
Spirit Talk 1->2: 200

Remaining Bank: 90 LP
 
SP
Padded Leather Armor: 25

Remaining Bank: 105.3 SP
 
TIPs
None Used
Remaining Bank: 12 TIPs
 
Down-time
None unused
Last edited by Anoush on Sun Dec 13, 2020 10:52 pm, edited 3 times in total.

Anoush
Posts:160
Joined:Wed Feb 22, 2017 10:53 pm

Phaelon's Festival of Wonder

Post by Anoush » Thu Sep 10, 2020 7:11 am

Phaelon's Festival of Wonder
GM: jexel
2020/9/7

Journal:
Spoiler:
A carnival had arrived in Throal about a week earlier, Named Phaelon’s Festival of Wonders. They had come all the way from Travar. Word was spreading through town about how exciting their stage production, “The Trials of Irilis” was. So, on the last night of their stay, my friends — Jarock, Lazluin, Mal, and Nib — went to the show.

Arriving at the festival — situated just west of Throal — a cryer was announcing that Onyx the Destroyer, the odds on favorite to win the next Founder’s Tournament was here, too. Incredible! In fact, Onyx was standing by the ticket booth, resplendent with a crystal shield. The old woman at the booth told us we had the choice of ground seats (5 sp) or flying carpet seats (20 sp). Incredible! I was eager to try the flying carpets, but my friends were more frugal, so we all sat together in ground seats. Of course, the usher was sound asleep, slumped over in a corner. But we found the seats anyway.

The play was spectacular. At least at the start. It told the tale of the last of Travar before it closed for the Scourge. Large amounts of illusionist magic and other abilities made the spectacle seem real. People running for their lives. Bear-sized creatures barring the way and attacking. Huge magical hands sprouting up out of the earth. A raised platform above, where robed figures and a figure with metallic wings directed the battles that raged. Eventually a magical glowing done sealed the city, while airships and Theran vedettes burned outside. Truly a wonder for the senses.

But about 3/4 of the way through, cracks appeared in the facade. The illusions flickered in and out, and eventually disappeared. Actors clutched their stomachs and collapsed on stage. At first we thought something was wrong, but others called out that that was part of the play. The flying carpets trembled then began falling! On top of the rest of the audience. Now we knew something was badly wrong!

We raced out of the way of the carpets, then helped the injured people and the old out of the tent. The crowds panicked so one of my companions slashed other exits into the fabric walls of the tent theatre. Eventually, enough of the crowd got out to calm the crowd somewhat, lines formed and people filed out.

Looking around, the astral was open. But most of the actors and carnival crew were laying on the ground, moaning, some having thrown up, others clutching their stomachs. I examined a few with my Physician’s abilities and concluded that they had been poisoned, probably by something they ate.

Then we heard a voice cry out, “Help!”, from outside the tent, towards the ticket booth. Racing there, we arrived to see Onyx the Destroyer laying on the ground, bleeding from multiple wounds, his magnificent shield shattered on the ground next to him. Uh, no. The shield was just wood, covered in a thin metal covering. The festival illusionists must’ve magicked it to appear special. And Onyx, well, laying on the ground, he looked like a young troll, sleeping off a keg of beer, that is, until you saw the gaping wounds.

I stabilized him and did my best to clean and seal and bandage his wounds. He’ll live, but will take a while recovering. We managed to wake him up — turned out he’s an actor Named Clarence — and he explained what happened. About a half hour ago, four or five ork thugs appeared, and attacked him. Three of the works had sword, and there was at least one archer among them. They were dressed all in black and they’d arrived on horseback. He remembered nothing more until we woke him up. When asked why he hadn’t been poisoned like the rest of the cast and crew, Clarence said that the employee dinner was fish stew, which he detests, so he didn’t eat any. So, it’s most likely that the stew had been poisoned.

Our surmise was that the bandits had planned the heist for tonight, knowing that the entire week’s profits would be in the till. Several thousand silver, by our probably conservative estimate.

Meanwhile, Nib talked to any witnesses, but didn’t learn anything more. Jarock examined the arrow I’d removed from Clarence, and declared it to be the kind used by common bandits.

By now the chaos at the festival had mostly subsided, but there were still the poisoned crew and some shocked and injured audience members. I found a young boy, maybe 10 years old, and asked him if he knew where the Temple of Garlen was in Throal. He nodded yes, so I offered him one silver now, and another tomorrow, if he’d go to the temple, and tell them that there were poisoned and hurt people at the festival who needed their help. I agreed, grabbed my silver and ran off. In the correct direction.

