Mission: Wicked Witch of the North
GM: etherial
Date: 2018-02-08
Difficulty and circle rating: Circle 2 Medium
Player Rewards:
Durgin: 3 TIP, 800 Legend, 230 Silver
Fliver: 3 TIPs, 800 Legend, 225 Silver, Creature Lore training.
Nani Bookbinder - 3 TIP, 800 Legend, 230 Silver
Robert: 3 TIPs, 800 Legend, 30 Silver, Nethermancy training, 4x 1st circle nethermancy spells (Soul Armor, Experience Death, Life Circle of One, Shadow Meld)
Downtime Actions Available:
Fliver: Research (Rank 3, Step 10, step 13 with library)
Robert: Research 13
Further Information:
Krilworms hatch only under the light of the full moon.
AAR: Wicked Witch of the North
Moderator:etherial
Last edited by etherial on Fri Feb 09, 2018 12:40 pm, edited 1 time in total.
-
ChrisDDickey
- Posts:1011
- Joined:Sun Nov 27, 2016 10:02 pm
Re: AAR: Wicked Witch of the North
From the journal of Fliver, Windling Illusionist.
Some dwarf minors arrived at the gates of Throal in a tizzy. An Ork nethermancer had kicked them out of their mining claim, which they had been working for the past several months. The Nethermancer had spoken of dire consequences if they did not leave instantly. A Dwarf named Karen agreed to guide us back to their mine which was a bit more than one days travel away.
We encountered wolves on the way. The small pack of 4, which during the long course of the scourge seemed to have lost any fear of namegivers they might once have had, attacked us. We were 3 spellcasters and a troubadour, without any melee specialists, but made short work of them anyway. Our troubadour agreed to play the role of meat-shield, and valiantly stood in a narrow gap of the trail. I cast blindness upon two of the wolves, which caused them to stumble away. One other wolf also fled, but the last remaining one was quickly slain.
Arriving at the mine, we examined it. We found a number of odd eggplant shaped things, which we could not figure out until we realized they were eggs. Karen told us they had been found in an underground lake. Eventually the Nethermancer appeared, an Ork named Ixta, who claimed to be of the 5th circle. She said the eggs were Krilworm eggs, She believed that the eggs were ancient, and that it was only due to an avalanche very long ago that blocked the moon-light from entering the hatching pool that the eggs were never hatched. She wanted to and she wished to hatch them and see if the krillworms produced were any different from the current variety.
After much discussion, we suggested that a half dozen eggs be brought to the surface the night of the next full moon (5 days away) and see if they would hatch and what sort of krillworms were produced. If it proved safe to do so, the rockfall could then be cleared such that on the following full moon all the eggs would hatch. Ixta agreed that she would take responsibility for then removing all the Krillworms from the mine (accomplishing this within 3 nights) and leave the mine for the dwarves.
We prepared a pool for the hatchery, and carried a half dozen eggs into it. We also put the two eggs that had been in the mines storage shed into the pool as well. On the night before the full moon all 8 eggs hatched and immediately attacked all and sundry. We slew 4 and chased 4 away.
It was agreed that the remainder could hatch, but that everybody except Ixta. would abandon the area for a few days while that was accomplished. The next morning we spent many hours bashing at the rockfall with mining tools, and then levering the boulders away. Well before sunset we had cleared a straight line of sight from the mine entrance to the pool that holds the eggs. We had previously determined that this particular full moon was one of the few per year in which the moon shown directly down into the cavern. We then left several hours before moonrise.
Some dwarf minors arrived at the gates of Throal in a tizzy. An Ork nethermancer had kicked them out of their mining claim, which they had been working for the past several months. The Nethermancer had spoken of dire consequences if they did not leave instantly. A Dwarf named Karen agreed to guide us back to their mine which was a bit more than one days travel away.
We encountered wolves on the way. The small pack of 4, which during the long course of the scourge seemed to have lost any fear of namegivers they might once have had, attacked us. We were 3 spellcasters and a troubadour, without any melee specialists, but made short work of them anyway. Our troubadour agreed to play the role of meat-shield, and valiantly stood in a narrow gap of the trail. I cast blindness upon two of the wolves, which caused them to stumble away. One other wolf also fled, but the last remaining one was quickly slain.
Arriving at the mine, we examined it. We found a number of odd eggplant shaped things, which we could not figure out until we realized they were eggs. Karen told us they had been found in an underground lake. Eventually the Nethermancer appeared, an Ork named Ixta, who claimed to be of the 5th circle. She said the eggs were Krilworm eggs, She believed that the eggs were ancient, and that it was only due to an avalanche very long ago that blocked the moon-light from entering the hatching pool that the eggs were never hatched. She wanted to and she wished to hatch them and see if the krillworms produced were any different from the current variety.
