Session 11: wherein the big picture comes into focus, and a dead dog isn't the worst part of Kelzun's day
Players (Characters)
Scott (Filthy Ike)
Jeremy (Flynn Flamm)
Tony (Brother Jakob)
Rachel (Lotus)
Tom (Nathaniel Graythorne)
DM: Catherine
As guests continued to arrive at Lonely Sparrow, Minellin asked Lotus to look at a nearby lake from on top of the tower. In the distance, she spotted a familiar-looking flying dog, as well as its companions. Without discussion, Minellin headed downstairs to meet with all of the guests, who described the state of affairs in the world.
Gindralen, an Ivani elf, spoke of the local hobgoblins causing trouble, as well as golems approaching from the north. Jason, a noble from Tindell, described mud critters attacking from the local bog and dinosaurs acting uncharacteristically hostile. Sir Reynald said the yuan-ti kingdom of Serpenti had spied and dealt treacherously with Westlay, and had now declared open war. Mary of Waecleft described many goblin attacks, saying King Edward was too foolish and too rigid to fight back, but had instead chosen to close the city to the outside. Enigma, a doppelganger, said the goblins were planning a direct assault on Waecleft and that Serpenti had gone through a serious drought. Sir Reynald noted Westlay's summer had been hot as well. Serpenti and marruspawn spies had been around various kingdoms for months, gathering information about water sources and assassinating wise clerics.
Reynald also spoke of the Thirsting, caused by the black sand, which was causing serious problems across Westlay. Mary had discovered the sand consumed both blood and water. Flynn recited the poetic riddle spoken by the living tree: "the thirsty blight knows of life but a part. His greatest foe lies in the woods heart." NMR also spoke of the dragon with the marruspawn rider, and of Kelzun. Minellin knew Kelzun had been summoned by goblins, and that she was now in the area. Phineas, from the northern woods, said both riders had gathered with others at a lake in the north, turned it to sand, and heated the whole area. A single skeleton was found in the center of the sand. Gindralen and other champions had saved another woman from the same fate only a few days ago, when Kelzun was delayed due to her dog dying. Finally, Minellin voiced his suspicions: all of the actions of the goblins, yuan-ti, hostile animals, and so on are simply distractions to allow these enemies to attack the lakes unhindered and to allow the marruspawn to continue massing in the south. Fighting back may turn the tide, but only if it's done quickly. Mary suspected Waecleft would not get involved.
After the meeting, Minellin called the Ninja Mongoose Rockstars for a second meeting. The party would become a special operations group, targeting important objectives including those behind enemy lines. For tonight, the objective was Kelzun herself. Minellin had intercepted a sending spell that made it known Kelzun would be alone for the night, and that the others would join her in the morning. Because Kelzun was a dry lich, water was very dangerous to her, and Lotus could be very effective in making the attack. The party spent some time preparing for the midnight assault.
Lotus gave the party mass camoflage and cast swim on Jakob. Minellin protected himself from spells. Flynn hasted the party, and everyone teleported to just a short distance away from Kelzun's campsite. Minellin cast analyze dweomer so he could make out spell effects on Kelzun. He then fired off an antimagic ray, which deflected off of her magical armor. Nathaniel created an illusory party off to one side, trying to distract the enemies. Ike fired a shot and Jakob tried unsuccessfully to grab Kelzun. Lotus raised the water level, covering Jakob and Kelzun. Lotus' kelp strand then started to hold Kelzun in place. Jakob tried to hit her but couldn't connect. Flynn turned Minellin invisible, and Minellin dispelled Kelzun's death throes. Kelzun teleported out of the water and tried to find Minellin, but he had stepped slightly off to one side. Ike fired some arrows and connected with one, and Nate's buzzing bee began following Kelzun. Several lesser enemies began to flee, including a quasit that Jakob killed, and a flying dog.
Jakob tried to throw Kelzun back into the water, but again, she evaded his grasp. Lotus again raised the water level. Flynn shot at one of the weaker enemies and Minellin fired another antimagic ray at Kelzun, which she easily resisted. She again teleported out of the water. Ike hit her with another arrow and Nate tried unsuccessfully to turn luck against her. Jakob missed Kelzun with yet another attempt to trip her. One of the enemies took a swing at Jakob, but he wheeled around and crushed it. A rushing wave from Lotus grabbed Kelzun and dragged her back past Jakob and into the water, and Minellin finally dispelled her boosted armor. Flynn kept shooting at lesser enemies. Kelzun tried to cast Blasphemy but Minellin counterspelled her cast. Ike fired several more shots, this time connecting and slaying the dry lich. The dog stumbled over to the dust pile and began sniffing it, and Nathaniel summon its worst fears to destroy it. The remaining enemies surrendered, and the woman Kelzun had planned to sacrifice was rescued.
This concludes Chapter 1: Troubled Times.