Laz tried tracking the orcs in conjunction with Mal’s Mystic Pursuit, using the arrow as the token. The Mystic Pursuit indicated the bandits were due east of here. Having done all we could do to contain the chaos here, we set off in search of the bandits. Laz and Mal led, followed by Jarock and me, with Nib watching overhead.

We traveled through the night, made camp, and were up early to continue the search. The tracks struck out across country, not following any defined roads. Yet, the tracks were easy to follow and confirmed by the Mystic Pursuit. As we traveled, the Servos Jungle loomed closer and closer on the horizon. We were headed straight for it.

On the next day, around mid-day we found the bandits’ campfire from the night before. By now by examining the tracks, we were convinced that there were five oaks in the party. Near the campfire’s remains we found. Brown and black striped band. Jarock recognized it as a small town thug identifier, “Dahnat’s Clan,” comprised mainly of common ork thugs. They’re mainly located at the entrance to Throal. We took the band just in case we needed it for Mystic Pursuit.

About two hours before sunset, we caught sight of a horse, and then two more to the north. We were now at the very edge of the Servos. The horses had probably been stolen, along with their tack, both of low quality. Still, we removed the tack from the horses and let them roam where they wanted.

We followed the tracks into the Jungle. Once inside, the path meandered to and fro, and eventually we found that we’d circled around and were now heading east. Here, the astral was somewhat murky, but not horrible.

We neared a land bridge that connected to what looked like a largish island in the jungle. Then Mal stopped us, and pointed out webs up ahead and large creatures in the jungle canopy that looked like giant spiders. Someone in the group identified them as Giant Weaver Spiders. There were five of them at first count. Our best knowledge was that these spiders could poison us and then once the poison took effect, they’d wrap us in cocoons for later meals. Not something I’d want to experience.

Nonetheless, we fought the spiders. There were a few tense moments when one spider took on Nib, one-on-one. But between Mal and Jarock, they made short work of the spiders. We recovered to a degree, and continued on.

We had lost the tracks shortly before encountering the spiders, so now after passing the spiders’ webs, we continued onward. On the other side of the lake, we found a dinghy, barely seaworthy, with the familiar tracks of our ork bandits. We stove in the boat so that they could not use it to make a fast retreat. The tracks led to a more rocky terrain and eventually a cave entrance (hex 38.09).

he astral was clear, so we entered the cave. A few feet down the passageway, we saw an intricate design on the floor. The design is perhaps best described as a child’s rendition of the Rites of Protection and Passage in crayon. Perhaps this was intended to scare off the mundane? Just past the design, there was a trip wire, which Mal tripped on purpose, causing a lot of rocks to fall down. If he’d been where the trap expected him to be, he’d have been damaged, or even crushed, by the rocks. As it was, the rocks were a nuisance, making the path into the caves tighter, but nothing more.

Up ahead we saw a glow coming from deeper within the cave system. Shortly thereafter, the passage opened into a large cavern. On the other side of the cavern were a good number of large, reddish mushrooms. A ledge on the right side of the cave obscured anything further there. And then we noticed the four works.

Battle ensued. At one point Jarock was seriously hurt, and I had to keep him awake to get him to stand up and fight. It turned out that there were five orks in total: four thugs and one boss. We knocked the boss unconscious and killed two of the thugs, at which point the remaining two orks surrendered.

I swapped matrices and cast Soulless Eyes. This and some theatrics convinced the works to tell all they knew. According to the orks — Otto and Kramer — the theft had been the idea of an ork Named Stryker. Stryker and their boss, Grunshilk, worked up the details. Stryker ran a shop in the Dahnat, called Dahnat’s Hides. The plan was that they’d meet up with Stryker in four days time in Throal and everyone would get their cut. They’d put the Giant Red Mushroom poison into the festival company’s dinner, a stew, as we had suspected. We took samples of the mushrooms to give to the Temple of Garlen in Throal; perhaps the mushrooms would help them create an antidote for the poison.

