Session 3: wherein Flynn wears a manly pink badge, a fork attacks, and spies get jacked
Players (Characters)
Jeremy (Flynn Flamm)
Tony (Brother Jakob; Filthy Ike)
Rachel (Lotus)
Tom (Nathaniel Graythorne)
DM: Catherine
Mary gave the party a new mission: track some yuan-ti spies to their outpost. It was known that yuan-ti were intercepting tactical messages and copying them, so the party would give a yuan-ti spy access to a fake message and then track the spy using a custom Ranger's Compass. The drop would be made at a gate to the inner city, where only people with special access could approach. Mary also warned the party of the extremely strict laws inside Waecleft, and the danger of breaking them.
Nathaniel and Flynn went into town, but because Flynn was carrying a weapon, he was given a manly pink badge to signify he was allowed to be armed. Flynn pretended to be a poor minstrel while Nathaniel disguised himself as the very stuck-up "Nathaniel Garbanzo". The guards denied Mr. Garbanzo entry into the inner part of town, despite his insistence that he was important and his cries of "don't you know who I am?" Soon, the suspected spy Sirenza approached and said she'd be able to deliver a message to anyone inside. Nathaniel insisted "this message is very important" and said it needed to go to Aaron inside. While this was going on, Flynn tugged on Sirenza's cloak and activated the Ranger's Compass, while saying "pardon me, can you spare a few coppers for a poor musician?" Sirenza looked at him in disgust and then headed straight across the inner city to the opposite gate. Nate changed his disguise and he and Flynn circled around, following at a distance.
Sirenza went inside a nearby house. Nate knocked on the door, and when someone answered, he asked "is this where the card game is?" He glanced back to see Sirenza messing with the magically-encoded message as the doorman yelled "no, go away!" and slammed the door in his face. About an hour later, Sirenza left that house and delivered the original message to Aaron. Flynn followed her to her own house and then informed Mary and Aaron of the two locations the spies used. Mary gave the party a set of sending stones keyed to send to her, and said to follow Sirenza when she set out. Ike walked in to the outpost with several rats skewered on an arrow, asking where he could roast them. Luckily, Sirenza started moving a few minutes later. The party followed and discovered she'd turned around about a half-hour outside of town, so set up an ambush to take her out.
Nathaniel tried to charm Sirenza, and when that failed, also tried to make her laugh hideously. Ike jumped out from behind a tree and fired a pair of arrows. One hit the tree and the other hit Sirenza. Flynn started singing and Tara charged, but couldn't drag Sirenza down. She cast Darkness and hid. Jakob again ran through the darkness, which Lotus dispelled. Ike fired a pair of shots to drop her, and then Jakob stabilized her and picked her up. The party moved on to where she'd turned around and discovered a recently snuffed campfire. Careful placement of her body and modification of her wounds made it look like she'd been killed in a fight at this campsite. Ike began following a set of tracks and Lotus went into eagle form to try to find the next messenger. She discovered the cobra-headed man about an hour to the east, and the party pursued until he stopped near midnight. Ike snuck in to his camp to check on him a couple hours later, and the party easily handled a group of wolves that attacked while Jakob and Nate were on watch.
The next morning, Ike returned and led the party in tracking about a tenth of a mile behind the enemy, with Lotus tracking from the air. As they were walking, a troll came running at the party and poisoned Nathaniel. Nate put grease under the troll's feet to no effect. Jakob threw the troll in the air, and Lotus flew back to the party. Tara and Ike both failed to hit the troll. Flynn started singing. The troll stood up and got smacked by Jakob, missing him with its claw as he turned to hit it again. Tara finally dragged it to the ground and killed it, and Ike shot it an extra time just to make sure. Nathaniel barely resisted the secondary effects of the poison, mostly due to his rat Beauregard.
A short distance later, some wolves approached. Nate's hypnotic pattern froze two in place, Flynn sang, and Ike fired off two shots. Jakob threw one aside and hit another with a stone-bones strike. The two stepped forward to attack him and he whacked them again. Tara clawed one, and Nate's grease sent one to the ground. Ike shot one while Flynn cast Rage on Jakob. The fallen wolf stood and got clawed by Tara, while the others attacked and tripped Jakob. He rolled to his feet and smacked one, and Nate's grease brought two more to the ground. Ike's arrows killed one and Tara's bite wounded another. Flynn's glitterdust was ineffective, but the wolves panicked and fled. Tara and Jakob killed one as it stood, and Jakob chased down the one that had fled the farthest while Lotus killed the nearest one. Ike attacked the one Nate had hypnotized, and Jakob threw it to the ground to kill it.
As the party kept moving, Flynn realized we'd be passing by Nestull's Lair, a former hideout of a mage who built a lot of constructs. Soon, an animated chair came running past. At nightfall, Ike came across a recently vacated camp. Nate took hobgoblin form, Lotus spotted the snake-headed man hiding, and the party stepped away pretending not to have seen him. After the yuan-ti was sleeping, Flynn turned Ike invisible, and Ike snuck into the camp and activated the Ranger's Compass. The party rested, and those on watch noticed the occasional group of Wyverns in the night sky. Lotus noticed an animated fork approaching. Nate tried to distract it with some rations, but it ran right past and stabbed Lotus. She missed it with her scimitar and Nate's feeble kick completely missed. Flynn woke up, grabbed the fork, and handed it to Jakob, who snapped it in half.
The next morning, Nate disguised himself as a yuan-ti warrior. The tracking compass soon indicated that the messenger had turned around. Flynn turned Ike invisible and the party backed away. Ike saw the yuan-ti being chased by a clay golem, which eventually lost track of him and started pounding on a random tree. Once the golem wandered off, the party began tracking the yuan-ti again, not stopping to bother with the animated hat rack that ran past.
