AAR: Confluence of Forces

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etherial
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AAR: Confluence of Forces

Post by etherial » Mon Nov 27, 2017 5:24 am

Mission: Confluence of Forces
GM: etherial
Date: 2017-11-26
Difficulty and circle rating: Circle 4 Medium

Player Rewards:
August Rey: 2200 Legend, 550 Silver, Thread Barding Received, 12 Thread Points
Ceadda: 2200 Legend, 550 Silver
Irwin: 2200 Legend, 550 Silver, Magic Armband, 16 Thread Points, Etiquette Talent Training
Varis: 2200 Legend, 150 Silver, Magic Ring, 16 Thread Points, Elementalist Circle 5 Training

Downtime Actions Available:
Irwin: Item History: 15 (rank 4)
Irwin: Research: 15 (rank 5)
Varis: Item History: Step 14 (Rank 3)
Varis: Step 12 (Rank 2) (20 silver for Library)

Further Information:
River is clear of Horrors, and Jexel is a Horror!!!

Jason
Posts:124
Joined:Mon Jan 23, 2017 2:54 pm

Re: AAR: Confluence of Forces

Post by Jason » Mon Nov 27, 2017 5:35 pm

From the Journal of Irwin E. Hopperton Human Elmentalist of the 4th Circle

Rumor:
The X'Egirathla II is heading South to study the confluence of rivers heading down to the Serpent and is looking for muscle.

Party:
Varus, Dwarf Elementalist of the 4th Circle
Ceadda, Human Warrior of the 5th Circle
Jexel, Elf Thief of the 4th Circle
August, Dwarf Calveryman of the 4th Circle

We headed down to Borgan's rest. Varis had to swim to the boat. His embrodery was questionable and wasn't allowed into Borgan's rest. Little did we know at the time that it was Jexel that we needed to watch out for, not Varus.

The T'Skrang were very happy with my plant feasts. Enjoying all of those sumptuous meals payed off. They let me stay in one of the officer's cabins, while everone else slept on the deck or with the crew.

The X'Egirathla II headed down river for a few days, stopped to do some trading at the T'Skrang village.

We then continued down river afterwords and stormes started picking up.. it did seem unusually for the season, whih Varis aggreed. The Storm got to August's mount, who ended up curled in a ball... May have also had to do with his mount being a cat and all the rain.

The next day we saw some Storm crows circling overhead. Varis wisely cast resist air on everyone before they arrived. Almost like his casting called them. They swooped down toward us, but we quickly dispatched them.

I proceeded to douse everyone in need with some water spears which did a good job at healing everyone up.

Jexel points out that the paddle wheels were going in reverse, yet we were still going forward. He points out a whirlpool ahead. Varis points out some water elementals inside. August and Shadowstalker took a line and tied off the boat, which quickly swong around, but did stop the boat from ended up in the whirlpool.

Varis and myself listened to the elementals and picked up their language. We were then able to discuess with them what was happening and found out they were fighting with some corrupted elementals from the other branch of the river.

We offer to help and find that the fight was already in progress. Two corrupted water elementals came out of the water and attacked us. Through torrent of water and near drounding of some of our allies, we suceeded. I landed the final blow on the last corrupted water elemental with a desperate spell lightning bolt.

I checked out the astral and saw corrupted air and water. It seems like corrupted air was coruppting the water.

We convince the ship crew to take up up river to the source so we can deal with it. We also explain to the water elementals that we will help, which they are thankful for.

We took a nights rest and prepared for the day.. Varis, Ceadda, and myself take part in the firehealing ritual and pull the streangth of fire into our body and use it to harded our skin as wood. I do exeptionally well..

We move forward and got attacked by another group of storm corws and a black ice flyer... a Storm wraith, priorly unseen, unmounts from the ice fly and engaged. Jexel went missing in the cabins at some point here and never joined us in the fight.

Between Lighting, earthdarts and steal, the enemies were vanquished. I landed a Grove Renewal on Ceadda toward the end of the fight... not knowning what would come next, but it was worth it.

Right as the last storm crow fell, Jexel stabs me in the back two times. Thankeful for my new 'skin' and air armor, he didn't do much more then give me some nice scratches. We turn to see what happened, and Varis points out that what we saw before us was no longer Jexel, but some sort of horror or horror construct.. We fight dilegently with it.. but it was still buffed by the spells from varus and myself. The fight raged on and it finally jumped overboard and thanked us for the samples.

The grove renewal had Ceadda in better shape then at the beginning of the fight when the thing excaped.

On our way back, August took the barding from the ice flyer and found it to be a thread item that he can use for his replacement mount (who died to the corrupted water elementals). I was given a dragon headed armband and varus a ring of glass with a blue gem.