Saturday, September 29, 2007
Saturday, September 22, 2007
Session 10, 2007-09-22: Encounter with an Unlucky Dragon
Session 10: wherein specialized gear helps the NMR make short work of dinosaurs and dragons
Players (Characters)
Scott (Filthy Ike)
Jeremy (Flynn Flamm)
Tony (Brother Jakob)
Rachel (Lotus)
Tom (Nathaniel Graythorne)
DM: Catherine
[NOTE: this session marked the one year anniversary of the first session with the whole group]
In the morning, Minellin and all the residents and guests of Lonely Sparrow met with the party in the Hall of the Ten Kings. Minellin announced the great deeds of the Ninja Mongoose Rockstars, including the slaying of Kelzun's dog. He handed out a set of custom items:
Sir Reynald, a noble from the southern part of Westlay, told the party of life in Flynn's old neighborhood -- particularly, the effects of a black-sand induced plague. He also mentioned losing a part of his own party on his journey here, due to a red dragon to the east. NMR agreed to slay the red dragon, so Lotus put the winds at their backs and the party headed out.
On the open plains, a group of six raptors approached. Jakob stood in his Roots of the Mountain stance while Flynn cast haste. Nathaniel's phantasm was unsuccessful at killing a raptor, and Ike's arrows weren't quite sufficient. Lotus entangled four of the raptors but the remaining two charged at the party. Flynn started singing a song about dying dinosaurs and Nate retreated while enfeebling the nearest beast. Ike's arrows dropped one dinosaur while Lotus' vortex of teeth took down another. Jakob stunned the nearest dino, and Flynn, Nate, and Ike fired away at the dinosaurs that were struggling through the entangling vines. Jakob tripped the first raptor to come out of the vortex and Ike landed the final shots to finish off the pack.
As the party approached the mountain where the red dragon lived, Lotus gave everyone fire resistance. Soon, the dragon came into view. Flynn cast haste and started singing while Nathaniel created a pack of illusory archers spread across the ground. Ike hit the dragon with eight of his first nine shots, and some of the poison had a minor effect. Nate had his illusions call out "that was my shot! I totally nailed that dragon!" Once the dragon got into range, Lotus cast downdraft, but it stayed aloft. Nathaniel heightened an unluck spell, and the dragon was unable to resist as fate turned against him. Ike fired off several more arrows and Flynn tried to blind the dragon with glitterdust. The dragon responded by breathing fire on those nearest to it. Lotus' earthbind spell brought the unlucky dragon to the ground, where Jakob punched it and Ike hit it with four more arrows, ending its menacing ways.
The next morning, Lotus used a spider climb spell to allow the party access to the dragon's hoard. Lotus charmed a nearby rhino, which helped Jakob tow the dragon corpse back to Lonely Sparrow. A few foolish raptors tried to take the dragon for themselves, but found Jakob was too strong for them. Back at Lonely Sparrow, Minellin crafted a set of Red Dragon breastplate for Lotus.
Players (Characters)
Scott (Filthy Ike)
Jeremy (Flynn Flamm)
Tony (Brother Jakob)
Rachel (Lotus)
Tom (Nathaniel Graythorne)
DM: Catherine
[NOTE: this session marked the one year anniversary of the first session with the whole group]
In the morning, Minellin and all the residents and guests of Lonely Sparrow met with the party in the Hall of the Ten Kings. Minellin announced the great deeds of the Ninja Mongoose Rockstars, including the slaying of Kelzun's dog. He handed out a set of custom items:
- Flynn - the Bow of Songs (+1 shortbow, spend bardic music for +CHA to attack and damage for one attack)
- Ike - Mask of the Fox (bonuses to sight, including activation for true seeing; set piece from William the Fox)
- Nathaniel - Spellshard Talisman: Heighten Unluck (+4 levels)
- Jakob - ki straps (can be enchanted by donating money to orphanages, monestaries, and the like. Enchantments only function for the person who made the donations.)
- Lotus - Nature's Fury (rod of empower spell, functions only on spells that fit the local environment.)
Sir Reynald, a noble from the southern part of Westlay, told the party of life in Flynn's old neighborhood -- particularly, the effects of a black-sand induced plague. He also mentioned losing a part of his own party on his journey here, due to a red dragon to the east. NMR agreed to slay the red dragon, so Lotus put the winds at their backs and the party headed out.
On the open plains, a group of six raptors approached. Jakob stood in his Roots of the Mountain stance while Flynn cast haste. Nathaniel's phantasm was unsuccessful at killing a raptor, and Ike's arrows weren't quite sufficient. Lotus entangled four of the raptors but the remaining two charged at the party. Flynn started singing a song about dying dinosaurs and Nate retreated while enfeebling the nearest beast. Ike's arrows dropped one dinosaur while Lotus' vortex of teeth took down another. Jakob stunned the nearest dino, and Flynn, Nate, and Ike fired away at the dinosaurs that were struggling through the entangling vines. Jakob tripped the first raptor to come out of the vortex and Ike landed the final shots to finish off the pack.
As the party approached the mountain where the red dragon lived, Lotus gave everyone fire resistance. Soon, the dragon came into view. Flynn cast haste and started singing while Nathaniel created a pack of illusory archers spread across the ground. Ike hit the dragon with eight of his first nine shots, and some of the poison had a minor effect. Nate had his illusions call out "that was my shot! I totally nailed that dragon!" Once the dragon got into range, Lotus cast downdraft, but it stayed aloft. Nathaniel heightened an unluck spell, and the dragon was unable to resist as fate turned against him. Ike fired off several more arrows and Flynn tried to blind the dragon with glitterdust. The dragon responded by breathing fire on those nearest to it. Lotus' earthbind spell brought the unlucky dragon to the ground, where Jakob punched it and Ike hit it with four more arrows, ending its menacing ways.