On the ledge, we found a huge amount silver and a chest, obviously the take from the festival theft. We packed up the silver, and returned to Throal with it along with the three living orks. We turned the oaks over to the Throalic police and returned the silver to the Festival. Stryker’s shop had been cleared out.
 Expenses:
Spoiler:
Previous Totals
LP 90
Lifetime LP: 6,090
SP 105.3
Lifetime SP: 1,167.5
TIPs 12
Lifetime TIPs: 12

Awards
(Including Journal)
LP 2,310
SP 468.8
TIPs 3
14 days of Down-time

Available
LP 2.400
SP 574.1
TIPs 15
 
Spends
LP
Astral Sight 3->4: 500
Steel Thought 3->4: 500
Suppress Curse 3->4: 500
Thread Weaving 3->4: 500
Arcane Mutterings 0->2: 300
Spirit Hold 0->1: 100

Remaining Bank: 0 LP
 
SP
Training for Nethermancer 4th Circle: 500

Remaining Bank: 74.1 SP
 
TIPs
None Used
Remaining Bank: 15 TIPs
 
Down-time
5 days training for circle advancement
9 days unused
Last edited by Anoush on Sun Dec 13, 2020 10:53 pm, edited 2 times in total.

Anoush
Posts:160
Joined:Wed Feb 22, 2017 10:53 pm

The Book Lover

Post by Anoush » Thu Sep 17, 2020 7:04 am

The Book Lover
GM: verse86
Date: 2020/09/13

Bloodbeat’s Journal:
Spoiler:
An elven wizard, Dalyor, posted a notice looking for adventurers to travel to Sosonopa with him, on a job to retrieve some ancient books from the Scytha Mountains for his employer. That sounded interesting, and Sosonopa is a fine town, along the Serpent River, North of Throal. I often take a river boat from there when I return home to Syrtis.

The group all together were: Dalyor, an elven wizard, myself, and my friends Lazulin, Nib, and Redsun. The trip to Sosonopa was uneventful, about 5 days.

Our contact in Sosonopa was a man Named Jasper Tahn. Hmmm, that Name was familiar. I recall a Jasper Tahn from before the Scourge. A nethermancer, we worked together off, but his focus had been on surviving the Scourge by taking advantage of some undead qualities. Nah, can’t be the same person.

We easily found his house and were greeted by a human servant, Sebas, an adept (a Gauntlet per our Astral Sight readings). Dalyor explained that we were there in answer to an advertisement about retrieving some books. Sebas let us in, escorted us to a sitting room, and told us that he’d check with his master.

In the short trip to the sitting room, we observed our surroundings. The house was comfortable, well-furnished, so Jasper was apparently well-off. But what caught the eyes of Dalyor, Nib and myself was the library. We passed an open door that at a glance contained hundreds, perhaps thousands of books. Looking astrally we picked out a few that were astrally active, including a book on wizardry and one on nethermancy. Maybe we could bargain for access to his library?

Sebas returned shortly, explaining that his master was unavailable. We asked Sebas about Jasper. All that Sebas would say that Jasper was a nethermancer and very busy. Then he took a necklace off a wall hook, and a sheaf of papers. Sebas explained that there is a legendary vault built pre-Scourge by dwarves in the Scytha Mountains that contains lots of books. The vault was built to keep the books away from the Therans, or the others who would plunder them. Other valuables were stored there as well, e.g., coins, gems, artwork, and likely magical items. Jasper located the vault and provided us with a map to it.

The book that Jasper wants is one of extreme power, written pre-Scourge. We would recognize the book by the symbol on its cover, a summoning circle. It’s likely that the book can no longer be used because of how magic has changed in the world, but Jasper still wants it. The book can be found in a specific inner vault secured with a large, round bronze door. Holding the necklace up to the door will open it safely. Dalyor accepted the necklace for safekeeping. Sebas also gave us a map to the large Vault, within which would be the smaller vault containing the book that Jasper wanted. Sebas told us that Jasper wanted any and all books or objects in the vault that the crystal key opened, but that anything else we found we could keep for ourselves.

In addition, Sebas told us that while there used to be guards — dwarves, humans, etc. — there no longer were any such. Likewise, to the best of Jasper’s knowledge, there were no traps in the vault. We accepted the job and planned to depart in the morning.

That evening, we visited some of the pubs near Jasper’s house and asked about his, to try to learn more about his reputation and activities. All we learned was that people rarely saw Jasper. And when they did, they’d usually only catch a glimpse of him getting into a carriage. He seemed to an old, pale human-sized Name-giver.

We booked passage on a fireship, Dragon’s Breath, the next morning, which would take us East on the Serpent River for a couple of days. We would disembark roughly South of the vault.

From there we trekked North into the Scytha Mountains. Lazulin and I led, with Dalyor and Redsun behind, and Nib overhead.

On the second day of the journey, we realized that we were being followed. By cockatrices! What?! Birds?! Big, nasty, poisonous birds! That had to die! So we killed them all handily, although there was some worry about poison. But we all recovered quickly.