That afternoon, Lotus spotted a troll off in the distance, and heard its roar. Flynn started singing and Ike started shooting. Lotus entangled the troll, and Nathaniel tried to start a betting pool on how many arrows Ike would need for the kill. As the troll struggled through the entangling plants, Ike hit it with nine of his ten shots to finally kill it. It had been walking around with two scrolls of "scan golem". The night was mostly uneventful, though Nate finally recovered from his last bout with poison, and Ike reset the compass.
On the fourth day of travel, the party finally left the area where the constructs were roaming. A giant dire bear passed by in the distance, and Nate kept Ike distracted so he wouldn't provoke it. As the forest thinned out and the land became more hilly, Nate spotted a wyvern inbound. It swooped in and swung at Ike. Nate created a herd of illusory horses and Ike withdrew. Lotus cast Creeping Cold and Jakob unsuccessfully tried to throw the wyvern on the ground. Flynn's glitterdust didn't affect it, but it tried to attack one of the horses. Ike shot an arrow at it and Lotus added lightning to the cold. Flynn's glitterdust blinded the wyvern the second time, and Jakob jumped up and stunned it. The dead wyvern tumbled across the ground.
The party approached the rocky maze of Roakshi Kama. The yuan-ti messenger entered a cave that had a stone golem guarding its entrance and several tracks leading in and out. The party found a smaller cave nearby where they could set up camp and watch the yuan-ti outpost.
Saturday, July 28, 2007
Saturday, July 21, 2007
Session 2, 2007-07-21: Dangerous Roads and Goblins
Session 2: wherein Ike makes jerky out of Lotus' little friend, and an ambush doesn't go according to plan
Players (Characters)
Scott (Filthy Ike)
Jeremy (Flynn Flamm)
Tony (Brother Jakob)
Rachel (Lotus)
Tom (Nathaniel Graythorne)
DM: Catherine
After repeated unsuccessful attempts to wake Ike, the party decided to leave him behind, figuring the ranger would have no trouble tracking them. Arabella received a summons to join another party that needed her services more urgently, so she headed back toward the crossroads. Jakob led the way, with Nathaniel and Flynn just behind, and Lotus and Tara bringing up the rear. Soon, the party heard a very large creature approaching along the road. Lotus could see that it was a giant mounted on a triceratops, with two armored horsemen and a nobleman behind. All of their shields had a symbol of a mountain split in two. The party quickly looked for cover, hiding behind bushes along the road. As the giant approached, he noticed Flynn, and boomed out "who are you hiding in the trees like a bandit?" Flynn responded "I'm just a traveling minstrel, looking to meet Mary in Waecleft." The giant introduced himself as Jearn, the champion of Waecleft, and said he'd been out clearing the roads and that they were now safe. Flynn responded "we've encountered goblin bandits along this road. Perhaps they're smart enough not to attack you, but they are out there." Jearn thanked us and continued on his way.
Two hours later, Jakob noticed a pair of goblin scouts along the road. He ran up to "hug" them, leading them to try to run away. One tried to cast "hold person" on Jakob, but failed. Flynn began singing an inspirational song, and Jakob swung his huge fist just over the head of the spellcaster. Tara bit the caster and dragged him to the ground. Nate laughed at the goblins as one of them continued to flee. The caster tried to stand to flee, taking hits from Jakob and Tara. Jakob tried to pick him up and throw him, but his hands slipped. Tara again dragged the caster to the ground, and again mauled him as he stood up, killing him. Jakob said "good kitty, pet the kitty" as he accidentally knocked Tara over. He then chased down and killed the fleeing goblin.
Further on, the party found the remains of a wagon. Jakob picked it up to look underneath it and found an amulet with the same cleft mountain symbol as Jearn's shield had. Lotus cast Speak with Animals to ask the birds and squirrels what they'd witnessed. Most of them just wanted some food, but one said some bad guys had gone up the road. Lotus thanked the squirrels and asked Jakob not to pet them. A short distance later, Lotus started talking about a strange blue dragon and rider with yellow robes, and wondered why the rest of the party was so confused. "It just flew overhead and we were all talking about it. What happened?" Jakob climbed a tree and looked out to the west, and then described the dragon, and its jackal-headed, black-skinned rider. When Jakob reached the bottom of the tree again, he'd forgotten what he saw. The dragon likely had a "modify memory" spell of some sort active on it.
Soon, Ike caught up to the party. He said he'd followed the tracks from the wagon, and that it had been wrecked for several days by now. He offered the party squirrel kebobs, which angered and disgusted Lotus. The party rested for the night without incident.
In the morning, the party came upon a goblin who was attacking a woman. Nate created lion sounds to try to scare the goblin. Jakob ran up next to it, and Tara positioned herself between the goblin and the woman. Ike shot the goblin, who took off running and took a nasty swipe from Jakob in the process. Nathaniel, in his "Nate the Great" persona, told the woman "don't worry, I'll save you" as Ike's arrow finished off the goblin. Jakob went to pick up the corpse while Nate talked to the vaguely snake-like woman. She introduced herself as Anna, and said she'd been traveling. Nate, sensing deception, charmed her. She introduced herself as Selenshe, in charge of intelligence for the goblin camp, and told the party to check in with the leaders. Suddenly she realized the party's hostility toward goblins (and, by extension, toward her), and ran. Ike fired a pair of arrows. Selenshe cast Darkness and hid somewhere inside it. Jakob ran through but didn't run into her, so Lotus dispelled the darkness. Tara jumped on Selenshe and dragged her to the ground, and Flynn began singing inspiring songs. Nate caused Selenshe to fall to the ground laughing hideously, and Jakob crushed her and took the cloak from her dead body.
