AAR: Alchemy Island Evacuation

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etherial
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AAR: Alchemy Island Evacuation

Post by etherial » Thu Aug 02, 2018 3:19 am

Alchemy Island Evacuation
Time: 2018-08-01@23:00 GMT
GM: etherial (Ursula)
Circle: 5
Difficulty: Medium

Player Rewards:
Avalandohamagannahnieventhallailmar: 3 TIPs, 4000 Legend, 650 silver, 2x Kelix's Poultice 2x Kelia's Antidote
Blaethynn: 3 TIP's, 600 SP, 4000 Legend, 400 SP of alchemical reagents.
Fenrir: 3 TIPs, 4000 Legend, 500 Silver, Last Chance Salve
Quis'Tan: 3 TIPs, 4000 Legend, booster potion x4, healing potionx2, 2x kelia's antidote, kelix's poulticex3, salve of closure x1, 100sp

Downtime Actions Available:
Blaethynn: Alchemy (Rank 4, Step 15) (Booster Potion, Kelx's Poultice. Kelia's Antidote)
Blaethynn: Craftsman (Rank 4, Step 19)
Blaethynn: Forge Weapon (Rank 5, Step 16)
Blaethynn: Item History (Rank 4, step 15)
Fenrir: Animal Training (Rank 2, Step 8)
Researchers may spend 20/2 Silver for +3 Steps

Further Information:
Alchemy Island is currently uninhabited. Carnivorous Dwarves roam the Servos.

Reyntrannin
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Re: AAR: Alchemy Island Evacuation

Post by Reyntrannin » Thu Aug 02, 2018 7:01 pm

[Excerpted from alchemy test journals]

Adding flowers of Sulfur to the test mixture caused a strong smelling cloud which burned the throat. Had to evacuate the lab til the atmosphere could be cleared. Might work well on spiders….

Patient responded well to a tincture of feverfew and willow bark, but the dosage is rather high, need to try reducing the mixt…..

Hmmm, looks like I grabbed the wrong journal when I left, so I’ll just copy these entries into my other when I get back.

So… I was working in the lab and overheard one of the assistants reporting to his mentor. Sounds like there’s some issues going on out at Alchemy Island. I’ve never been there myself, but I’ve heard tell that it is a lush and growing place with little sign of damage from the Scourge. More importantly, it’s one of the only places where ninoku leaves (essential for creating Last chance salves, the making of which still eludes me) grow. In fact, it’s the primary source of those for pretty much all of Throal, so losing the island would be a major blow.

From the conversation I heard, it sounds like they’ve had workers wandering off in the night and not returning, and the woman running the place has been looking to hire some additional help with saving the last of their crop, along with her crew. I gathered a few other Adepts that were looking for some adventure, and we set off. I had traveled with everyone before, Quis’tan on his spirit horse, Avalan rumbling along on foot, and the Shaman Fenrir flying above his bear Callisto.

The first few days of our journey were uneventful, but as we headed into the jungle we found an old campsite which had been colonized by a few giant centipedes. We drove them off without too much fuss, but decided to press on instead of staying and investigating, in case they returned in the night.

We had traveled a fair distance into the jungle the next day when we reached a river that we were going to have to ford. We found a place where it was fairly shallow, but on the opposite bank were a few creatures that looked like some kind of cross between a toad and a crocodile (I learned later they were called saurals). Hoping to avoid an unneeded confrontation when time was of the essence, we tried to cross near the edges of the shallows, but still pulled the attention of one of the creatures, whose allies quickly followed suit to attack us. Once again, we drove them off, killing a couple for good measure, but Quis’tan and I both took some serious injuries, with me being hit so badly by one’s acidic spit that I actually lost consciousness several yards above the ground. I’m not sure if it was the spit or hitting the ground in such an ungainly fashion, but my Death cheat charm was triggered and I came to within a few seconds with the second worst headache I’ve ever had. Fortunately, my wings were not damaged in the fall, so I thank the Passions for that.