To Do:
Aleart people to the fact that Jexel is corrupted.
Figure out why this 'jexel' thing could pass the greeting ritual, is the ritual valid?
Track down this corrupted thing and end it before it does more damage.
Play my game jam games - made by one person in a limited time frame (usually 48 hours)

Dougansf
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Re: AAR: Confluence of Forces

Post by Dougansf » Mon Nov 27, 2017 7:35 pm

From the Travel Journal of Varis

The X'Egirathla II (a boat, not a T'skrang) is heading South along the river to where it crosses with another river. The names have been forgotten to time, and who knows what the Scourge may have done to change our maps and memories.

We head for Borgan's Rest first. This is my first visit, and (again) the Greeting Ritual proves to be a challenge for me. On the plus side, we're not there to barter, just to get on board a boat. I jump into the water and swim to the boat to climb on board. Apparently the sailors are more accepting than the townsfolk.

We head down river for a while, and get to know the crew a little. The engineer is pretty protective of their fire engines running the paddle wheels on the sides. The crew seem friendly enough, but also want to make as much money off their hired muscle/passengers as possible. I'm not concerned about a little rain, or rough water for myself, but I run the group through the ways to stave off motion sickness.

We see a large storm ahead, which is odd for this time of the year. We start feeling the effects of the storm shaking the boat.

Next morning we see some Storm Crows cavorting inside the storm clouds, lightning sparking off their claws. I put Resist Air into a Matrix and get it cast on everyone, just in time for 5 Crows to descend upon us (several more are above enjoying themselves). Their Lightning can jump from one target to another, which scorched some of us, but not as bad thanks to the spell. Once they got within range, they fell out of the sky, either into the water, or to the deck where we finished them off quickly. Irwin uses his Grimoire to cast some Water Spears on folks to get some quick healing.

While waiting his turn, Jexel notices that the paddle wheels are in reverse. He heads up to the bow to see a large whirlpool ahead. While Irwin and I start sensing and listening to the Water Elementals inside, August helps the crew land the boat on the shoreline. Once we learn Water Tongues, we learn that the Elementals are "at war" with the other river, because it's corrupted and spreading. We offer to help, and find that there are 2 corrupted water elementals at the bottom of the whirlpool.

We fight as best we can from the boat, but soon the corrupted elementals come aboard to attack us. One of them has a Water Aura going, sweeping a large area with a deadly torrent. Ceadda faces off with one, getting trapped inside it for a little while. Irwin and I both have bad luck getting Lightning Bolt to land on them. August rides Shadowstrider up the anchor line to get back on board, and charges into battle. Unfortunately, Shadowstrider didn't last long inside the Water Aura, and was slain before the elementals were finished off.

As we're closer to the Storm, Irwin checks the Astral plane, and determines that the source of the corruption is the Air affecting the Water. We shudder to think what would happen if it spread to Fire and the rest.

We rest overnight to be fully prepared for the eye of the storm. I meditate to learn another Rank of Elemental Hold. Irwin and I reevaluate what spells we have Chain Cast, so that I can keep Resist Air and Water on everyone.

The next day, we encourage the crew to head towards the eye of the storm. I offer protection to the deck crew as well. The water gets rougher, and Ceadda is feeling under the weather. I try to treat him, but in the end the only thing to do was to purge his breakfast.

As we approach, we're descended upon by 4 Storm Crows and an Ice Flier (with some barding). The Flier challenges Ceadda while the crows come down on his head. Then a humanoid figure (Storm Wraith) appears out of nowhere and attacks Ceadda as well. Ceadda tries to counter the challenge, but can't be heard above the winds. I unleash a Desperate Lightning Bolt, killing one Crow, knocking the Flier out of the air, and passing over the Wraith unharmed. August Dominates the Flier to quit the challenge and leave the battle, which it does, sliding out of it's barding on the way. Ceadda, now free to act, knocks the Wraith to the deck, and stabs it multiple times. August Dominates one of the remaining Crows, and gets it to attack the Wraith. Irwin weaves for a time, and casts Grove Renewal on Ceadda. I cast another Lightning Bolt to finish off the remaining Crows, around the same time that Ceadda kills the Wraith.

This is when Jexel emerged from his Stealthy Stride to attack Irwin. He did little damage, but he produced a strange spiked tail. We fight all over the deck, Jexel taking turns stabbing each of us, and all of us having a hard time landing anything on him. Eventually, he thanks us for the "samples" and jumps off the deck into the water.

The elementals award me with a Thread Ring, and Irwin with an armband. August takes the barding, which may be used on his next mount.

We need to get the word out about Jexel. Find out when and where he was corrupted or replaced. He hid for most of the fight, and he still had the protective spells we'd cast upon him. He had the ability to neutralize our Karma.

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BattleChad
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Re: AAR: Confluence of Forces

Post by BattleChad » Tue Nov 28, 2017 2:06 am

The Great Library of Throal thanks Irwin and Varis for thier contributions.
Journal Rewards: 110 Legend Points and 137 Silver

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