After much discussion, we suggested that a half dozen eggs be brought to the surface the night of the next full moon (5 days away) and see if they would hatch and what sort of krillworms were produced. If it proved safe to do so, the rockfall could then be cleared such that on the following full moon all the eggs would hatch. Ixta agreed that she would take responsibility for then removing all the Krillworms from the mine (accomplishing this within 3 nights) and leave the mine for the dwarves.
We prepared a pool for the hatchery, and carried a half dozen eggs into it. We also put the two eggs that had been in the mines storage shed into the pool as well. On the night before the full moon all 8 eggs hatched and immediately attacked all and sundry. We slew 4 and chased 4 away.
It was agreed that the remainder could hatch, but that everybody except Ixta. would abandon the area for a few days while that was accomplished. The next morning we spent many hours bashing at the rockfall with mining tools, and then levering the boulders away. Well before sunset we had cleared a straight line of sight from the mine entrance to the pool that holds the eggs. We had previously determined that this particular full moon was one of the few per year in which the moon shown directly down into the cavern. We then left several hours before moonrise.
Last edited by ChrisDDickey on Sat Feb 10, 2018 2:47 am, edited 1 time in total.
-
Slimcreeper
- Posts:1061
- Joined:Mon Nov 28, 2016 11:44 pm
Re: AAR: Wicked Witch of the North
Durgin Trotter, Documentarian
The Throalic mountains are truly beautiful, and rich in natural resources, such as copper, stone, and pre-Scourge monster-bug eggs. Apparently, Nethermancers trade basic interpersonal skills for great power. And they define great power as having a personal relationship an oversized, irascible insect-like things called krillworms.
I was enjoying a wonderful breakfast of eggs, sausage, crusty bread and a light morning ale with my companions: Fliver, a worthy windling, and Robert and Nani, humans of noble stature. A number of miner came in, taking an uncharacteristically late start for their profession. Not everyone can laze around adventuring! A Nethermancer had driven them from their mine further north in the mountains. She had not killed any of them, merely frightening them away and warning them of doom. We agreed to investigate immediately after breakfast. One of the miners, a lady Named Karen, agreed to show us the way.
As we wound our way up the cliffs towards their claim, we were set upon by several wolves. As my companions were all spellcasters, best at range, I stepped to the front to hold a chokepoint with my spear. As the beasts scrambled down the slope, Fliver launched bolts of energy like glowing snakes and Nani gathered shards of crystal from the slope and flung them with his magic. Robert cast a spell that left the wolves scrubbing at their eyes with their paws before fleeing. Only one made it to us. I drew blood with my spear before we dispatched it with another spell. I took a moment to take its skin, a particularly fine pelt, before we continued on our way.
At the mining camp, there was obvious signs of ritual Nethermancy in the form of a large circle marked out in esoteric symbols at the mouth of the mine. We took a minute to search and found several objects, like pearlescent eggplants. We spoke with Ixta, a Nethermancer of the 5th circle, and she agreed to let us examine a clutch of ancient krillworm eggs submerged in an underground pool. She wouldn't allow the miners back until she could secure the buggers for study. We agreed to let a few hatch in the light of the upcoming full moon to make sure they weren't dangerous. Fliver had peered into the Astral and we were fairly certain they were free of corruption.
As it turns out, they didn't need Horror touch to be thoroughly repulsive and aggressive. They looked like giant grubs with wings, oozing the foulest substances from all orifices and featuring dozens of long teeth like cobbler's needles. Immediately on hatching, they surrounded Robert and pinned him against the camp's fence. He managed to duck under one and retreat back into the camp, only to lose a chunk of his neck as well as his consciousness. Two came at me and rent great bloody gashes in my arms and legs, driving me to the ground. I slashed with my spear and then rolled under a nearby cart. Fliver was flinging spears from under another wagon and Nani fought a running battle back into Ixta's Bone Circle. Eventually we all retreated to within the Nethermancer's defensive perimeter. Honestly, it would have been our finale if not for Ixta's Bone Spirit's attacks and her ability to send the Krillworms away, if only one at a time.
Ixta and Karen worked out an agreement: the miners would clear a path for the moonlight to hatch the remaining eggs, and the Nethermancer would make sure the krillworms would be safely away so the miners would work in peace. A wonderful solution that could have been arrived at from the beginning if Ixta had the common courtesy to speak to the mine's owners without ripping her face off and shouting about doom.
Ah well, the experience and silver was worth it. If people simply solved problems themselves, there wouldn't be much work for adventurers!
The Throalic mountains are truly beautiful, and rich in natural resources, such as copper, stone, and pre-Scourge monster-bug eggs. Apparently, Nethermancers trade basic interpersonal skills for great power. And they define great power as having a personal relationship an oversized, irascible insect-like things called krillworms.