After a brief rest to recover from the battle, we sighted some signs of agricultural workings to the north, which led us to our goal, Alchemy Island’s gathering camp. Xena Rockpile, the owner of the land, met us and described the situation in hopeless terms. It seemed that the final blow had come that very morning, when she and her workers woke to find that all their guards had wandered away in the night, abandoning their posts. My attempts to help her by engaging in jokes seemed to fall flat, perhaps she was too focused on packing what she could before they had to evacuate the area.

We investigated the guard’s disappearance and found that the guards had al walked into the woods following the same general direction, with the marks of their passing leaving the impression that they were walking as if asleep or in a trance. It was mentioned that there is a Horror called a nightworm which feeds on the minds of sleepers, tormenting them in their dreams until they become crazed murderers who will wreak even more pain and suffering to sate the worms’ hunger. This seemed a likely explanation for what had been happening, although there was no real evidence beyond the circumstance to believe it the sole reason.

We decided to track the guards and slay the nightworms, saving the guards in the process if we could. However, our plans were disrupted by a small group of elotas that we came across in the forest. These small, feral dwarves have claws and sharp teeth, as well as covering themselves with dirt and moss rather than the fine, elegant clothing I usually associate with the Dwarfs of Throal. They would claw and bite at us, latching on with their teeth like a leech to dig deep into the flesh. We managed to kill the last of the group, but unfortunately lost too much time in the process. We were forced to give up the chase and escort the remaining workers from the lush area back to Throal.

The trip back had little of note occur, but it sounds like an expedition should be mounted soon to clear the nightworms out of the area, and possibly the other dangers of the Servos as well. This source of herbs is too important to simply allow to go fallow, or to fall into the hands of unscrupulous businessmen who might try to use it for some kind of amoral power game.

ender3rd
Posts:182
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Re: AAR: Alchemy Island Evacuation

Post by ender3rd » Fri Aug 03, 2018 10:05 pm

I heard that the island which has long been Throal's main source for last chance salves was coming under attack and needed to be evacuated. I joined with several others to assist with the evacuation and preserve as much raw material as possible.

Our first encounter was with a rather handleable set of giant centipedes. Instead of investigating thuroughly we pressed on feeling that time was fleeting. That night we heard sounds of namegivers moving through the woods but no response to our hail was made. Despite my better judgement we did not investigate further.

When we reached a tributary river we needed to cross we found that the most likely spot was occupied by some sort of toad/croc hybrid called a saural. I tried crossing somewhat downstream to avoid a confrontation but it was not too be. These things seem to react to being hit by spurting large amounts of acid from the wound. This did not make the fight easy, and both myself and Reyntrannin nearly died in the course of it.

Having forced the crossing we found Alchemy Island unguarded and rapidly preparing to pull out of the jungle. Apparently the guard force had simply left the night before. Quite possibly due to an attack by nightworms. On tracking the guards we came across their remains being eaten by a set of Eloko who had mesmerized the guards. I crushed the head of the first and we engaged. This battle went only a little better than the previous and we were grappled many times as the twisted dwarf-like things attacked themselves to our bodies. With that the guards were (presumptively) avenged and we escorted the islanders to Throal. I made sure to get as many healing aids as I could now, since there may be a shortage if agricultural operations cannot be resumed.

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BattleChad
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Re: AAR: Alchemy Island Evacuation

Post by BattleChad » Mon Aug 06, 2018 2:39 pm

The Great Library of Throal thanks Blaethynn and Quis'Tan for their contributions.

Journal Rewards: 200 Legend Points and 200 Silver

Fusilliban
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Joined:Wed Jan 03, 2018 5:45 am

Re: AAR: Alchemy Island Evacuation

Post by Fusilliban » Wed Aug 08, 2018 9:52 pm

from The Observations of Avalandohamagannahnieventhallailmar

Alchemy Island was in danger!