The party suspected an ambush was waiting around the corner. Lotus turned into eagle form and flew up above, noticing seven goblins already in position on a pair of hills, and four bigger hobgoblins approaching from the north. Lotus landed and the party began their own ambush. She began summoning a bear to the south, and Nate created a second illusory bear to the north. Jakob, Ike, and Flynn moved onto the south hill behind the waiting goblins. Jakob attacked and killed one, and Ike shot another, wounding it grievously. Flynn used glitterdust to blind several goblins across the road. Nate made his bear roar loudly. One of the goblins turned to flee while two others shot at Nate's illusory bear, leading one to figure out the illusion. The fourth fired a shot that narrowly missed Jakob. The two remaining on the south hill tried to get some distance, but Jakob killed one and made the other lose the spell he was trying to cast, and Lotus' bear finished off the south hill.
Tara and Jakob crossed over to the northern hill and Lotus dropped a flaming sphere on one of the goblins. Ike shot and killed one and injured another. Flynn turned himself invisible, and Nathaniel made himself look like a hobgoblin and began climbing uphill. The three remaining goblins tried to flee, and Jakob dropped two of them easily. Jakob, Lotus, Tara, and the summoned bear climbed the hill to intercept the inbound hobgoblins, who came charging down at Jakob. Jakob tossed the largest one aside, while two others hit him and one hit the bear. Flynn cast Rage on Jakob, who used a Stone Bones strike on one, while Ike fired more arrows into the enemies. Nathaniel laid some grease beneath two hobgoblins, and Lotus' flaming sphere lit the grease on fire. Tara and the bear dragged one hobgoblin to the ground. Two hobgoblins again attacked Jakob, but one missed and one failed to penetrate his damage reduction. The biggest hobgoblin swung and missed, and Jakob's counterstrike clobbered him solidly. Jakob pummelled him to death while Tara kept another on the ground. Ike fired an arrow into the hillside and then took out the last goblin with another shot. Lotus' fire and lightning and Tara's attack finished off two hobgoblins, and the final one fled, but Jakob chased him down and killed him.
Nathaniel disguised himself to look like the hobgoblin leader and approached the camp. Two goblins stood around a fire, so Nate used a hypnotic pattern on them. Jakob threw one in the fire while Tara dragged the other to the ground. Lotus' lightning and Jakob's fists finished them off, and Ike exclaimed "we'll have goblin for dinner!" Nate watched in fascination as Ike cooked up some goblin stew. Jakob smashed open the locked chests around the camp and found a note from Tindell to Waecleft requesting Jearn's aid in killing off some dinosaurs. Ike kept asking "don't you guys eat? Are you sure you don't want any?" as the party tried to ignore the smell of cooked goblin. On the way out, the party set fire to the remnants of the camp.
The remaining two days of travel were mostly uneventful. The party approached the city of Waecleft, at the center of a split mountain. Nathaniel led the way to Mary's outpost just outside of town, and described the dragon, the goblins, and the found message.
Players (Characters)
Scott (Filthy Ike)
Jeremy (Flynn Flamm)
Tony (Brother Jakob)
Rachel (Lotus)
Tom (Nathaniel Graythorne)
DM: Catherine
After repeated unsuccessful attempts to wake Ike, the party decided to leave him behind, figuring the ranger would have no trouble tracking them. Arabella received a summons to join another party that needed her services more urgently, so she headed back toward the crossroads. Jakob led the way, with Nathaniel and Flynn just behind, and Lotus and Tara bringing up the rear. Soon, the party heard a very large creature approaching along the road. Lotus could see that it was a giant mounted on a triceratops, with two armored horsemen and a nobleman behind. All of their shields had a symbol of a mountain split in two. The party quickly looked for cover, hiding behind bushes along the road. As the giant approached, he noticed Flynn, and boomed out "who are you hiding in the trees like a bandit?" Flynn responded "I'm just a traveling minstrel, looking to meet Mary in Waecleft." The giant introduced himself as Jearn, the champion of Waecleft, and said he'd been out clearing the roads and that they were now safe. Flynn responded "we've encountered goblin bandits along this road. Perhaps they're smart enough not to attack you, but they are out there." Jearn thanked us and continued on his way.
Two hours later, Jakob noticed a pair of goblin scouts along the road. He ran up to "hug" them, leading them to try to run away. One tried to cast "hold person" on Jakob, but failed. Flynn began singing an inspirational song, and Jakob swung his huge fist just over the head of the spellcaster. Tara bit the caster and dragged him to the ground. Nate laughed at the goblins as one of them continued to flee. The caster tried to stand to flee, taking hits from Jakob and Tara. Jakob tried to pick him up and throw him, but his hands slipped. Tara again dragged the caster to the ground, and again mauled him as he stood up, killing him. Jakob said "good kitty, pet the kitty" as he accidentally knocked Tara over. He then chased down and killed the fleeing goblin.
Further on, the party found the remains of a wagon. Jakob picked it up to look underneath it and found an amulet with the same cleft mountain symbol as Jearn's shield had. Lotus cast Speak with Animals to ask the birds and squirrels what they'd witnessed. Most of them just wanted some food, but one said some bad guys had gone up the road. Lotus thanked the squirrels and asked Jakob not to pet them. A short distance later, Lotus started talking about a strange blue dragon and rider with yellow robes, and wondered why the rest of the party was so confused. "It just flew overhead and we were all talking about it. What happened?" Jakob climbed a tree and looked out to the west, and then described the dragon, and its jackal-headed, black-skinned rider. When Jakob reached the bottom of the tree again, he'd forgotten what he saw. The dragon likely had a "modify memory" spell of some sort active on it.