The next morning, Lotus used a spider climb spell to allow the party access to the dragon's hoard. Lotus charmed a nearby rhino, which helped Jakob tow the dragon corpse back to Lonely Sparrow. A few foolish raptors tried to take the dragon for themselves, but found Jakob was too strong for them. Back at Lonely Sparrow, Minellin crafted a set of Red Dragon breastplate for Lotus.
Saturday, September 15, 2007
Session 9, 2007-09-15: An overrun outpost is again overrun
Session 9: wherein an escape from one outpost leads to the retaking of a second and the arrival at a third
Players (Characters)
Scott (Filthy Ike)
Jeremy (Flynn Flamm)
Tony (Brother Jakob)
Rachel (Lotus)
Tom (Nathaniel Graythorne)
DM: Catherine
The Ninja Mongoose Rockstars now had two captives: a goblin and a yuan-ti. Interrogating the goblin was fruitless, though Ike quickly learned his answer to "is your armor any good?" was a negative. Nathaniel used a charm spell on the unconscious yuan-ti and took up an appropriate disguise, and then had Lotus wake him. Nate asked "how can we join your organization?" The yuan-ti captive said to report to Sissineth in the goblin city near Waecleft and gave detailed directions on finding it. He also said the marruspawn were in charge of the overall operation. Ike again ended the interview with the question "what's your AC?"
The party headed for the main door of the outpost. Again, Baern broke down the door, surprising the pack of goblins outside. Nathaniel cast confusion on a pack of hobgoblins riding wargs, Flynn started singing about the death of goblins, and Lotus entangled the entire group of enemies. A poisoned arrow from Ike injured a hobgoblin leader, and Jakob tripped another. Ike kept working on his hobgoblin while Baern stepped forward and cut through a pair of goblins. Flynn fired a pair of arrows and dropped a goblin, and even Nathaniel landed a hit with a crossbow he'd just picked up. Aaron and Jakob both missed the goblins they were swinging at, but Jakob reacted quickly and managed to take one down as he taunted a large snake. Lotus' vortex of teeth left several goblins bleeding and killed one snake while Jakob caught another one as it slithered away, and Rogar whined "leave the snakes alone!" Obviously his disease had progressed somewhat.
The goblins, not accustomed to being attacked from within their own fortress, and not really wanting to take on a giant with considerable backup, tried to flee. Two of the confused goblins attacked their own warg mounts, while the wargs howled incessantly. Ike, sensing the battle was already won, turned around and fired several arrows between his legs, dropping a fleeing hobgoblin and two other goblins. Baern and Aaron moved around the force pirahnas to block off escape, and Flynn, Nate, and Jakob took out the goblins they could hit. The vortex finished off the remaining goblins and wargs.
Baern strapped the not-entirely-trustworthy Rogar to his back and the party kept moving toward Rogar's former outpost. Lotus took up eagle form, which allowed her to see Rogar standing at the outpost's gate from half a mile away. A second look showed the creature was a look-alike and that there were yuan-ti inside the outpost. The party approached quietly and Flynn cast haste on everyone, then he began singing an inspirational song. Nathaniel cast confusion above the outpost, which affected two of the yuan-ti guards. Ike, Tara, Jakob, and Baern focused on taking out the fake Rogar, who died to their series of attacks. Jakob pulled the outpost door open and tripped one of the yuan-ti, and Nate tried to kill it with a phantasm but failed. Ike fired a series of arrows at a spellcaster, leaving it seriously wounded. One of the confused yuan-ti bit Jakob, and another attacked him, leaving him nearly dead. Two others cast darkness, but Lotus and Flynn dispelled the effects with daylight spells. Baern killed the yuan-ti standing next to Jakob and used a maneuver to channel healing energy to the big half-ogre, who drank a potion for an added boost. Nate distracted an enemy with a buzzing bee while Ike took it out with arrows, and Tara tripped the remaining enemy. That confused yuan-ti stood and tried to bite Jakob again, but Tara, Baern, Jakob, and Aaron landed their attacks first, taking her to the ground.
Jakob stepped into a tent where he found another yuan-ti interrogating a group of humans. He tripped the snake-like enemy and Lotus impaled it on a stalagmite. A flurry of attacks from Jakob finished off this foe, though a few snakes bit him in the process. Nathaniel handed off his last antitoxin to allow Jakob to resist the poison, and Aaron and Lotus provided him with restoration. The captured kingsmen thanked the party for rescuing them and agreed to stay at the outpost with Aaron, and the party got some rest.
In the morning, the party headed toward Lonely Sparrow with the wind at their backs, courtesy of Lotus. On the plains south of Rogar's, various creatures could be seen hunting prey for miles around. At one point, Lotus spotted a yellow dragon flying in the distance. After a long day, the party reached Lonely Sparrow, where a monk greeted them and headed inside to wake Minellin. The powerful wizard removed the diseases from both Rogar and Flynn, and the party got some much-needed rest.