Then I plucked the wretched things. I must admit that cockatrice feathers are beautiful, multi-colored, iridescent, long, soft. Perfect for a future item of some kind, perhaps a cloak. So I plucked them and collected the feathers, along with the beaks and talons for good measure.

Less than one day’s travel later, we found the Vault area. The doors were caved in and broken. Other looters, er, collectors had been here before. The astral was somewhat tainted here, just enough to make it difficult to study the area. We methodically began searching the interior of the Vault area. Sebas had given us general directions for once we were inside, so we tried to follow his guidance. But the corridors turned and twisted, so that we ended up searching quite a bit of the place.

Turning down one corridor, we heard shuffling behind..Some kind of slow-moving creatures were approaching. Once we got a better look at them, we realized that they were ghouls. More an annoyance than anything else, they went down without too much trouble.

Then we found The Vault, yes, the one sealed with a large, round bronze door. Dalyor held the necklace up to it, we heard a small click and the dock was unlocked. Inside we found cabinets and bookshelves. The special book was there, along with a few others. Based on their patterns, the others were about wizardry and nethermancy. We collected them all for Jasper.

We finished searching the vault and in one room found a handsome pair of gloves, leather with finely details black thread. Definitely a Thread Item.

We returned to Sosonopa without incident and gave the books to Sebas. Again, Jasper Tahn was too busy to see us. He did offer us blood charms or access to spells from his collection at half the going rate. That was a nice bonus.

I’m looking forward to working for Jasper Tahn again.
Advancement:
Spoiler:
Previous Totals
LP 0
Lifetime LP: 8,400
SP 74.1
Lifetime SP: 1636.3
TIPs 15
Lifetime TIPs: 15

Awards
(Including Journal)
LP 2,310
SP 468.8 (base)
Half price spells and/or blood charms
  • after accounting for half-price spells, below, which total to 400 SP:
  • 1 4th circle for 200 SP
  • 2 2nd circle for 100 SP each
SP 68.8 (actual)
TIPs 3
14 days of Down-time

Available
LP 2,310
SP 142.9
TIPs 18
 
Spends
LP
Spellcasting 4->5: 800

Spell Viewpoint (4): 500
Spell Summon Fog Ghost (2): 200
Spell Chilling Circle (2): 200

Weave Rank 1 Thread to Enhanced Spell Matrix Object D: 200
Weave Rank 2 Thread to Enhanced Spell Matrix Object D: 300

Remaining Bank: 110 LP
 
SP
Spell Viewpoint (4): 0 (reward)
Spell Fog of Fear (2): 0 (reward)
Spell Chilling Circle (2): 0 (reward)

Item History for Enhanced Spell Matrix Object D: 38
Research for Enhanced Spell Matrix Object D: 75

Remaining Bank: 29.9 SP
 
TIPs
Enhanced Spell Matrix Object D: 16

Remaining Bank: 2 TIPs
 
Down-time
7 days used for Enhanced Spell Matrix Object Research
Item History & Research done by Nib:
Enhanced Spell Matrix Object Research for Bloodbeat 7 days unused
Last edited by Anoush on Sun Dec 13, 2020 10:53 pm, edited 2 times in total.

Anoush
Posts:160
Joined:Wed Feb 22, 2017 10:53 pm

The Kidnapping of Victor

Post by Anoush » Sun Sep 20, 2020 9:37 pm

The Kidnapping of Victor
GM: iceface9
Date: 2020/09/17

Bloodbeat’s Journal:
Spoiler:
A questor of Mynbruje arrived in Throal, Named Krenyu. He brought word from the town of Kohldur. Something was very wrong in Kohldur when Krenyu recently passed through. There were no guards at the city gate, no people on the streets, many boarded up buildings, and many other abandoned buildings. Redsun spoke to him about it, and agreed to take on the mission of finding out what was going on in Kohldur and fixing it if possible.

Redsun contacted some of his friends to help. Most of us had journeyed to Kohldur a few weeks before to help the local alchemist, Victor Oakbraid. The ones who accompanied Redsun this time were myself, Nib the wizard and Mal the archer. We also convinced Jarock the weaponsmith to join us. So, we set off for Kohldur.

The journey there was easy and quiet. No problems. When we reached the town itself, everything was as reported by the questor. The astral was badly tainted, while last time it had been open. Nib’s reading of the astral indicated the presence of a Horror, but it was difficult to determine anything more because of the high level of taint.

