AAR: [9H] Fire in the Belly (2021-05-11 2300 GMT)

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bronzemountain
Posts:606
Joined:Fri Feb 21, 2020 10:02 pm
AAR: [9H] Fire in the Belly (2021-05-11 2300 GMT)

Post by bronzemountain » Tue Apr 27, 2021 3:24 pm

LFG: Fire in the Belly
GM: Dvarim
ECR: 9
Difficulty: Hard

Rumor: Over the last few months, Vralino has developed a friendship with Maksa Uttarpak, a fellow Ork. He thinks Vralino needs to get in touch with her Orkishness, and has some ideas on how she can do that. She should bring some friends, because it's likely to get a little intense.
Requested by: Vralino

Notes:
- Adventure runs at 7:00pm EST on Tuesday, May 11th
- As always, I run groups of 5 players.

Sign up format:

Code: Select all

[b]Name:[/b] Character name
[b]Date of Last Game Played:[/b]
[b]Circle:[/b] Circle of your character
[b]Discipline:[/b] Your character's Discipline(s)
[b]Unique:[/b] What your character is bringing to the table.
[b]Downtime:[/b] Talents and Skills that other characters can use over downtime: [Talent] [Step including +Karma Step if appropriate] ([Rank]) ([Further Details])
Last edited by bronzemountain on Wed May 12, 2021 2:29 pm, edited 3 times in total.

predajey
Posts:344
Joined:Mon Jun 15, 2020 9:27 am

Re: LFG: [9H] Fire in the Belly (2021-04-30 2300 GMT)

Post by predajey » Tue Apr 27, 2021 5:36 pm

Name: Vralino Hammer-Shield
Image
Date of Last Game Played: I'm getting Fire Eater!
ECR: 9
Discipline:
  • Spear Master (Circle 7)
  • Elementalist (Circle 7)
Unique: Spears, Spells, Speaking, and Surgery...somewhat. I also navigate and alchemate... in moderate.
Downtime:
Item History (Rank 7, ESR 18)
Alchemy (Skill Rank 1, ESR 8)
  • Booster Potions

Xzandrate
Posts:382
Joined:Tue Apr 07, 2020 8:28 pm

Re: LFG: [9H] Fire in the Belly (2021-04-30 2300 GMT)

Post by Xzandrate » Tue Apr 27, 2021 7:39 pm

Name: Lazulin
Date of Last Game Played: 2021-05-06
ECR: 9
Discipline: Raider (8)/SunHerald(9)
Unique: Combat and combat related accessories, and the guiding light of the sun.
Downtime: Research 3(9)

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

Re: LFG: [9H] Fire in the Belly (2021-05-11 2300 GMT)

Post by Anoush » Sun May 09, 2021 11:36 pm

Name: Bloodbeat II of Syrtis
Image
ECR: 9
Last game played: May 1, 2021 [Keel]
Discipline: Nethermancer 9 / Weaponsmith 7
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
Downtime:
* Alchemy 11 (rank 4) [Booster Potion, Small Light Quartz]
* Forge Armor 18 (rank 7, step 14 + karma)
* Forge Weapon 17 (rank 6, step 13 + karma)
* Item History 17 (rank 6, step 13 + karma)
* Research 27 (rank 9, step 16 + karma +4 [Speed Reading spirit] with library access +3 [20 SP])

Lashana
Posts:167
Joined:Wed Jun 03, 2020 9:40 pm
Location:Virginia Beach, VA USA

Re: LFG: [9H] Fire in the Belly (2021-05-11 2300 GMT)

Post by Lashana » Tue May 11, 2021 1:55 pm

Name: LaShana
Last played on: 2021/5/09
ECR: 10 (491715)
Discipline: Thief 10/Scout 6
Quote/Unique: Well that was....interesting/fun/unique!! Can we do it again?
Notable Abilities: Enthusiasm and an ability to fumble/stumble into trouble. Can also open...and close....doors - possibly even if they are locked....and a wicked bow
Also can speak some languages, track things, be incredibly sneaky, survive a bit in the wild while navigating! 😁
Downtime: none

bronzemountain
Posts:606
Joined:Fri Feb 21, 2020 10:02 pm

AAR: [9H] Fire in the Belly (2021-05-11 2300 GMT)

Post by bronzemountain » Wed May 12, 2021 2:03 pm

AAR: Fire in the Belly
GM: Dvarim
ECR: 9
Difficulty: Hard

Player Rewards:
Vralino: 58000 LP 1500 SP 5 TIPs
Lazulin: 58000 LP 1500 SP 5 TIPs
Bloodbeat: 58000 LP 1500 SP 5 TIPs
Azurea: 58000 LP 1500 SP 5 TIPs