Players (Characters)
Scott (Filthy Ike)
Jeremy (Flynn Flamm)
Tony (Brother Jakob)
Rachel (Lotus)
Tom (Nathaniel Graythorne)
DM: Catherine
The Ninja Mongoose Rockstars now had two captives: a goblin and a yuan-ti. Interrogating the goblin was fruitless, though Ike quickly learned his answer to "is your armor any good?" was a negative. Nathaniel used a charm spell on the unconscious yuan-ti and took up an appropriate disguise, and then had Lotus wake him. Nate asked "how can we join your organization?" The yuan-ti captive said to report to Sissineth in the goblin city near Waecleft and gave detailed directions on finding it. He also said the marruspawn were in charge of the overall operation. Ike again ended the interview with the question "what's your AC?"
The party headed for the main door of the outpost. Again, Baern broke down the door, surprising the pack of goblins outside. Nathaniel cast confusion on a pack of hobgoblins riding wargs, Flynn started singing about the death of goblins, and Lotus entangled the entire group of enemies. A poisoned arrow from Ike injured a hobgoblin leader, and Jakob tripped another. Ike kept working on his hobgoblin while Baern stepped forward and cut through a pair of goblins. Flynn fired a pair of arrows and dropped a goblin, and even Nathaniel landed a hit with a crossbow he'd just picked up. Aaron and Jakob both missed the goblins they were swinging at, but Jakob reacted quickly and managed to take one down as he taunted a large snake. Lotus' vortex of teeth left several goblins bleeding and killed one snake while Jakob caught another one as it slithered away, and Rogar whined "leave the snakes alone!" Obviously his disease had progressed somewhat.
The goblins, not accustomed to being attacked from within their own fortress, and not really wanting to take on a giant with considerable backup, tried to flee. Two of the confused goblins attacked their own warg mounts, while the wargs howled incessantly. Ike, sensing the battle was already won, turned around and fired several arrows between his legs, dropping a fleeing hobgoblin and two other goblins. Baern and Aaron moved around the force pirahnas to block off escape, and Flynn, Nate, and Jakob took out the goblins they could hit. The vortex finished off the remaining goblins and wargs.
Baern strapped the not-entirely-trustworthy Rogar to his back and the party kept moving toward Rogar's former outpost. Lotus took up eagle form, which allowed her to see Rogar standing at the outpost's gate from half a mile away. A second look showed the creature was a look-alike and that there were yuan-ti inside the outpost. The party approached quietly and Flynn cast haste on everyone, then he began singing an inspirational song. Nathaniel cast confusion above the outpost, which affected two of the yuan-ti guards. Ike, Tara, Jakob, and Baern focused on taking out the fake Rogar, who died to their series of attacks. Jakob pulled the outpost door open and tripped one of the yuan-ti, and Nate tried to kill it with a phantasm but failed. Ike fired a series of arrows at a spellcaster, leaving it seriously wounded. One of the confused yuan-ti bit Jakob, and another attacked him, leaving him nearly dead. Two others cast darkness, but Lotus and Flynn dispelled the effects with daylight spells. Baern killed the yuan-ti standing next to Jakob and used a maneuver to channel healing energy to the big half-ogre, who drank a potion for an added boost. Nate distracted an enemy with a buzzing bee while Ike took it out with arrows, and Tara tripped the remaining enemy. That confused yuan-ti stood and tried to bite Jakob again, but Tara, Baern, Jakob, and Aaron landed their attacks first, taking her to the ground.
Jakob stepped into a tent where he found another yuan-ti interrogating a group of humans. He tripped the snake-like enemy and Lotus impaled it on a stalagmite. A flurry of attacks from Jakob finished off this foe, though a few snakes bit him in the process. Nathaniel handed off his last antitoxin to allow Jakob to resist the poison, and Aaron and Lotus provided him with restoration. The captured kingsmen thanked the party for rescuing them and agreed to stay at the outpost with Aaron, and the party got some rest.
In the morning, the party headed toward Lonely Sparrow with the wind at their backs, courtesy of Lotus. On the plains south of Rogar's, various creatures could be seen hunting prey for miles around. At one point, Lotus spotted a yellow dragon flying in the distance. After a long day, the party reached Lonely Sparrow, where a monk greeted them and headed inside to wake Minellin. The powerful wizard removed the diseases from both Rogar and Flynn, and the party got some much-needed rest.
Saturday, September 8, 2007
Session 8, 2007-09-08: Captured in Myriad Ways
Session 8: wherein an arms race leads to blended goblins, a salty giant, and a dead dog
Players (Characters)
Scott (Filthy Ike)
Jeremy (Flynn Flamm)
Tony (Brother Jakob)
Rachel (Lotus)
Tom (Nathaniel Graythorne)
DM: Catherine
The party continued toward Lonely Sparrow with Baern and the paladins. Lotus, in eagle form, spotted four spellcasters and footprints from four invisible archers on a nearby hill. Jakob ran up to one caster and threw him into the middle of his group of friends, and Ike shot at another with poisoned arrows. Nate disguised himself as Garlen and then cast phantasmal killer on a goblin, leading him to exclaim "oh no, The Garlen is real!" Bearn trampled the pack of casters while Flynn and Lotus used glitterdust and faerie fire to reveal the archers. Tara bit one of the archers, which fled along with two others. Jakob chased one of the invisible archers, whose panicked screams gave away his location. Ike fired a pair of arrows to kill and paralyze one of the glowing archers while Nate yelled out "your doom is near!" Bearn, Jakob, and the paladins clobbered the remaining goblins.