First, we stopped at the tavern, the Wailing Banshee. It was boarded up, but we could hear people inside talking. So we called out loudly who we were, why we were here, and offered to demonstrate our lack of horror marks. We heard a querulous voice ask “Get rid of them?” From insideWe asked if Xhorf or Gwen were there — the archer and scout we’d met last time. Xhorf was indeed there and replied to our calls. He explained that the troubles started with some big wolves attacking the apothecary shop. The creatures took Victor. And there was a cloaked beastmaster controlling the animals.

After that most people either left town or boarded up their homes and hid in place. Xhorf thought that only the town was affected, not the outlying farms. As we were talking, Mal caught a glimpse of something flashing by the tavern. It was hiding in the shadows, but his guess was that it was a kreescra, a horror construct of some kind.

We proceeded to the apothecary shop. It wasn’t locked, but looked in even worse shape than the last time we saw it, when it had been ransacked. The trap door to the cellar was locked, but not trapped. Jarock broke open the door with his axe, and then repaired the door, without a lock, as a courteous gesture.

We went down a ladder, about 15 feet, and ended up in a cavern. We could hear flowing water. The area seemed to be an old mine, passages leading off in four directions, with rails for ore cars, lots of dust, and a nasty smell. As were we discussing how to continue, three humanoid figures appeared from one of the tunnels. I recognized them as deer-form fibroids. They were the size of orks, but with a thick furry hid, a rack of antlers on their heads, a variety of tattoos of terrifying images. The post-Scourge stories told of groups of 20 to 30 raiding villages. They’re not usually horror tainted. Yet, this was a very tainted area.

Nib tried talking to them, but was told that we didn’t belong there and to get out. So Nib cast Iron Hand on Jarock and melee followed.

Once the firbruids were dead, we headed in the direction of the running water. We crossed a river, using an old bridge, not very sturdy, but good enough. The astral was getting worse and worse as we continued. Then we heard muffled screams that sounded like Victor. We hurried onward.

As we turned a corner, I felt something attack my mind, but the attack slid off. Immediately we were attacked by five kreescra. About 3-feet tall, the kreescra were parodies of a humanoid form, with twisted limbs and faces, almost like some kind of warped flying monkey. We fought them off, but their attacks were insidious, targeting not just our bodies, but our minds. We killed two, but the other three fled.

We heard Victor’s screams again, much closer this time. A couple more twists in the tunnel, and we saw him. A most frightful scene! A gaping, fiery maw was in the middle of the room, and victor was tied to a spit above it. Were they going to sacrifice him or roast him for dinner?! The cloaked elven beastmaster was there, as well as a human male that we hadn’t met before. There were three dire wolves on the side, snarling, and obviously under the beast master’s control. There was a fourth wolf, too, but he was something else: a wolf skeleton, something unnatural.

The human was whispering to Victor and the elf. Then the elf told us to back off, to leave and let them get on with their business. Loudly the human asked Victor, “Why’d you kill him, Victor?” Victor just continued screaming. After some questioning it came out that the human, Named Folmar, had convinced the elf — Serethshay— that Victor had killed Folmar’s husband, Dashot. Folmar kept saying the elf’s Name, and Serethshay acted like in a trance, shuffling and mumbling his words. We could make out fragments of what he said, “Murderer! The murderer must pay! … Oh, my beloved, Dashot, ... By the Passions, the murderer will pay, …”

Our group realized that something was very wrong here. That Folmar was controlling Serethshay that Victor was a murderer, and someone needed to intervene. One after the other, we tried. Some of us used words to convince Serethshay that the law should handle this, not him. Other tried our magical talents to break the spell. The most effective was Nib, who spoke quietly but convincingly of the need for compassion, but moving past one’s grief, and that Dashot would not want Serethshay to damage his own soul with revenge.

Nib’s words broke through the elf’s grief, and Serethshay finally looked up at us, clear-eyes, wanting to know what was going on. And somewhere in this exchange of words, ideas and emotions, Redsun was touched by the Passion Mynbruje. Later, he vowed to become a quester and devote himself to Mynbruje’s teachings.

Folmar laughed at Serethshay and at us. He was amused by the entire situation. One last chuckle, and he said, “I’ll be back,” then he jumped — yes, jumped — into the Astral Maw where he was chewed up and swallowed.

We removed Victor from the spit, bandaged his wounds and gave him what comfort we could. He was just relieved to be released, rescued. Victor claimed that he had no idea who the elf was, or who his husband had been. Folmar had just said something like “Ah, this one will do.” And the next thing he knew, the elf was coming after him.