Soon, Ike caught up to the party. He said he'd followed the tracks from the wagon, and that it had been wrecked for several days by now. He offered the party squirrel kebobs, which angered and disgusted Lotus. The party rested for the night without incident.
In the morning, the party came upon a goblin who was attacking a woman. Nate created lion sounds to try to scare the goblin. Jakob ran up next to it, and Tara positioned herself between the goblin and the woman. Ike shot the goblin, who took off running and took a nasty swipe from Jakob in the process. Nathaniel, in his "Nate the Great" persona, told the woman "don't worry, I'll save you" as Ike's arrow finished off the goblin. Jakob went to pick up the corpse while Nate talked to the vaguely snake-like woman. She introduced herself as Anna, and said she'd been traveling. Nate, sensing deception, charmed her. She introduced herself as Selenshe, in charge of intelligence for the goblin camp, and told the party to check in with the leaders. Suddenly she realized the party's hostility toward goblins (and, by extension, toward her), and ran. Ike fired a pair of arrows. Selenshe cast Darkness and hid somewhere inside it. Jakob ran through but didn't run into her, so Lotus dispelled the darkness. Tara jumped on Selenshe and dragged her to the ground, and Flynn began singing inspiring songs. Nate caused Selenshe to fall to the ground laughing hideously, and Jakob crushed her and took the cloak from her dead body.
The party suspected an ambush was waiting around the corner. Lotus turned into eagle form and flew up above, noticing seven goblins already in position on a pair of hills, and four bigger hobgoblins approaching from the north. Lotus landed and the party began their own ambush. She began summoning a bear to the south, and Nate created a second illusory bear to the north. Jakob, Ike, and Flynn moved onto the south hill behind the waiting goblins. Jakob attacked and killed one, and Ike shot another, wounding it grievously. Flynn used glitterdust to blind several goblins across the road. Nate made his bear roar loudly. One of the goblins turned to flee while two others shot at Nate's illusory bear, leading one to figure out the illusion. The fourth fired a shot that narrowly missed Jakob. The two remaining on the south hill tried to get some distance, but Jakob killed one and made the other lose the spell he was trying to cast, and Lotus' bear finished off the south hill.
Tara and Jakob crossed over to the northern hill and Lotus dropped a flaming sphere on one of the goblins. Ike shot and killed one and injured another. Flynn turned himself invisible, and Nathaniel made himself look like a hobgoblin and began climbing uphill. The three remaining goblins tried to flee, and Jakob dropped two of them easily. Jakob, Lotus, Tara, and the summoned bear climbed the hill to intercept the inbound hobgoblins, who came charging down at Jakob. Jakob tossed the largest one aside, while two others hit him and one hit the bear. Flynn cast Rage on Jakob, who used a Stone Bones strike on one, while Ike fired more arrows into the enemies. Nathaniel laid some grease beneath two hobgoblins, and Lotus' flaming sphere lit the grease on fire. Tara and the bear dragged one hobgoblin to the ground. Two hobgoblins again attacked Jakob, but one missed and one failed to penetrate his damage reduction. The biggest hobgoblin swung and missed, and Jakob's counterstrike clobbered him solidly. Jakob pummelled him to death while Tara kept another on the ground. Ike fired an arrow into the hillside and then took out the last goblin with another shot. Lotus' fire and lightning and Tara's attack finished off two hobgoblins, and the final one fled, but Jakob chased him down and killed him.
Nathaniel disguised himself to look like the hobgoblin leader and approached the camp. Two goblins stood around a fire, so Nate used a hypnotic pattern on them. Jakob threw one in the fire while Tara dragged the other to the ground. Lotus' lightning and Jakob's fists finished them off, and Ike exclaimed "we'll have goblin for dinner!" Nate watched in fascination as Ike cooked up some goblin stew. Jakob smashed open the locked chests around the camp and found a note from Tindell to Waecleft requesting Jearn's aid in killing off some dinosaurs. Ike kept asking "don't you guys eat? Are you sure you don't want any?" as the party tried to ignore the smell of cooked goblin. On the way out, the party set fire to the remnants of the camp.
The remaining two days of travel were mostly uneventful. The party approached the city of Waecleft, at the center of a split mountain. Nathaniel led the way to Mary's outpost just outside of town, and described the dragon, the goblins, and the found message.