A few hours later, Lotus spotted a large ambush gathered ahead. A dozen goblin archers stood atop one cliff, with four on another cliff, and a dozen more on an outcropping behind. Four sword-wielding hobgoblins stood in the valley between, with a human wiggling on the ground at their feet. Nathaniel handed Jakob and Lotus some antitoxins to help protect against poisoned arrows. Flynn hasted the party and then blew his horn, inspiring everyone for the upcoming battle. Nate used an illusion to block sight for the small group of archers to the south, and Lotus' vortex of teeth began to chew up the archers to the north. Ike's arrows injured some of the goblins in the vortex. The hobgoblins backed up to an area with more cover and formed up.
Jakob charged into the pack of hobgoblins and clobbered one with a stone bones strike, allowing him to shrug off some punishment. The archers behind Nate's illusion fired ineffectively, while those in the vortex tried to flee. The group in the back focused their attacks on Jakob, but did no damage. Ike's arrows, Nate's phantasmal killer, and Lotus' murderous mist combined with the vortex to drop most of the northern archer pack. Baern and the paladins moved into formation with Jakob. The hobgoblins approached, and Jakob tripped three while Baern and the final hobgoblin exchanged blows. A pack of goblins riding wargs approached Baern. Jakob moved into a small cave where goblin spellcasters had been hiding, and he killed one with a swift kick to the head. The "human" dismissed his alternate form and tried to cast a spell on Jakob, while the others tried to flee and were tripped. The remaining archers continued fleeing as Ike, Lotus, and Nathaniel picked them off. Bearn and the paladins kept attacking the remaining hobgoblins.
Suddenly, a huge flying dog approached. On its back rode a woman wearing red armor. Lotus noticed her face was shriveled and her eyes glowed green. She shouted at the hobgoblin leader "why do you always get in over your head?" and turned Baern into a pillar of salt. The wargs charged up and attacked the paladins while Jakob killed the remaining spellcasters. Ike fired four shots from his bow, including one perfectly aimed between the dog's eyes, and killed the flying dog. ("I can't believe you killed her dog!") The woman, a dry lich named Kelzun, floated gently to the ground and prepared to cast another spell.
Tara and the paladins continued fighting the wargs while Lotus prepared a flamestrike to interrupt Kelzun's next spell. Kelzun resisted the flamestrike and punched the ground, killing all vegetation within a quarter-mile radius and weakening everyone in the area. Jakob, Tara, and the paladins took out the last few casters and kept working on the wargs, while Nate's phantasmal killer and Lotus' dehydrate failed to overcome Kelzun's resistance. A pair of arrows from Ike caught her attention, though, so she cast greater visage of the deity to take on a massive demonic form. Flynn cast glitterdust to try to blind her, and Nathaniel created an illusion of several Ike lookalikes, but neither were effective. Ike kept shooting until Kelzun turned him to salt. Kelzun's summoned vrocks brought Flynn and Lotus down, and she cast insanity on Jakob and then allowed the archers to paralyze him. Nathaniel sent a message to Mary describing what had just happened, and tried to sneak away disguised as a goblin. When the vrocks surrounded him, he allowed himself to be captured, since he had no recourse. Kelzun removed Jakob's insanity, and he awoke to overhear her speaking to others. She found the quasit she'd had following Nathaniel and sent it on to other tasks. She also angrily cursed Ike for killing her dog, and refused to accept a ride from a strange hybrid blue dragon friend.
The rest of the party awoke to find themselves inside of cells in a stone dungeon, along with Baern, Aaron, and Rogar. A group of goblin guards sorted through the party's equipment. Soon, a yuan-ti stepped into the room and sent the goblins away, leaving only a golem guarding the door. Nathaniel tried to kill him with a phantasm, but it failed and the yuan-ti responded by silencing Nate. The strange snake-like creature then cast a spell on Ike and telepathically asked if there was any amount of money they could pay him to work for them. The same question was asked of each other party member, except for Flynn, who was infected with a disease that would slowly turn him into a yuan-ti. Rogar was already a couple days ahead in this process.
After the yuan-ti guard left, another came in and suddenly changed forms, revealing herself as a doppelganger. She began unlocking the cells and asked the party to wait a few minutes before they broke out so that her position wouldn't be compromised. Nathaniel froze the golem with one of his scrolls, allowing the party to move freely. Lotus tried to cure Rogar's disease but was not powerful enough. After a few minutes of waiting and re-equiping, the party headed out of the room, discovering they were in the basement of an ancient castle. Up the stairs, a group of goblins had their card game interrupted as Baern trampled them. Baern kicked open the next door, revealing a huge chamber full of goblins. Lotus dropped a flaming sphere at the far end of the room while Ike started shooting and Jakob and Tara charged into the fray. Nate and Bearn moved around an outer hallway to try to stop any fleeing goblins, and Flynn sang an inspirational song about Garlen the Goblin-slayer. Within seconds, all but two of the goblins were dead, and Jakob knocked the remaining two unconscious as they cowered and cried for mercy.
Baern led the way up to one of the castle's two towers. He smashed the door leading into the top room, and Jakob and Ike each landed a solid attack on the yuan-ti inside. Creeping cold from Lotus, a bite from Tara, and a powerful blow from Baern were enough to bring him to his end. Baern broke open a safe and pulled out some papers, specifically orders from a "Tem Hep'na" about capturing kingsmen and from "Ish Ni'seth" about meeting at a place called Death Rock. Baern led the way into the second tower, but this time he and Jakob pulled their punches in order to capture the yuan-ti who had been inside.