GM Reward: Taras: 7,500 LP, 650 SP, 3 TIPs

Downtime:
Bloodbeat
* Alchemy 11 (rank 4) [Booster Potion, Small Light Quartz]
* Forge Armor 18 (rank 7, step 14 + karma)
* Forge Weapon 17 (rank 6, step 13 + karma)
* Item History 17 (rank 6, step 13 + karma)
* Research 27 (rank 9, step 16 + karma +4 [Speed Reading spirit] with library access +3 [20 SP])
Vralino Item History 7/18, Alchemy 1/8 (Booster Potions)


Summary:
Vralino and her friends have traveled to the ruins of Cara Fahd, and foiled the looting and cultural appropriation attempted by a band of Theran thieves. Vralino has also learned the value of the fire within her (hopefully), and has earned the friendship of Jagila the Hungry, who promises to come when called with Mantle of the Fire Marauder (similar to Pyre).

predajey
Posts:344
Joined:Mon Jun 15, 2020 9:27 am

Re: AAR: [9H] Fire in the Belly (2021-05-11 2300 GMT)

Post by predajey » Sat May 15, 2021 4:38 am

The following is a recollection from Vralino Hammer-Shield, currently living in Trayckid. The text remains unaltered to maintain its authenticity (Certain terms and names written wrong to keep in character). It is written in Or'zet.

I met up with Maksa for drinks today. He was going on and on about a passionate fire in the belly... or sternum, maybe? Made me think instantly about my fire spirit. He was also talking about me having kids. Yuck. It put me in the mood for a drunken bar fight. When I sobered up, I was on an air ship headed towards one of the moots in the Twilight Peaks. We were heading there to discover my Orkish heritage, which my dad never gave me. With me was everyone who was dragged into or watching the bar fight. Apparently I had organized an expedition to Cara Fahd. Never one to back down or regret any of my actions, I acted as if I had a plan the entire time, but I was completely clueless. Still we ventured forth.

We did many things along the way, most humorous being my new hunting technique, which very efficiently cooks the food as I kill it. While it didn't look like much where I was, watching the bright light dart back and forth in a ravine must have been quite the sight! We also got in a fight with a bunch of plants, who ended up winning and giving everyone a really bad itch or rash or something. Azurea ended up treating everyone, but it's not an experience I want to remember. I was scratching places I have never scratched before, and that's hard to find. I had thought I had scratched every inch of my own body at least a few hundred times before. Bloodbeat and Lazulin had told me about a few other things we had done, but I guess I was still drunk from our departure. Yes, I know it was a few days or a week earlier, but I drank a lot.

I suggested we follow the southern foothills of the Delaris Mountains to keep out of the grass and navigate our way towards where Bloodbeat had thought Cara Fahd was. Apparently she researched the location before we left. It wasn't a bad decision, but eventually the ground started getting hot. I summoned an Earth spirit to help guide us along the way, but it didn't understand what I was saying. Along with Lazulin's assistance (or perhaps I was assisting him?), we found tracks and began tracking them and figuring out where they were heading and how old they were. Bloodbeat did some summoning of her own while Azurea began speaking to her own spirit, but I didn't see anything there. Maybe it was a non-astral spirit that hadn't occupied the physical plane? I wish I paid more attention to my training in the Floating City.

It began to get much, much warmer. Hotter even. I summoned a fire spirit to help defend us against the heat. Luckily I did. We were soon accused of being thieves by a bunch of fiery ork spirits. I tried talking to one, as he impaled me a couple times (thank the passions for fireblood), but before he could respond, Azurea killed him! Can you believe that!?! She killed my heritage!!! Then Lazulin killed more of my heritage!!! I had no choice but to fight the last of my heritage. No way they're going to allow this encounter to end peacefully. We ended up chasing the last one away, but not before he... she... it? pointed out where the thieves were raiding.

We came across what has to be the biggest Kaer I've ever seen! Even stranger, it was above ground! It was built like a triangle, with steps going up the side and an entrance at the top. When we descended, it turns out it even went underground! Seems my ancestors either were on par with dwarven construction or had help from the dwarves. Inside were a couple of elves, a human, and a windling. And they were stealing my heritage! MY HERITAGE! HAVE THEY NO DECENCY!?! I gave into a burning urge that compelled me to attack the Elf Warrior, lighting myself ablaze and essentially just trying to keep myself from dying. Lazulin gave me this confused look, to which I yelled at him to kill the thieves. I spotted the other elf and the windling, but the human snuck into the fight and omitted a dark cloud of evil nastiness. I'm pretty sure he just hadn't bathed in a few days, but I didn't have much time to ponder. Arrows were flying everywhere, weapons were assaulting me from every angle, and in a matter of moments, I was unconscious. When I awoke, I was told that I had begun dying. No new experience for me, but it's always exciting to meet death just to say nope! When we emerged, the fire ork spirit we fought earlier was waiting for us. I asked what we should do with the treasure, and it said the treasure was not important. I thought it was, but since it wasn't, I offered it up to my battle buddies as payment for accompanying me on this nearly lethal journey. Time to find out what this fire belly is all about! I'M GONNA BE A REAL ORK!!!