Sunday, July 15, 2007
Basic Character Information
The Characters:
We begin the game with a 32-point point buy build at level 6. Explicitly allowed are a sundry of non-standard races and classes. We end up with:
Filthy Ike: A tiefling ranger/Order of the Bow Initiate [Complete Warrior]. Ike is a skilled sharpshooter. He grew up in the great waste, and is used to life in the wild. An avid hunter, he kills and eats for survival by habit. However, he has a strong aversion to water and an even stronger aversion to civilization. This works out all right, though, as civilization genrally has a strong aversion to him. (Played by Scott)
Flin Flam: A human bard. Fochlyan lyricist. Flin Flam is responsible for the joyful music we listen to along the road, and occasionally serves as a Knower of Things. (Played by Jeremy)
Nathaniel Graythorne: Nethanial introduced himself as Nate the Great, a mighty warrior. Standing before us in shining armor, with scores of defeated enemies marked on his shield, he remarked, "I win the battle in the enemy's mind." While we all were puzzling over this, he dismissed the illusion and stood before us in sorcerer's robes. Nethanial is an Asimar sorcerer focusing on enchantment and illusion spells. A professional gambler, Nate usually twists luck to his own ends. A master of disguise and illusion, he has more aliases than his allies can keep track of. Owing to his race, Nethanial is ancient on human terms--he fought behind enemy lines in the War of the Ten Kings. (Played by Tom)
Arabella: A half-celestial cleric focusing on archery and known for goodness and loyalty. And smiting things. (Played by Kate)
Lotus: An asimar druid, Lotus prefers civilization in its looser forms. Child and lover of nature, she grew up on a hippie commune, and loved life there. Disaster struck and her home was destroyed, forcing her out into the wild--where she seems comfortable enough. Lotus is accompanied by a faithful cheetah named Tara. (Played by Rachel)
Brother Jakob: A half-ogre Monk/Swordsage [Tome of Battle], with a psionic ability or two, Brother Jakob is deeply unique. Despite a monsterous appearence, Jakob's orderly character becomes quickly evident with a second look at his neatly clipped whiskers, polished large teeth, and simple monk's robes as he practices his morning katas. He was taken in as a baby by a monastery emphasizing tolerance. Being raised in a cloister has given him a degree of innocence about the world at large. This usually works out okay, as he is so physically imposing most things do not want to threaten him. (Played by Tony)
Some crunchy notes:
We begin the game with a 32-point point buy build at level 6. Explicitly allowed are a sundry of non-standard races and classes. We end up with:
Filthy Ike: A tiefling ranger/Order of the Bow Initiate [Complete Warrior]. Ike is a skilled sharpshooter. He grew up in the great waste, and is used to life in the wild. An avid hunter, he kills and eats for survival by habit. However, he has a strong aversion to water and an even stronger aversion to civilization. This works out all right, though, as civilization genrally has a strong aversion to him. (Played by Scott)
Flin Flam: A human bard. Fochlyan lyricist. Flin Flam is responsible for the joyful music we listen to along the road, and occasionally serves as a Knower of Things. (Played by Jeremy)
Nathaniel Graythorne: Nethanial introduced himself as Nate the Great, a mighty warrior. Standing before us in shining armor, with scores of defeated enemies marked on his shield, he remarked, "I win the battle in the enemy's mind." While we all were puzzling over this, he dismissed the illusion and stood before us in sorcerer's robes. Nethanial is an Asimar sorcerer focusing on enchantment and illusion spells. A professional gambler, Nate usually twists luck to his own ends. A master of disguise and illusion, he has more aliases than his allies can keep track of. Owing to his race, Nethanial is ancient on human terms--he fought behind enemy lines in the War of the Ten Kings. (Played by Tom)
Arabella: A half-celestial cleric focusing on archery and known for goodness and loyalty. And smiting things. (Played by Kate)
Lotus: An asimar druid, Lotus prefers civilization in its looser forms. Child and lover of nature, she grew up on a hippie commune, and loved life there. Disaster struck and her home was destroyed, forcing her out into the wild--where she seems comfortable enough. Lotus is accompanied by a faithful cheetah named Tara. (Played by Rachel)
Brother Jakob: A half-ogre Monk/Swordsage [Tome of Battle], with a psionic ability or two, Brother Jakob is deeply unique. Despite a monsterous appearence, Jakob's orderly character becomes quickly evident with a second look at his neatly clipped whiskers, polished large teeth, and simple monk's robes as he practices his morning katas. He was taken in as a baby by a monastery emphasizing tolerance. Being raised in a cloister has given him a degree of innocence about the world at large. This usually works out okay, as he is so physically imposing most things do not want to threaten him. (Played by Tony)
Some crunchy notes:
- Half-ogre has been modified to have a level adjustment of 2.
- Swordsage has been declared similar enough to monk to allow free multiclassing between them. (Usually monks cannot return after taking another class).
- Druid wild-shape has been modified to replace your racial modifiers with the animals for the purpose of determining physical abilities. (Usually the animal's stats replace your own).
- Druid wild casting has been changed to a metamagic feat with a cost of 1 spell level.
Saturday, July 14, 2007
Session 1, 2007-07-14: An Introduction
Session 1: wherein six diverse adventurers set out on a road trip and share many odd foods
Players (Characters)
Scott (Filthy Ike)
Jeremy (Flynn Flamm)
Tony (Brother Jakob)
Rachel (Lotus)
Kate (Arabella)
Tom (Nathaniel Graythorne)
DM: Catherine
At the little crossroads just south of Waecleft, in the western part of Semferia, six distinctive figures approached, each holding a card pointing them to the outpost. Most distinctive was Brother Jakob, the tall half-ogre with carefully groomed tusks and fangs, standing tall, proud, and ready to react to anything. In contrast, the bow-wielding tiefling Filthy Ike looked and smelled like the sort who considers bathing a foreign concept. Flynn Flamm, a human man dressed in fine purple clothing and carrying a lute, displayed his friendly and outgoing nature as he socialized with anyone who came near. The winged half-celestial Arabella flew a few feet off the ground, looking around as she kept her bow close at hand. A tall and well-armored aasimar, with long golden hair, golden eyes, and a polished shield that read "Nate the Great" and displayed body counts for many types of monsters, boasted of his many victories. Lotus, an aasimar woman whose puffy hair held all sorts of twigs and berries, whispered silently to her pet cheetah, Tara.