Players (Characters)
Scott (Filthy Ike)
Jeremy (Flynn Flamm)
Tony (Brother Jakob)
Rachel (Lotus)
Tom (Nathaniel Graythorne)
DM: Catherine
The party continued toward Lonely Sparrow with Baern and the paladins. Lotus, in eagle form, spotted four spellcasters and footprints from four invisible archers on a nearby hill. Jakob ran up to one caster and threw him into the middle of his group of friends, and Ike shot at another with poisoned arrows. Nate disguised himself as Garlen and then cast phantasmal killer on a goblin, leading him to exclaim "oh no, The Garlen is real!" Bearn trampled the pack of casters while Flynn and Lotus used glitterdust and faerie fire to reveal the archers. Tara bit one of the archers, which fled along with two others. Jakob chased one of the invisible archers, whose panicked screams gave away his location. Ike fired a pair of arrows to kill and paralyze one of the glowing archers while Nate yelled out "your doom is near!" Bearn, Jakob, and the paladins clobbered the remaining goblins.
A few hours later, Lotus spotted a large ambush gathered ahead. A dozen goblin archers stood atop one cliff, with four on another cliff, and a dozen more on an outcropping behind. Four sword-wielding hobgoblins stood in the valley between, with a human wiggling on the ground at their feet. Nathaniel handed Jakob and Lotus some antitoxins to help protect against poisoned arrows. Flynn hasted the party and then blew his horn, inspiring everyone for the upcoming battle. Nate used an illusion to block sight for the small group of archers to the south, and Lotus' vortex of teeth began to chew up the archers to the north. Ike's arrows injured some of the goblins in the vortex. The hobgoblins backed up to an area with more cover and formed up.
Jakob charged into the pack of hobgoblins and clobbered one with a stone bones strike, allowing him to shrug off some punishment. The archers behind Nate's illusion fired ineffectively, while those in the vortex tried to flee. The group in the back focused their attacks on Jakob, but did no damage. Ike's arrows, Nate's phantasmal killer, and Lotus' murderous mist combined with the vortex to drop most of the northern archer pack. Baern and the paladins moved into formation with Jakob. The hobgoblins approached, and Jakob tripped three while Baern and the final hobgoblin exchanged blows. A pack of goblins riding wargs approached Baern. Jakob moved into a small cave where goblin spellcasters had been hiding, and he killed one with a swift kick to the head. The "human" dismissed his alternate form and tried to cast a spell on Jakob, while the others tried to flee and were tripped. The remaining archers continued fleeing as Ike, Lotus, and Nathaniel picked them off. Bearn and the paladins kept attacking the remaining hobgoblins.
Suddenly, a huge flying dog approached. On its back rode a woman wearing red armor. Lotus noticed her face was shriveled and her eyes glowed green. She shouted at the hobgoblin leader "why do you always get in over your head?" and turned Baern into a pillar of salt. The wargs charged up and attacked the paladins while Jakob killed the remaining spellcasters. Ike fired four shots from his bow, including one perfectly aimed between the dog's eyes, and killed the flying dog. ("I can't believe you killed her dog!") The woman, a dry lich named Kelzun, floated gently to the ground and prepared to cast another spell.
Tara and the paladins continued fighting the wargs while Lotus prepared a flamestrike to interrupt Kelzun's next spell. Kelzun resisted the flamestrike and punched the ground, killing all vegetation within a quarter-mile radius and weakening everyone in the area. Jakob, Tara, and the paladins took out the last few casters and kept working on the wargs, while Nate's phantasmal killer and Lotus' dehydrate failed to overcome Kelzun's resistance. A pair of arrows from Ike caught her attention, though, so she cast greater visage of the deity to take on a massive demonic form. Flynn cast glitterdust to try to blind her, and Nathaniel created an illusion of several Ike lookalikes, but neither were effective. Ike kept shooting until Kelzun turned him to salt. Kelzun's summoned vrocks brought Flynn and Lotus down, and she cast insanity on Jakob and then allowed the archers to paralyze him. Nathaniel sent a message to Mary describing what had just happened, and tried to sneak away disguised as a goblin. When the vrocks surrounded him, he allowed himself to be captured, since he had no recourse. Kelzun removed Jakob's insanity, and he awoke to overhear her speaking to others. She found the quasit she'd had following Nathaniel and sent it on to other tasks. She also angrily cursed Ike for killing her dog, and refused to accept a ride from a strange hybrid blue dragon friend.
The rest of the party awoke to find themselves inside of cells in a stone dungeon, along with Baern, Aaron, and Rogar. A group of goblin guards sorted through the party's equipment. Soon, a yuan-ti stepped into the room and sent the goblins away, leaving only a golem guarding the door. Nathaniel tried to kill him with a phantasm, but it failed and the yuan-ti responded by silencing Nate. The strange snake-like creature then cast a spell on Ike and telepathically asked if there was any amount of money they could pay him to work for them. The same question was asked of each other party member, except for Flynn, who was infected with a disease that would slowly turn him into a yuan-ti. Rogar was already a couple days ahead in this process.