Xzandrate
Posts:382
Joined:Tue Apr 07, 2020 8:28 pm

Re: AAR: [9H] Fire in the Belly (2021-05-11 2300 GMT)

Post by Xzandrate » Sun May 16, 2021 6:09 pm

***The intricately covered ice blue journal contains a single blue crystal on the centre, with the simple gold lettering below it 'Lazulin' ***

Page 20

The honor of the Trolls, the flamboyance of the T'skrang, the haughtiness of the Elves, among others. Most people know the assumption of the races, and those of the race often take pride in them. Due to the circumstance of her upbringing, Vralino seemed unaware of the fire of the Ork people nor how to tap into it. A drinking friend named Maksa convinced her to seek out her gahad and the history of her people in the old nation of Cara Fahd and save her legacy from looters.

Vralino asked myself, Bloodbeat, and Azurea to join him in this quest of exploration. I am always game in helping to forge someone in to a better weapon in the protection of the people. Vralino managed to get in contact with a trading delegation from the Iron Mongers troll moot of the Twilight Peaks and negotiated passage to the troll moot and a guide down towards where the nation of Cara Fahd.

The lands seemed mostly deserted, though we eventually found exploration stones that directed us towards where other Namegivers may gather. Even though we were moving away from the direction of the Death's Sea the terrain became broken and volcanic. After travelling in these harsh condition we were ambushed by the firey spirits of the Ork people. Vralino was taken aback and suffered quite a bit, but we eventually handled the spirits and were granted their wisdom to seek the thieves to the west.

A large ziggurat housed the thieves, Theran thieves to be precise. We were not nearly sneaky enough to hide our approach, and the language barrier and very opposing philosophical views resulted in the inevitable fight. The battle was rather bloody, and I admit they were a very formidable opponent. However their warrior spent too much time focusing on Vralino and the slight she had given. This allowed the rest of us to put pressure on their rogue, caster, and archer. In the end, we chased off the caster and the archer, exchanging the lives of their warrior and rogue for Vralinos. Luckily we held the field and after some magics from Bloodbeat and a magical discharge from Azurea's armband Vralino returned to us.

I feel that while Vralino grew into the power of her race, I must strive to grow past my own. My worry of honor caused me pause and resulted in a fight where I was not the tool that I need to be to save those around me. Though Vralino did not stay so, her death would be directly on my shoulders if she had. I must strive to do better. This will be more muddled by the fact that Azurea has asked about an escort to the Iceclaw moot. We shall see what my welcome looks like when this occurs.


***A great Iced Claw adorns the bottom of the page ***
Image

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

Re: AAR: [9H] Fire in the Belly (2021-05-11 2300 GMT)

Post by Anoush » Sun Jun 13, 2021 3:45 am

Bloodbeat’s Journal:

I ran into Vralino the other day at No Fuk, a seedy tavern in Throal. The tavern’s Name was a long, and separate, story.

She was planning an expedition to Cara Fahd. ork heritage. Her ork friend, Maksa Uttarpak, was recommending various way for her to connect to her gahad, some sort of ork passion. Maksa made the point that Vralino had never learned to be an ork, growing up and living in cosmopolitan Throal. He claimed she was “the worst ork ever.” I didn’t know that many order, so couldn’t comment. Maksa had suggested a trip to Cara Fahd, an ancient, long-gone nation of orks. It was destroyed before the Scourge, and since then, picked over by looters. Vralino agreed that a trip there could teach her about this ork passion and she really liked the idea of getting rid of looters.

So, Vralino collected a couple others — Lazulin (troll Raider and Sun Herald) and Azurea (troll Shadow and Purifier) — and we made plans. I did some research at the Great Library and learned that Cara Fahd was established roughly 1,000 years ago, just south of the Delaris Mountains. A long way away. The nation lasted about 250 years. It was involved in two wars, one with the troll nation of Ustrect and another with the human nation of Landis. During the latter, both armies were decimated by a series of earthquakes, which also destroyed Cara Fahd. This occurred about 200 years before the Scourge.

So we booked passage on an airship for the western Twilight Peaks. We bought supplies for several weeks in the wilderness and set off. The trip took about 2 weeks by airship, then 2 more weeks trekking through the mountains following a troll guide we’d hired. Our route through the mountains started in the Twilight Peaks, then wandered into parts of old Ustrect, then skirted the southern peaks of the Delaris Mountains, Our guide left us in a deserted mountain valley with directions on how to continue. We continued south and eventually came upon the river valley the guide had described.