The Astral Maw was well beyond our capabilities to deal with. So we boarded it up as best we could and put up signs, in multiple languages, warning people to stay away. Then we returned to the surface.

The townspeople were grateful that the danger was gone, and we spent the night in the tavern. But we were careful enough to set watches. At least three of us — myself, Jarock and Redsun — had horrible nightmares that shook us to our core. The next day we were worn out.

As we started packing up, the remaining kreescra arrived. We had a few moments to prepare, but then they were on us. The first one attacked me. With the first bone-jarring hit, I felt my Absorb Blow Charm shatter and save me from unconsciousness. He followed up with another equally earthshaking hit, and this time I fell unconscious, dying. I woke up two days later.

The fight with the kreescra was bad. But my companions prevailed. Then they used our groups healing aids to keep me alive. I owe them all — Jarock, Mal, Nib and Redsun — for saving me. In the future, when they call for my aide, I will give it unconditionally.

We returned to Throal, happy to have survived, but not pleased that we left an Astral Maw in the mines beneath Kohldur. Perhaps after we report this to the Great Library a solution can be found.
Advancement:
Spoiler:
Previous Totals
LP 110
Lifetime LP: 10,710
SP 29.9
Lifetime: 2,108.9
TIPs 2
Lifetime TIPs: 18

Awards
(Including Journal)
LP 3,150
SP 703.8 (base)
Half price healing aids and/or blood charms
  • Last Chance Salve: 300
SP 403.8 (actual)
TIPs 5
14 days of Down-time

Available
LP 3,260
SP 433.7
TIPs 7
 
Spends
LP
Thread Weaving/Nethermancy 4->5: 800
Avoid Blow 4->5: 800
Arcane Mutterings 2->3: 300
Patterncraft 1->2: 200
Hold Spirit 1->2: 200

Spell: Life Circle of One: 100

Remaining Bank: 860 LP
 
SP
Forge Hide Armor (+2 Total) to PA 7 / MA 1: 150
Forging elapses Dec. 10

Spell: Life Circle of One: 50

Remaining Bank: 233.7 SP
 
TIPs
Remaining Bank: 7 TIPs
 
Down-time
14 days for armor forging
0 days unused
Last edited by Anoush on Sun Dec 13, 2020 10:54 pm, edited 2 times in total.

Anoush
Posts:160
Joined:Wed Feb 22, 2017 10:53 pm

Out of Time

Post by Anoush » Fri Sep 25, 2020 8:54 pm

Out of Time
GM: predajay
Date: 2020/09/24

Bloodbeat’s Journal:
Spoiler:
One fine morning in Throal, I was spending time at the nearby weaponsmith’s shop, having my armor forged. The process fascinated me, the fire, the strength of the smith, the way the hammer blows moved the metal. I was surprised that he didn’t quench worked metal in blood, but in mundane oil. That seems like a missing step.

Mid-morning, the weaponsmith grew impatient with my questions and presence, so I departed for a local tavern for a snack. Some ale and pastry were a nice pick-me-upper after the hot forge. Just as I was finishing the ale, Nib fluttered in and sped directly to my table. “Come quick, Bloodbeat! There’s something going on at the gates and we may need some magical help.” He needn’t say more. I paid my tab and together we quickly headed to the gates of Throal.

Nib explained that a Corporal of the City Guard had come asking for help with a stranger who didn’t speak Throalic or any of the common languages. As we neared the gates, we saw Stromboll, the Captain of the City Guards, in heated discussion with someone. We caught the words “monster,” “home” and “hunted,” as we waved and hurried past. At the gates, we met up with Mal, the elven archer, who Nib had also alerted.

At the gates, there was a middle-aged man dressed in wizards robes babbling in words that no one could make out. As we listened, we could make the occasional word that seemed familiar. For me, in t’skrang, for Nib in windling, and for Mal in sperethiel. With hand gestures, the best we could discern was that the man had traveled here from the east side of the Throal Mountains an area near Killian’s Life Rock at Grannagroth. The man was insistent about returning home. His clothing was odd, old-fashioned. The last time I’d seen anything like it was before the Scourge. Could he be from a newly opened Kaer that needed help?

Nib checked the astral and to our dismay he found it corrupted. What?! This doesn’t happen, not in Throal. Studying the astral more closely, Nib realized that the corruption emanated from the man himself; the further away from the man you got, the weaker the corruption was, until it finally faded. The guards had no idea how to handle the problem. So the three of us stepped in and volunteered to escort the man back to his home, wherever that might be.