After the yuan-ti guard left, another came in and suddenly changed forms, revealing herself as a doppelganger. She began unlocking the cells and asked the party to wait a few minutes before they broke out so that her position wouldn't be compromised. Nathaniel froze the golem with one of his scrolls, allowing the party to move freely. Lotus tried to cure Rogar's disease but was not powerful enough. After a few minutes of waiting and re-equiping, the party headed out of the room, discovering they were in the basement of an ancient castle. Up the stairs, a group of goblins had their card game interrupted as Baern trampled them. Baern kicked open the next door, revealing a huge chamber full of goblins. Lotus dropped a flaming sphere at the far end of the room while Ike started shooting and Jakob and Tara charged into the fray. Nate and Bearn moved around an outer hallway to try to stop any fleeing goblins, and Flynn sang an inspirational song about Garlen the Goblin-slayer. Within seconds, all but two of the goblins were dead, and Jakob knocked the remaining two unconscious as they cowered and cried for mercy.
Baern led the way up to one of the castle's two towers. He smashed the door leading into the top room, and Jakob and Ike each landed a solid attack on the yuan-ti inside. Creeping cold from Lotus, a bite from Tara, and a powerful blow from Baern were enough to bring him to his end. Baern broke open a safe and pulled out some papers, specifically orders from a "Tem Hep'na" about capturing kingsmen and from "Ish Ni'seth" about meeting at a place called Death Rock. Baern led the way into the second tower, but this time he and Jakob pulled their punches in order to capture the yuan-ti who had been inside.
Saturday, September 1, 2007
Session 7, 2007-09-01: An expedition to Lonely Sparrow goes south
Session 7: wherein organized goblins bring about chaos
Players (Characters)
Scott (Filthy Ike)
Jeremy (Flynn Flamm)
Tony (Brother Jakob)
Rachel (Lotus)
Tom (Nathaniel Graythorne)
DM: Catherine
The party met together to discuss what name they might take. Having spent a lot of time sneakily killing snakes with the help of a bard, the name "Ninja Mongoose Rockstars" seemed appropriate. The Ninja Mongoose Rockstars then met with Mary, who wanted them to deliver some scrolls to the Lonely Sparrow monestary, as well as providing Jakob with escort since he wanted to make a donation there. NMR spent some time buying or upgrading equipment and then set out to the south.
Three hours outside of Waecleft, the party came upon a pair of slain messengers who had been returning to Waecleft. Lotus took up Eagle form and located a nearby goblin camp. As the party headed that direction, the ground trembled and a Land Shark popped up. Tara bit at it, and Flynn started singing an inspiring song. Ike fired a series of arrows and Jakob crushed its skull, killing it.
Lotus cast mass camoflage to allow the party to approach the goblin camp more stealthily. Most of the party set up to the northeast, with Ike on a hill to the south. Lotus cast entangle to block off the western exit. Nathaniel's phantasmal killer destroyed one goblin, while Jakob and Tara took another one down with claws and fists. Flynn's song provided everyone some inspiration. Lotus cast vortex of teeth, and the force-pirahnas shredded the camp. Ike, Tara, and Jakob continued dropping goblins as a pair turned themselves invisible. Flynn's glitterdust revealed one of the invisible goblins, who Nathaniel killed with a phantasm. Ike disabled the hobgoblin boss while Lotus and Tara searched for the remaining invisible goblin. The hobgoblin tried to hide using a smokestick, but Jakob grabbed him and threatened him. Nathaniel tried to fool the hobgoblin using various illusions and enchantments, claiming Selenshe had sent the party. The deception was ineffective, so Jakob knocked the hobgoblin out and killed him painlessly. Ike tracked down the remaining invisible goblin, and the party grabbed a "wanted" poster with crude drawings of themselves from the camp.
The party headed back on the road. During the early afternoon, a tree started moving. This wooden druid spoke of recognizing the party from a vision. In this vision, there was a black sand blighting a forest, a city being cleaned out, and people chasing the party away due to Ike. She spoke a riddle: "the thirsty blight knows of life but apart. His greatest foe lies in the woods heart." She then handed the party a gift -- a Raptor Arrow -- and departed.
That night, during the third watch, Lotus noticed the sound of crickets stopped suddenly to one side of camp. She shouted out a warning as four silenced goblin spellcasters became visible. Three tried to cast Hold Person on Lotus while the fourth swarmed her with centipedes. Ike fired off his bow while Lotus blinded several casters with murderous mist. The now-blinded goblins tried to flee, but Jakob and Ike finished three of them off, and a flaming sphere from Lotus cooked the centipedes to a crisp, with some help from Nate's grease spell. Jakob grabbed the remaining goblin and dragged him back to camp, where he offered up little information except to say that a goblin druid had helped him.
In the morning, the party sent word to Mary, who warned that other groups of Kingsmen had been attacked. As the party moved along the road, with Lotus in eagle form, a pack of invisible goblin archers peppered Nathaniel with dexterity-draining poisoned arrows. Ike fired back, but not in time to keep Nathaniel ffrom being incapacitated. Lotus spotted several more and quickly returned to her normal form. Flynn took cover and began singing while Jakob swung just over one goblin's head. The archers turned on Lotus, also paralyzing her. Jakob, Tara, and Ike each brought an archer down, and Flynn wounded one with his new Raptor Arrow. The archers now turned on Ike, but he proved far more resistant to their poison. Tara, Jakob, and Ike finished off the goblins while Flynn tried to heal Nathaniel. Jakob sent word to Mary about the paralysis, and she told the party that help was on the way.