Along the way we found many valleys inhabited only by spirits ready to be put to rest. Vralino amused us all by summoning a Fire Marauder to cook dinner for us. Azurea warned us about numerous dangerous plants, including poison ivy. Lazulin studied the mountain espagra.

Once we reached the valley where Cara Fahd was supposed to be, we were at a loss for where to go next. The most excitement we had was when we saw, or thought we saw, the silhouette of a flying dragon in the distance. We did see numerous griffons. Another day Lazulin swore he saw an airship in the sky.

So we tried talking to the spirits. Vralino summoned earth elementals who told us the only other people around were hunters and trackers, but that in the ruins there were others. Ruins, where? We had no idea. Vralino searched around and found some animal tracks, so we started following them. Eventually, we found stone markers with symbols etched on them that indicated Namegivers used these trails, too. From the signs, Vralino thought that they weren’t residents of the area, but perhaps surveyors? This all happened on the same day that Lazulin had spied the airship.

So, we followed their path. The ground was warm, and eventually the grass died out and was replaced with bare rock. Soon we saw lava on the surface, some still glowing and molten. The astral was open, and there was an ancient, astral imprint on the earth. In the area we found the remains of an old war — ancient, broken weapons, pot shards, all the debris of the long-dead, including broken stone walls. Could this be Cara Fahd?

The path continued and soon we were crossing a lava field. It was crazy hot. Every step was painful, and as time went on, the incredible heat wore us all down. I saw the heat shimmering off the ground even on the astral. Vralino summoned a fire elemental to help us resist the heat. I don’t know how we would’ve survived without its aid.

After an hour or so, the elemental suddenly un-manifested. He was still present astrally, but hiding. The temperature spiked. Still wondering what caused it, a fire-filled suit of armor burst from the ground nearby, carrying a sword made of fire. Vralino talked to it, really, argued with it. Then more figures appeared. A cavalryman on fire, with a steed made of pure flame. A female figure brandishing a whip of fire. Another with wings of fire and wielding two blades. We had no choice but to fight them.

Meanwhile, Vralino continued arguing with the initial figure. We learned that the first figure was Aknash the Rager, the cavalryman was Duvok the Breaker, the whip-holder was Kalki the Punisher, and the winged one was Jagila the Hungry. They demanded that we explain ourselves, and tell them why we were trespassing on the land. Still, we fought them.

Vralino explained about our quest to find her gahad and that we weren’t here to loot the ruins, but the fight continued. Jagila rocketed off leaving a trail of fire, hitting Vralino with the flames. Aknash burst into flames when Azurea killed him. Duvok gave us a final salute and pointed us toward the ruins, saying that we were half a day behind the others, and that it had been a pleasure to test our mettle, just before charging Azurea and getting killed himself. Jagila ordered us to “Go! Take care of the looters!” and then blasted off into the sky, followed quickly by Kalki.

We patched ourselves up and followed Duvok’s direction. In about four hours we reached the edge of the lava field, and three hours later reached a ziggurat, fallen into ruins. We rested a short ways away overnight.

The next day, the astral was open. On the ziggurat we saw wards, but no alarm seemed to have been raised. We found the tracks of the looters, 3 to 6 people in all. We opted to try to sneak into the pyramid. So everyone received a Shadow Meld, and we proceeded quietly up to the third level of the ziggurat. Vralino managed to trigger a trip wire, but nothing happened as a result, or so we thought. Inside, there were stairs leading downwards which led to a large hall.

There, we discovered that the trip wire had set off an alarm. They were ready for us, hiding behind statues and in various niches. It was a tough fight. Their leader was a female elf in heavy armor, with a broad sword and shield. She was a very experienced warrior, who introduced herself as Pilli Endros, a Theran. There was a windling who peppered us with spells, always staying out of our reach; she was called Viseniara Candler we learned. There was a human archer Named Gelinia Astrapoles, who was also very adept at keeping her distance. A male elf possessed Nethermantic abilities, but was also skilled at stealth attacks, Named Rindalos Hex.

We finally beat them, although it was a close call. I had to bring Vralino back with Last Chance. When we left the ziggurat Jagila was waiting for us, and she told Vralino that she would come to her aid when called upon.

Outside, we found a drakkar of Theran make. But none of us knew how to fly a drakkar. And we were hundreds and hundreds of miles away from home. We eventually found a troll clan in the nearby mountains who would fly the drakkar to Throal for us, in exchange for us giving them the drakkar after they’d dropped us off there. Both parties were happy with this arrangement.

Quite an adventure! Not only did we find the ruins of Cara Fahd, but Vralino found her gahad.

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