About this time, Killian arrived back in Throal from his Life Rock Grannagroth. We filled him in on the situation and he was eager to help. We decided that we’d take the long way around and stop in Sosonopa first to collect Redsun who was working as an investigator there. So we headed north. T

he trip was uneventful, although traveling with this stranger was decidedly odd. No matter how hard we tried, we couldn’t get more information out him. The first time Nib tried to learn his Name, he answered “human.” Eventually we learned that his Name was “Archaeceliozome.” A real mouthful. We called him “Archie.”

We found Redsun without trouble, but it was hard to restrain Archie. He kept moving forward, along the path to, presumably, his home. He walked right onto a fireship without paying. I know they had coins and commerce before the Sourge. No one could be this confused, could they? We paid for the passage and traveled on it downstream about three days. Along the way, Archie kept pointing into the mountains.

Once we disembarked, Archie led us directly into the mountains. He obviously knew this route very well. After about a half day of travel, we came to a glen with a hut, or building, constructed in the mountainside. As we paused, we saw a group of five ogres near the hut. Archie began striding directly toward them, or perhaps toward the hut. We had no choice but to follow. We called out to the ogres, but all they wanted was to fight. So we obliged.

It was a tough, tough battle. Killian fell unconscious and was close to death after having been surrounded by four of the ogres at once. The ogres didn’t always hit, but when they did, they did a lot of damage. Nib checked the astral and found that there were two more creatures present astrally. To start these astral creatures just watched. But when first one, then a second ogre fell down unconscious or dead, the astral creatures popped into the physical plane, taking their fallen comrades places. The astral ogres were identical to the ogres they replaced. Archie demonstrated that he was a wizard during the battle — trying to cast “Mind Dagger” according to Nib — but not a very good one. He kept trying to weave threads, but failed horribly. Again and again. At one point, he retreated from them and hid behind me. Who was this guy?

Finally we defeated the ogres. But both Redsun and Mal were hurt, and Killian was unconscious, nearly dead. We revived Killian somewhat and did what healing we could. The hut seemed the perfect place to spend the night (or more) and recover.

Archie entered the hut with a stride of ownership, as if he belonged him, or the hut belonged to him. He went through the building, checking each room. Looking for more ogres we assumed, but found none. We also checked; in addition the large main hall, we found a total of five rooms, three on the north, and two on the south. Even though the astral was corrupted, we made plans to spend the night and set up watches. There were two bedrooms, each with a comfortable-looking bed, along with a bath (running water but no towels or soap), a library and an armory full of ancient weapons.

The main hall contained an assortment of furniture, including four large thrones at the far end. Three of the thrones held a humanoid skeleton, while the fourth contained an obsidiman, dead, or so we thought. The humanoids were all different races: an elf, a windling and a troll. I used the Experience Death spell on the obsidiman and discovered that he wasn’t dead. Well, who can tell the difference between a dead obsidiman and a sleeping one, eh? We were unable to wake him up.

Then I used Experience Death on the elf skeleton. I saw the elf at the doorway to this building, with a fierce blizzard outside and some furry humanoid shapes approaching from out of the whiteness. An obsidiman was trying to shut the door, with a troll close at hand, and almost succeeded. At the last moment, the furry creatures pushed the door inwards and melee ensued. One of the furry creatures attacked the elf and the last thing the elf knew was the creature snapping his neck with a fearsome bite. In the vision, the elf’s clothing was similar to Archie’s, old fashioned robes. The creatures that broke through were furry and humanoid, but there shapes seemed to shift, at first appearing more human-like, then more oak-like, etc. They might have been Name-givers.

Once Nib found the library, he was ecstatic and obsessed. You’d think he’d never seen a book before. The books were on a variety of subject, some were obviously pre-Scourge, while others were modern. He also found some maps of various places in Barsaive, some old, some new. Taken together, the maps and their notes seemed to indicate that someone was planning on invasion, perhaps of Throal, perhaps of another part of Barsaive. For the new maps, the parchment seemed 50 to 70 years old. The materials for the pre-Scourge books seemed about 300 to 400 years old, so about right.

The armory contained a lot of old weapons, many in need of repair. If Killian had been feeling better — he was still barely staying conscious — he’d have spent hours there studying and repairing them.

We spent over an hour exploring the building and exclaiming about our discoveries to the others. Gathering back together in the main hall, we realized that Archie was gone. We searched everywhere, but he was indeed gone. And the front door was locked. When did that happen?