Soon, Baern, one of the champion giants of Waecleft, rode up on the back of a triceratops. With him was Aaron and three other paladins from the Order of the Narrow Way. Using potions and spells of lesser restoration, they brought Nathaniel and Lotus back to their feet. Aaron explained that the goblins had grown powerful and targeted several groups of Kingsmen in the area, and that Waecleft's king was unwilling to send out the military to deal with the goblin threat. Only Waecleft's paladins were willing to help, but they were not numerous enough to completely destroy the goblin menace. The party rested in a cave with Baern blocking the entrance.
Players (Characters)
Scott (Filthy Ike)
Jeremy (Flynn Flamm)
Tony (Brother Jakob)
Rachel (Lotus)
Tom (Nathaniel Graythorne)
DM: Catherine
The party met together to discuss what name they might take. Having spent a lot of time sneakily killing snakes with the help of a bard, the name "Ninja Mongoose Rockstars" seemed appropriate. The Ninja Mongoose Rockstars then met with Mary, who wanted them to deliver some scrolls to the Lonely Sparrow monestary, as well as providing Jakob with escort since he wanted to make a donation there. NMR spent some time buying or upgrading equipment and then set out to the south.
Three hours outside of Waecleft, the party came upon a pair of slain messengers who had been returning to Waecleft. Lotus took up Eagle form and located a nearby goblin camp. As the party headed that direction, the ground trembled and a Land Shark popped up. Tara bit at it, and Flynn started singing an inspiring song. Ike fired a series of arrows and Jakob crushed its skull, killing it.
Lotus cast mass camoflage to allow the party to approach the goblin camp more stealthily. Most of the party set up to the northeast, with Ike on a hill to the south. Lotus cast entangle to block off the western exit. Nathaniel's phantasmal killer destroyed one goblin, while Jakob and Tara took another one down with claws and fists. Flynn's song provided everyone some inspiration. Lotus cast vortex of teeth, and the force-pirahnas shredded the camp. Ike, Tara, and Jakob continued dropping goblins as a pair turned themselves invisible. Flynn's glitterdust revealed one of the invisible goblins, who Nathaniel killed with a phantasm. Ike disabled the hobgoblin boss while Lotus and Tara searched for the remaining invisible goblin. The hobgoblin tried to hide using a smokestick, but Jakob grabbed him and threatened him. Nathaniel tried to fool the hobgoblin using various illusions and enchantments, claiming Selenshe had sent the party. The deception was ineffective, so Jakob knocked the hobgoblin out and killed him painlessly. Ike tracked down the remaining invisible goblin, and the party grabbed a "wanted" poster with crude drawings of themselves from the camp.
The party headed back on the road. During the early afternoon, a tree started moving. This wooden druid spoke of recognizing the party from a vision. In this vision, there was a black sand blighting a forest, a city being cleaned out, and people chasing the party away due to Ike. She spoke a riddle: "the thirsty blight knows of life but apart. His greatest foe lies in the woods heart." She then handed the party a gift -- a Raptor Arrow -- and departed.
That night, during the third watch, Lotus noticed the sound of crickets stopped suddenly to one side of camp. She shouted out a warning as four silenced goblin spellcasters became visible. Three tried to cast Hold Person on Lotus while the fourth swarmed her with centipedes. Ike fired off his bow while Lotus blinded several casters with murderous mist. The now-blinded goblins tried to flee, but Jakob and Ike finished three of them off, and a flaming sphere from Lotus cooked the centipedes to a crisp, with some help from Nate's grease spell. Jakob grabbed the remaining goblin and dragged him back to camp, where he offered up little information except to say that a goblin druid had helped him.
In the morning, the party sent word to Mary, who warned that other groups of Kingsmen had been attacked. As the party moved along the road, with Lotus in eagle form, a pack of invisible goblin archers peppered Nathaniel with dexterity-draining poisoned arrows. Ike fired back, but not in time to keep Nathaniel ffrom being incapacitated. Lotus spotted several more and quickly returned to her normal form. Flynn took cover and began singing while Jakob swung just over one goblin's head. The archers turned on Lotus, also paralyzing her. Jakob, Tara, and Ike each brought an archer down, and Flynn wounded one with his new Raptor Arrow. The archers now turned on Ike, but he proved far more resistant to their poison. Tara, Jakob, and Ike finished off the goblins while Flynn tried to heal Nathaniel. Jakob sent word to Mary about the paralysis, and she told the party that help was on the way.
Soon, Baern, one of the champion giants of Waecleft, rode up on the back of a triceratops. With him was Aaron and three other paladins from the Order of the Narrow Way. Using potions and spells of lesser restoration, they brought Nathaniel and Lotus back to their feet. Aaron explained that the goblins had grown powerful and targeted several groups of Kingsmen in the area, and that Waecleft's king was unwilling to send out the military to deal with the goblin threat. Only Waecleft's paladins were willing to help, but they were not numerous enough to completely destroy the goblin menace. The party rested in a cave with Baern blocking the entrance.
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