Session 22: wherein Master Michael's gravesite is the site of another death
Players (Characters)
Scott (Filthy Ike)
Jeremy (Flynn Flamm)
Tony (Brother Jakob)
Rachel (Lotus)
Tom (Nathaniel Graythorne)
DM: Catherine
The party camped a short distance down the road. In the morning, Nate again disguised himself and Jakob as oxen, Lotus as a pack donkey, and Ike and Flynn as merchants. The party continued down the mountain, passing several holes that looked as though they'd been carved by more nightcrawlers. There was a wagon overturned next to one of the holes, and Lotus spotted the wagon's former Westlayan owners had been turned into zombies. Ike fired four arrows with his "50 cal" longbow, dropping both zombies and a squirrel. Lotus walked up the hill and spotted a third zombie inside the overturned wagon, so she blasted it with a bolt of lightning. Nate fired his crossbow at that part of the canvas, and Jakob ran up the hill and punched a hole in the wagon, slaying the zombie. Lotus sent some daylight to the bottom of the nightcrawler's hole, where she spotted a wraith and some money, so she let another lightning bolt fly. Jakob jumped down the hole and attacked the wraith with a divine surge, killing it. He tossed the box of money and several boxes of spices out of the hole, and as Flynn approached with a rope, Jakob climbed back out and asked "what's that rope for?" Ike identified the most valuable spices and added them to the wagon, marking the remnants as "spices, free for the taking, this crate worth 800gp" and placing them along the side of the road.
The party continued onward until about 5 in the evening, when they reached the "unlit pass" -- an old dwarven tunnel through the mountain of shadow. Nate cast daylight on a stick and hung it off the edge of the wagon, and the party could see the tunnel had numerous recently-carved side tunnels inside it. Jakob, invisible in the darkness, scouted out in front, while Lotus used Stoneshape to create tracks for the wagon to pass over one of the nightcrawler tunnels. Jakob noticed a pair of giant-sized clubs just barely visible in the two side hallways, so he snuck around behind one while Nate placed an illusory mercenary in the tunnel with the other. As the fake mercenary's armor clanged, Jakob got into position behind a giant zombie and a bodak, killing the bodak in a flurry. He called out "bodaks and zombies! Beware the death gaze!" Flynn started singing a song about dying zombies. One zombie tried to attack Jakob, but couldn't pinpoint his location. A pair of bodaks stepped out, one unsuccessfully using its death gaze on the illusion, and the other unsuccessfully gazing at Ike. The remaining giant zombie recognized there was something funny about the illusory mercenary (natural 20), so he walked right past.
Ike fired a series of holy arrows, killing one bodak and leaving the other nearly dead. Nate tried to finish the job with his crossbow, but the giant zombie's leg interfered with the shot. Lotus' Vortex of Teeth chewed the bodak up. Jakob's fists turned to flame as he pounded on the zombie in front of him. Flynn hasted Ike, Lotus, and Nate. One of the zombies again failed to locate Jakob, but the other charged and attacked Lotus. Ike fired five shots from his 50-cal longbow (158 damage.) Nate laid down some grease under the zombie's feet, but it stayed up (same zombie, second natural 20.) Lotus' flamestrike lit up the grease and the zombie, and Jakob's blinding strike took out the other zombie.
The party headed down the far side of the mountain, where they located a cave that was familiar to Jakob. There, alongside the cave, were the year-old graves of Master Michael and his final victim. Jakob told the tale of his fight with Michael's wraith, and then stopped to meditate over the grave. Lotus planted some flowers, and Nate asked Ike for his squirrel jerky recipie, mostly to keep Ike from defacing the gravesite. The party set up camp for the night, and Nate disguised himself as a zombie. During the third watch, Lotus noticed some of the stars blinking out, as if a shadowy bat was passing over them. Lotus yelled to awaken the rest of the party and then cast True Seeing to try to track the incoming nightwing. Ike used his headband to trigger the same effect. The nightwing approached and cast finger of death on Lotus, killing her in spite of the luck Nate tried to send her way (roll: 4. Reroll: 4.) Jakob ran and leapt over the wagon, grabbing the nightwing and trying to drag it downward. Flynn woke up and started singing an inspiring song about sleep deprivation and dying shadow-things. Nate tried to make the nightwing unlucky, but it resisted his magic. He also took cover inside the cave, hoping not to become its next victim.
Lotus' soul, now free from her body, wandered around saying "BOO!" and trying to scare people, and checked to see if Nate wore Depends. Ike fired a holy arrow that had little effect on the nightwing, so he followed it up with a series of force arrows that were more effective. Jakob and the nightwing continued to struggle against each other. Flynn poured an oil of Lingering Soul on Lotus' body, and her soul suddenly became very interested in her body's glow. Nate finally managed to ruin the nightwing's luck, and again found a nice hiding spot inside the cave. Ike blasted it with a few more arrows, sending it crashing to the ground, where Jakob tumbled off and made a dramatic landing.
Nate sent word to Minellin that Lotus had been killed, and that the pass most definitely wasn't safe for lesser travelers. Shortly thereafter, a pair of kingsmen arrived, including a cleric who revived Lotus. Jakob started asking her all sorts of philosophical questions about death -- what it's like, and so on. Lotus pulled a leaf from her hair and asked "have you ever smoked this stuff? It's kinda like that."