As the six reached the gate to the outpost at the crossroads, a large dwarf wielding two throwing axes stepped out to greet them. "I am Rogar, representative of the Ten Kings' Men", he said. "During the great war, many kings fell to the frost giant menace, and no one kingdom could withstand it. But an alliance was born, with representatives from each kingdom banding together to do what they could not do alone. Though the war is long done and many of the kings have passed on, the Kingsmen still remain as a memory of past alliances, vigilantly protecting the land. Each of you have been called here because you've displayed some ability which is useful to us, especially skills relating to tracking, scouting, and gathering information. If you accept our terms, you'll be paid as a group for tasks you complete, as long as you report whatever you learn and you continue working for the greater good. Step inside if you accept our offer." With that, Rogar stepped inside the gate.
Each of the six followed. "Good, I was hoping you'd all come together. You should make a great team. The first step is to introduce yourselves." Flynn, a noble from the great kingdom of Westlay, had grown sick of the aristocratic lifestyle and was seeking to inspire people to do great things. "I'm just here for the bow", the tiefling said as he fired an arrow through a tiny ring on the wall. "Name's Ike. Where's the armory?" Rogar pointed to the racks of weapons all around the group, and the forge a few yards away. Arabella was known far and wide as good and loyal, and a capable archer. Brother Jakob had been left at a monestary at a young age, and learned tolerance and discipline from the monks who raised him. Lotus was not quite sure why she'd come to this place, only that she had nowhere else to go since her commune was burned down. Nate spoke about the many foes he'd defeated "by striking them at their weakest point: in their minds." With that, his armor, shield, and sword faded away and his muscles appeared to shrink, and he was revealed as an old man wearing plain red robes. "I've defeated every foe marked on my shield, but not with the sword. Misdirection, trickery, and charm are my specialties."
Rogar gave the party the task of clearing the road between the outpost and Waecleft, with orders to check in with Mary once they reached the far end. Ike asked if he could get his bow enchanted. Nathaniel reached out his hand and touched the bow, and a small flame started burning on the bow and on each arrow Ike fired. As the party set out, Jakob walked alongside Tara, petting the "pretty kitty". Flynn sang a funny song, which Lotus identified as "totally the music that's in my head!" Ike walked several yards in front of the others, with Nate and Flynn at the back and Arabella flying a few yards overhead.
Ike noticed some movement on a slope alongside the road -- a pair of goblins, waiting in ambush. He fired an arrow that glanced off of a tree and fell harmlessly away. One of the goblins cast Hold Person, but Ike resisted. The other shot him with an arrow, and he started cussing it out in the goblin tongue. Arabella flew a bit higher and fired, hitting one of the goblins squarely in the chest. Nathaniel cast grease under the pair, causing them to slide down the hill and into the open. Ike fired an arrow at the spellcaster, landing a solid hit, and Lotus conjured some flame in her hand. Jakob jumped up on top of a rock and swung his big fist down on the goblin cleric's head, killing it. Flynn began singing an inspirational song and Arabella shot the remaining goblin, leaving him barely conscious. Nate called out "don't kill him, just capture him", so Lotus had Tara latch on to the goblin's leg. Nate called out to the goblin "why did you shoot? We're your allies." The goblin said he was sorry for the mistake and told the party where to find the camp where they'd be expected to check in. Ike said "OK, let's go attack the goblin camp", and the goblin screamed as he realized he'd been tricked. Jakob cracked the goblin's head and the party started walking again.
Arabella asked if the party could stop to have lunch. Lotus said "I make this great snack, it's called Wheat Nuts." Ike responded "your Wheat Nuts are crap! They're like particle-board flavored cardboard." Not wanting to waste daylight, the party kept moving. Ike and Lotus noticed a wolf was tailing the party at a distance, so Ike fired a warning shot over the wolf's head. Nate created an illusion of a hut around the wolf, leaving a "door" where there was actually a tree, and the wolf didn't emerge for several minutes. A while later, two wolves began tailing the party. Nate used Ghost Sound to scare one off, and Ike fired a parting shot at it. Ike then fired a pair of shots at the other wolf, and Lotus hit it with a flare. Arabella fired another shot and Tara ran and clawed the wolf. Flynn began singing an inspirational song. The wolf tried to run, but Tara bit it and Jakob outran it, pummeling it. Jakob took a few minutes to skin it, and Ike picked out some meat to make jerky.
At nightfall, the party set up camp. Lotus and Tara kept watch while Nate played cards and the others slept. Soon, a pack of five wolves approached. Lotus placed Spike Growth in front of the pack, which wounded their legs and slowed their approach. Nate's Ghost Sound created the growl of an angry bear. Arabella woke up and fired an arrow. Flynn cast Rage on Jakob. Lotus placed a Flaming Sphere on the lead wolf, and Tara bit another. Jakob moved between a pair of wolves. Two of the wolves turned to flee the sound of the bear, and Tara's swipe killed one of them while Jakob nearly killed another. Two others bit Tara. Nate created an illusory wall to try to slow the wolves down further, and Arabella shot right into the heart of the nearest wolf. Flynn began singing and playing his horn, and Lotus called lightning, but only a weak burst hit one of the wolves. Jakob punched one of the wolves with a Psionic Fist, killing it, and stunned another. Ike rolled over, grabbed his bow, shot a wolf right in the eye to kill it, and went back to sleep. The final wolf made its way past the illusory wall, but Arabella brought it down with another well-placed arrow. She healed Tara's wounds, and then the party got back to the important business of resting. When it was time to wake Ike, Nate used Ghost Sound to create a loud ringing bell.