I was enjoying a wonderful breakfast of eggs, sausage, crusty bread and a light morning ale with my companions: Fliver, a worthy windling, and Robert and Nani, humans of noble stature. A number of miner came in, taking an uncharacteristically late start for their profession. Not everyone can laze around adventuring! A Nethermancer had driven them from their mine further north in the mountains. She had not killed any of them, merely frightening them away and warning them of doom. We agreed to investigate immediately after breakfast. One of the miners, a lady Named Karen, agreed to show us the way.
As we wound our way up the cliffs towards their claim, we were set upon by several wolves. As my companions were all spellcasters, best at range, I stepped to the front to hold a chokepoint with my spear. As the beasts scrambled down the slope, Fliver launched bolts of energy like glowing snakes and Nani gathered shards of crystal from the slope and flung them with his magic. Robert cast a spell that left the wolves scrubbing at their eyes with their paws before fleeing. Only one made it to us. I drew blood with my spear before we dispatched it with another spell. I took a moment to take its skin, a particularly fine pelt, before we continued on our way.
At the mining camp, there was obvious signs of ritual Nethermancy in the form of a large circle marked out in esoteric symbols at the mouth of the mine. We took a minute to search and found several objects, like pearlescent eggplants. We spoke with Ixta, a Nethermancer of the 5th circle, and she agreed to let us examine a clutch of ancient krillworm eggs submerged in an underground pool. She wouldn't allow the miners back until she could secure the buggers for study. We agreed to let a few hatch in the light of the upcoming full moon to make sure they weren't dangerous. Fliver had peered into the Astral and we were fairly certain they were free of corruption.
As it turns out, they didn't need Horror touch to be thoroughly repulsive and aggressive. They looked like giant grubs with wings, oozing the foulest substances from all orifices and featuring dozens of long teeth like cobbler's needles. Immediately on hatching, they surrounded Robert and pinned him against the camp's fence. He managed to duck under one and retreat back into the camp, only to lose a chunk of his neck as well as his consciousness. Two came at me and rent great bloody gashes in my arms and legs, driving me to the ground. I slashed with my spear and then rolled under a nearby cart. Fliver was flinging spears from under another wagon and Nani fought a running battle back into Ixta's Bone Circle. Eventually we all retreated to within the Nethermancer's defensive perimeter. Honestly, it would have been our finale if not for Ixta's Bone Spirit's attacks and her ability to send the Krillworms away, if only one at a time.
Ixta and Karen worked out an agreement: the miners would clear a path for the moonlight to hatch the remaining eggs, and the Nethermancer would make sure the krillworms would be safely away so the miners would work in peace. A wonderful solution that could have been arrived at from the beginning if Ixta had the common courtesy to speak to the mine's owners without ripping her face off and shouting about doom.
Ah well, the experience and silver was worth it. If people simply solved problems themselves, there wouldn't be much work for adventurers!
-
BattleChad
- Posts:422
- Joined:Sat Sep 23, 2017 7:43 pm
Re: AAR: Wicked Witch of the North
The Great Library of Throal thanks Fliver and Durgin for their contributions.
Journal Rewards: 40 Legend Points and 57 Silver
Journal Rewards: 40 Legend Points and 57 Silver
Re: AAR: Wicked Witch of the North
Finally someone who understands the importance of my work! She's a Nethermancer Orc named Ixta and she seems interested in how the scourge affected the creatures of Barsaive most of all. That's neat, I suppose, but understanding the astradynamics at play behind the scourge is obviously far more important!!1! Still she taught me a few things about Nethermancy so I have some handy contingency spells now and can SEE MORE THREADS!! Oh yeah, there were some dwarven miners trying to clear the mine and Ixta wanted them off to play with some krillworm eggs and I nearly died and stuff. Really though, a second person who understands my work! Even if it's only imperfectly it's still wonderful having someone intelligent to talk to after so long. I pretty much had to browbeat the Troubadour Durgin to actually start talking to people but after that we got a deal handled. Ixta clears the cave and takes the krill with her and the miners give her some time to hatch the eggs first. Everyone wins! Also some wolves on the way in, but that was pretty easy since we used the natural chokepoint to keep too many from coming at us and we used the switchbacks on the trail to hurt the wolves before they got near us. Actual tactics is great for a party - I should make them try it more often! Anyway I think it's time to start a correspondence with Ixta. Too bad she couldn't teach me her trick for sending messages - but I'll pick it up soon enough.
Re: AAR: Wicked Witch of the North
(OOC)
Yes, Robert really is quite self-absorbed and dumb. I suspect he'll get better one of these days.
Yes, Robert really is quite self-absorbed and dumb. I suspect he'll get better one of these days.
-
BattleChad
- Posts:422
- Joined:Sat Sep 23, 2017 7:43 pm
Re: AAR: Wicked Witch of the North
The Great Library of Throal thanks Robert for his contribution.
Journal Rewards: 40 Legend Points and 57 Silver
Journal Rewards: 40 Legend Points and 57 Silver