Still puzzling, we realized it was late and we were all exhausted. We set up watches, letting Killian sleep through the night. During the night, the guards noticed some things — creatures? — skittering across the floor. Just a few times, but it was unsettling. These things were roughly dwarf-sized.

IN the morning, Killian had not gotten good rest, but had been plagued by nightmares. Most of stared at each other and said, “Kreescra?” In recollection of a recent shared adventure in Kohldur. That was a disturbing thought. I had nearly died while fighting the kreescra and wasn’t looking forward to a rematch.

We began looking for a secret door in earnest, to either find a way out or to figure out where Archie had disappeared to. But we found nothing. There was still one unopened, locked door in the hall. I used Viewpoint to look into the room and found a horrific kitchen. There was a large oven, a table arrayed with butcher’s knives, a large trough containing a stew in which various organs bobbed, a pile of dead bodies and body parts in one corner. And amid all this, there were four “cooks,” all about dwarf-size, but with the slender limbs of an elf and a stumpy tail, with dog-like heads. After my description, someone concluded that they were pangoli (plural for pangolus). Nasty creatures.

As we discussed how to handle this, we noticed that the dining table was set with full, hot meals for all five of us. Thinking back to the trough of stew, my stomach turned (a rare enough thing to happen to a nethermancer) and decided that I’d stick to my boring, but known rations.

In an attempt to keep the pangoli bottled up in the kitchen, I inscribed a series of concentric Life Circles of One at its door. But my skills deserted me in the effort, and weren’t able to block much of anything.

Nevertheless, we went to the front door and Killian began knocking it down. As he started, the kitchen door opened and the pangoli poured out, surrounding poor Nib who’d been standing there to keep an eye on it. Melee began and Nib stood his ground against this nasty creatures. Has he become a warrior and didn’t tell us? Suddenly, Archie was back again and attacking us. Yes, turning on us and trying to kill us. In that series of attacks, he tried hitting me several times, but my defenses proved more than able to fend him off. Yet, he hurt some of my companions, even stealing some of their karma. But we finally killed all the pangoli and Archie.

As we were recovering from the battle, the non-dead obsidiman woke up as a result of Nib’s Dispel Magic. He immediately went to the library and returned with a book, which he handed to Nib. The book was a very basic primer to his language, the one Archie had been speaking, which turned out to be an ancient version of obsidiman. This language is the base language for all the modern languages we speak now. Nib sped read his way through the book, and meanwhile, the obsidiman, a wizard, learned to speak Throalic via Speak Language.

The obsidiman’s first question was “Is the Scourge over?” We assured him it was and explained that Throal had re-opened a few years before Then the obsidiman explained that this was where he and his friends — the elf, the troll and the windling — had planned to spend the Scourge. But they were late in closing their door to the long night. As they were closing it, creatures — doppelgängers — approached trying to get in, and succeeded. All his friends were killed, and the obsidiman — Named “Archaeceliozome”, really — knocked into a deep dreaming.

The real Archie was from the Gannagroth Life Rock, the same one as Killian. As a reward for waking him and avenging his friends, Archie offered us some money they’d saved and any of the books we wanted. Nib selected several (too many) books from the collection, along with the maps, to take to the Great Library. He mainly chose books on pre-Scourge history and lore to help fill in gaps in knowledge. Plus there was one book not in any known language.

Killian and Archie set out across the mountains to Gannagroth, while the rest of us hailed a fireboat and sailed to Sosonopa and then returned overland to Throal.
Advancement:
Spoiler:
Previous Totals
LP 60
Lifetime LP: 13,860
SP 233.7
Lifetime SP: 2,108.9
TIPs 7
Lifetime TIPs: 23

Awards
(Including Journal)
LP 4,200
SP 593.8
TIPs 3
14 days of Down-time

Available
LP 4,260
SP 827.5
TIPs 10
 
Spends
LP
Frighten 4->5: 800
Steel Thought 4->5: 800
Suppress Curse 4->5: 800
Astral Sight 4->5: 800
Arcane Mutterings 3->4: 500

Weave Rank 3 thread to Enhanced Matrix Object D: 500

Remaining Bank: 60 LP
 
SP
Forge Hide Armor +2 (+4 Total) to PA 9 / MA 1: 350
Forging elapses Dec. 17

Remaining Bank: 477.5 SP
 
TIPs
Remaining Bank: 10 TIPs
 
Down-time
14 days for armor forging
0 days unused
Last edited by Anoush on Sun Dec 13, 2020 10:55 pm, edited 2 times in total.

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