Players (Characters)
Scott (Filthy Ike)
Jeremy (Flynn Flamm)
Tony (Brother Jakob)
Rachel (Lotus)
Kate (Arabella)
Tom (Nathaniel Graythorne)
DM: Catherine
At the little crossroads just south of Waecleft, in the western part of Semferia, six distinctive figures approached, each holding a card pointing them to the outpost. Most distinctive was Brother Jakob, the tall half-ogre with carefully groomed tusks and fangs, standing tall, proud, and ready to react to anything. In contrast, the bow-wielding tiefling Filthy Ike looked and smelled like the sort who considers bathing a foreign concept. Flynn Flamm, a human man dressed in fine purple clothing and carrying a lute, displayed his friendly and outgoing nature as he socialized with anyone who came near. The winged half-celestial Arabella flew a few feet off the ground, looking around as she kept her bow close at hand. A tall and well-armored aasimar, with long golden hair, golden eyes, and a polished shield that read "Nate the Great" and displayed body counts for many types of monsters, boasted of his many victories. Lotus, an aasimar woman whose puffy hair held all sorts of twigs and berries, whispered silently to her pet cheetah, Tara.
As the six reached the gate to the outpost at the crossroads, a large dwarf wielding two throwing axes stepped out to greet them. "I am Rogar, representative of the Ten Kings' Men", he said. "During the great war, many kings fell to the frost giant menace, and no one kingdom could withstand it. But an alliance was born, with representatives from each kingdom banding together to do what they could not do alone. Though the war is long done and many of the kings have passed on, the Kingsmen still remain as a memory of past alliances, vigilantly protecting the land. Each of you have been called here because you've displayed some ability which is useful to us, especially skills relating to tracking, scouting, and gathering information. If you accept our terms, you'll be paid as a group for tasks you complete, as long as you report whatever you learn and you continue working for the greater good. Step inside if you accept our offer." With that, Rogar stepped inside the gate.
Each of the six followed. "Good, I was hoping you'd all come together. You should make a great team. The first step is to introduce yourselves." Flynn, a noble from the great kingdom of Westlay, had grown sick of the aristocratic lifestyle and was seeking to inspire people to do great things. "I'm just here for the bow", the tiefling said as he fired an arrow through a tiny ring on the wall. "Name's Ike. Where's the armory?" Rogar pointed to the racks of weapons all around the group, and the forge a few yards away. Arabella was known far and wide as good and loyal, and a capable archer. Brother Jakob had been left at a monestary at a young age, and learned tolerance and discipline from the monks who raised him. Lotus was not quite sure why she'd come to this place, only that she had nowhere else to go since her commune was burned down. Nate spoke about the many foes he'd defeated "by striking them at their weakest point: in their minds." With that, his armor, shield, and sword faded away and his muscles appeared to shrink, and he was revealed as an old man wearing plain red robes. "I've defeated every foe marked on my shield, but not with the sword. Misdirection, trickery, and charm are my specialties."
Rogar gave the party the task of clearing the road between the outpost and Waecleft, with orders to check in with Mary once they reached the far end. Ike asked if he could get his bow enchanted. Nathaniel reached out his hand and touched the bow, and a small flame started burning on the bow and on each arrow Ike fired. As the party set out, Jakob walked alongside Tara, petting the "pretty kitty". Flynn sang a funny song, which Lotus identified as "totally the music that's in my head!" Ike walked several yards in front of the others, with Nate and Flynn at the back and Arabella flying a few yards overhead.
Ike noticed some movement on a slope alongside the road -- a pair of goblins, waiting in ambush. He fired an arrow that glanced off of a tree and fell harmlessly away. One of the goblins cast Hold Person, but Ike resisted. The other shot him with an arrow, and he started cussing it out in the goblin tongue. Arabella flew a bit higher and fired, hitting one of the goblins squarely in the chest. Nathaniel cast grease under the pair, causing them to slide down the hill and into the open. Ike fired an arrow at the spellcaster, landing a solid hit, and Lotus conjured some flame in her hand. Jakob jumped up on top of a rock and swung his big fist down on the goblin cleric's head, killing it. Flynn began singing an inspirational song and Arabella shot the remaining goblin, leaving him barely conscious. Nate called out "don't kill him, just capture him", so Lotus had Tara latch on to the goblin's leg. Nate called out to the goblin "why did you shoot? We're your allies." The goblin said he was sorry for the mistake and told the party where to find the camp where they'd be expected to check in. Ike said "OK, let's go attack the goblin camp", and the goblin screamed as he realized he'd been tricked. Jakob cracked the goblin's head and the party started walking again.
Arabella asked if the party could stop to have lunch. Lotus said "I make this great snack, it's called Wheat Nuts." Ike responded "your Wheat Nuts are crap! They're like particle-board flavored cardboard." Not wanting to waste daylight, the party kept moving. Ike and Lotus noticed a wolf was tailing the party at a distance, so Ike fired a warning shot over the wolf's head. Nate created an illusion of a hut around the wolf, leaving a "door" where there was actually a tree, and the wolf didn't emerge for several minutes. A while later, two wolves began tailing the party. Nate used Ghost Sound to scare one off, and Ike fired a parting shot at it. Ike then fired a pair of shots at the other wolf, and Lotus hit it with a flare. Arabella fired another shot and Tara ran and clawed the wolf. Flynn began singing an inspirational song. The wolf tried to run, but Tara bit it and Jakob outran it, pummeling it. Jakob took a few minutes to skin it, and Ike picked out some meat to make jerky.