Alchemy Island was not a real island, but rather, a small patch of land in the Servos Jungle. The Ninoku plant grows there, and its leaf is essential to making Last Chance Salves. Blaethynn received word that they were being attacked by... something. Never missing a chance to do good, we gathered! I was particularly hoping to gather more experience related to giant spiders, which form the core of my upcoming business venture. My companions were:

Blaethynn, Windling Weaponsmith
Fenrir, Windling Shaman
Quis'Tan, Spirit Rider and fellow Obsid

Our first task was to navigate the mighty Servos. It is difficult to see the jungle for the trees. In an ironic twist, my devotion to Elementalism has made me excellent at following a particular Namegiver, but has given me no ability to find my way through terrain without tracks to follow. My companions were not much better, and I am not at all certain that we took the best possible route. I advise future explorers to bring maps, or a skilled navigator, or an airship of some kind. Or, if those things are not available to you, bring some giant flies! The giant flies will attract giant spiders, and if you are able to kill the giant spiders, then you will be able to sell their fangs and other parts and then afford maps and navigators. If you are not able to kill the giant spiders then you will probably not worry about these things any more. Giant spiders! The solution to, and cause of, Barsaive's problems!

The giant spiders in the part of the Jungle we traveled through are perhaps not active enough, or are perhaps not giant enough. Or perhaps not spider enough? There are other insects there. Centipedes, gigantic ones! Centipedes as long as I am tall! And they bite most firmly. There are two important things to know about these gigantic centipedes: First is that they are very difficult to knock over, because they have so many legs. Second is that they are poisonous. Almost as poisonous as giant spiders! Ha ha! But of course there are many fewer centipedes.
If you encounter a gigantic centipede, take one use of Kelia's Antidote and call an Elementalist in the morning.

Also on our way there we ran into some sort of frog-lizard. They were sunning themselves peacefully on the banks of a river (which to our surprise turned out not to contain any crocodiles) and, it turns out, their entire bodies are covered in acid. Or made of acid. Also they spit acid? They are just sort of generally very acid-themed frog-lizards. This was a bad time for me to choose to strike things with my bear hands. Bare hands? Boar hands. Not bore hands. Yes. Fenrir helped me feel more like a wild boar, which made me hit the frog-lizards very hard and made me so angry that I almost forgot that they were covered in acid. But I did not forget, because they are covered in acid and it was very painful. Fenrir's spell was very powerful and helpful and if you have the means to travel with her, I recommend it. I also recommend the avoidance of acid frog lizards, because they very nearly killed my good friend Blaethynn.

At long last, after many nights of travel and being bitten by a great many small things (as well as the large things I have already written about), we were able to find a T'Skrang Named Xena Rockpile. She is the chief of Alchemy Island, and was rapidly harvesting plants. Her guards had been leaving, kidnapped by some sort of strange musical effect. We did not know the nature of it, but I was able to follow them immediately. Navigating through the Servos Jungle is much easier when you have someone else's path to follow!

We found them. They were no longer Dwarfs. They were... I do not know what they were but they were covered in moss and no longer spoke Throalic like good sensible Dwarfs. We saw no way to make them back into regular Dwarfs, and they attacked us, so we killed them. Quis'Tan nearly died fighting these things. Quis'Tan is a rockbrother, and we are difficult to kill, and also I had put my own life essence into him with the Grove Renewal spell, so please consider that these moss-Dwarfs are extremely dangerous.

Alchemy Island was made safe enough, and we evacuated all survivors. Perhaps in the future it will be safe for Namegivers again, but in the meantime, everyone please try not to die.

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BattleChad
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Re: AAR: Alchemy Island Evacuation

Post by BattleChad » Fri Aug 10, 2018 1:37 pm

The Great Library of Throal thanks Avalan for his contributions.

Journal Rewards: 200 Legend Points and 200 Silver

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