At nightfall, the party set up camp. Lotus and Tara kept watch while Nate played cards and the others slept. Soon, a pack of five wolves approached. Lotus placed Spike Growth in front of the pack, which wounded their legs and slowed their approach. Nate's Ghost Sound created the growl of an angry bear. Arabella woke up and fired an arrow. Flynn cast Rage on Jakob. Lotus placed a Flaming Sphere on the lead wolf, and Tara bit another. Jakob moved between a pair of wolves. Two of the wolves turned to flee the sound of the bear, and Tara's swipe killed one of them while Jakob nearly killed another. Two others bit Tara. Nate created an illusory wall to try to slow the wolves down further, and Arabella shot right into the heart of the nearest wolf. Flynn began singing and playing his horn, and Lotus called lightning, but only a weak burst hit one of the wolves. Jakob punched one of the wolves with a Psionic Fist, killing it, and stunned another. Ike rolled over, grabbed his bow, shot a wolf right in the eye to kill it, and went back to sleep. The final wolf made its way past the illusory wall, but Arabella brought it down with another well-placed arrow. She healed Tara's wounds, and then the party got back to the important business of resting. When it was time to wake Ike, Nate used Ghost Sound to create a loud ringing bell.
World Background
The World:
Semferia is the medieval frontier. Peoples huddle together in tiny cities, walled and fortified against the terrors of the wild. Travel is dangerous, and news is scarce. Inside city walls or guarded mine entrances, isolated civilization develops. Outside them, bandits, rogues, wild magical forces and herds of beasts reign supreme.
Semferia may be thought of geographically in four parts. East of the Stonetower Mountains lie the greater civilzations--the mighty human kingdom of Westlay in the forested north, and the equally mighty and vile Yuan-Ti kingdom of Serpenti in the plains to the south. The far eastern forest is ruled by a mysterious clan of druids.
West of the Stonetower Mountains lie the lesser civilizations. Two small fortified human cities--Waeceft nearer to the mountains, and Tindell on the coast. The enchanted forest to the north is ruled by the elven clan of The Lost in Waiting, who are at bitter war with the Ghern--a hobgoblin tribe inhabiting the ruin of Jezrel.
The north of Semferia is referred to only as "The Icy North." It forbids all life but that which freezes easily. To the south, fully half of the land, is a desert known as "The Great Waste." Uncharted and unwelcoming, tales tell of supernaturally hostile regions which hate all living things.
In the War of the Ten Kings, Frost Giants invaded from The Icy North. With white dragons and massive wooly beasts, they crushed all resistance to them. At the time, there were ten civilized kings on the land, and none alone could withstand the onslaught. One by one, the northern cities fell, six to the west of StoneTower, and one to the east. Refugees fled south. In a last desperate alliance, the peoples of Westlay, Waecleft, and Tindell came together, with all that remained of the people of the seven northern kings. On the Field of Ten Kings, in a long and bloody battle, the giants were at last repulsed.
It is now late July, the one hundred and fifty-fifth year since the War of Ten Kings. The seven northern cities still lay in ruins, inhabited by wild beasts, opportunistic tribes, and silent ghosts of the past. The land is much as it once was--alliances distant, and news scarce.
At the end of the war, The Last Watch of the Ten Kings was founded. Elite soldiers from each of the kingdoms came together and vowed to watch the land, deliver news, and serve good peoples. They are a memory of ancient alliance should it be needed again. The Kingsmen patrol the land from east to west, from the coasts at Tindell to the forbidding mountans east of Westlay.
Semferia is the medieval frontier. Peoples huddle together in tiny cities, walled and fortified against the terrors of the wild. Travel is dangerous, and news is scarce. Inside city walls or guarded mine entrances, isolated civilization develops. Outside them, bandits, rogues, wild magical forces and herds of beasts reign supreme.
Semferia may be thought of geographically in four parts. East of the Stonetower Mountains lie the greater civilzations--the mighty human kingdom of Westlay in the forested north, and the equally mighty and vile Yuan-Ti kingdom of Serpenti in the plains to the south. The far eastern forest is ruled by a mysterious clan of druids.
West of the Stonetower Mountains lie the lesser civilizations. Two small fortified human cities--Waeceft nearer to the mountains, and Tindell on the coast. The enchanted forest to the north is ruled by the elven clan of The Lost in Waiting, who are at bitter war with the Ghern--a hobgoblin tribe inhabiting the ruin of Jezrel.
The north of Semferia is referred to only as "The Icy North." It forbids all life but that which freezes easily. To the south, fully half of the land, is a desert known as "The Great Waste." Uncharted and unwelcoming, tales tell of supernaturally hostile regions which hate all living things.
In the War of the Ten Kings, Frost Giants invaded from The Icy North. With white dragons and massive wooly beasts, they crushed all resistance to them. At the time, there were ten civilized kings on the land, and none alone could withstand the onslaught. One by one, the northern cities fell, six to the west of StoneTower, and one to the east. Refugees fled south. In a last desperate alliance, the peoples of Westlay, Waecleft, and Tindell came together, with all that remained of the people of the seven northern kings. On the Field of Ten Kings, in a long and bloody battle, the giants were at last repulsed.
It is now late July, the one hundred and fifty-fifth year since the War of Ten Kings. The seven northern cities still lay in ruins, inhabited by wild beasts, opportunistic tribes, and silent ghosts of the past. The land is much as it once was--alliances distant, and news scarce.
At the end of the war, The Last Watch of the Ten Kings was founded. Elite soldiers from each of the kingdoms came together and vowed to watch the land, deliver news, and serve good peoples. They are a memory of ancient alliance should it be needed again. The Kingsmen patrol the land from east to west, from the coasts at Tindell to the forbidding mountans east of Westlay.
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