Friday, May 9, 2008
Wednesday, May 7, 2008
Tuesday, April 8, 2008
Flynn Flamm's Backstory
If there's a shining beacon of civilization anywhere in the world, it's Westlay, and the people of Westlay know it. To be sure, the massive Yuan-Ti empire of Serpenti rivals them in size and power, but they're hardly civilized what with sacrificing their people to dark demons and all.
Westlay is a hundred miles of peace and justice, surrounded by a sea of chaos and destruction. One step outside its mighty walls, the world is swimming in dragons and werewolves. Within, its mighty eagles patrol constantly, and even its deep forests are safe. In Westlay alone, in all of Semferia, are the roads safe and the laws just. Even the enchanted forests of the Ivani are not so well protected--though the Westlayans are barely aware of what goes on west the Stonetower Mountains, and wouldn't compare themselves to the Forgotten People anyway. The peace of Westlay has stood firm for twelve generations, even through the war of the Ten Kings. No one else can say that!
Her people are busy humans and half-elves, proud, fierce, and lovers of life. They love music, competition, and innovation. Mount Korzhin is home to a race of giant eagles, the Goldbacks. They count themselves proud citizens. The annual Westlayan athletic games include an entire division of airborne sports the Goldbacks alone can enter, and they take great pride in besting their earthbound contrymen.
On the throne, in the capital city of Old Westlay, sits King Korethian Kelavin III, who has reigned for thirty-two years. At his side, chief judge and advisor Kerastrix, Who Remembers--an ancient gold dragon who has been guardian and protector of justice since the founding of Westlay. The many towers and walls of the mighty keep oversee the busy city of Old Westlay, home to much of Westlays military might, her finest schools, and an assortment of world-famous street musicians and atheletes.
Twenty miles southwest of Old Westlay stands White Fields. White Fields is larger, busier, and wealthier than Old Westlay. What it lacks in cultural and political clout it makes up for in economics. The wheatfields and orchards of White Fields could feed all of Westlay three times over; her fine tradesmen and practical magicians produce sturdy items valued throughout Semferia. Perhaps the richest people in all of Semferia are the noble family of the Flamms, on the White Fields throne.
As the most powerful noble families in all of Westlay, there is (of course) a rivalry between the Flamms and the Kelavins. But it takes the form of swimming competitions and displays of wealth; loyalty in Westlay is absolute. The Kelavins generally best the Flamms in fencing and magic, while the Flamms are generally more successful at driving their Kelavin rivals out of business in, say, the magic carpet industry. Nonetheless, the crown remains securely with King Korethian.
The life of a Westleyan noble is strenuous to say the least. Beginning at three years of age, a young lord or lady trains for ten hours a day. By age twelve, he is expected to have mastered Draconic, Auran, and Sylvan, together with swordplay, etiquette, geometry, history, the local and national laws, and eagle-back riding. Years of economics, magic, agriculture, philosophy, music (harp and horn are both mandatory), literature, and diplomacy await. By the time a lad assumes the throne, long twelve hour days of physical and mental labor are routine. This is a good thing, as the young king continues the habit of study and hard work through public speaking, diplomacy, lawmaking, warmaking, and physically helping his citizens. No one works harder to serve the people better than the nobles of Westlay.
It is the habit of the kings of Westlay to marry late in life, and retire from the throne as soon as an eligible prince comes of age. It is hardly a foregone conclusion that the eldest son will inherit the throne, though it is generally seen as his for the taking. All of the princes, and many in the royal family, train hard for the task, and the most promising, devoted, and wise is chosen. Sometimes it is a newphew or grandson, but more commonly it is one of the princes, and usually the eldest. On the young man's twenty-fifth birthday, the king retires from the throne and assumes the role of chief advisor, with no more power than is delegated to him by his son. For the first year, the old king remains as busy in the affairs of the court as ever, but eventually his power wanes, until finally he retires from regular appearance in the court at all, and lives his final days as a well-beloved friend of the people.
Flynn's father Boyent is the third of the line of Flamms on the White Fields throne, and is by all accounts a good king. Boyent succeded his grandfather's reign of fifty-five years--a reign that was a little long for Westlayan comfort, but the people feel Boyant was a fine choice over the mediocre princes of the previous generation. After reigning thirty-two years, Boyent is now ripe for retirement himself.
But that life was not for Flynn.
Maintaining goodness and justice among power-hungry nobles, to say nothing of running a city and supporting a kingdom, is a strenuous and difficult life. Flynn's training hardly stood him in good stead to take it up. His generosity and kindness were never in doubt, nor his wisdom, nor even really his capability and talent. It seemed obvious he could become a fine swordsman, but somehow swordplay was always neglected for swimming, draconic for drama, the fine intricacies of classical music for energetic and loud progressions of throbbing chords. Flynn's palate leaned more toward the peasant's meat pies than the royalty's seared quail, and his high etiquette suffered while his rapport with the common folk grew. It seemed he would be lucky to even pass his final tests and qualify for the throne; he was hardly anyone's first choice.
This didn't bother Flynn a bit. His mother Ingo worried a little, but Boyent liked Flynn as he was. Indeed, Boyent was fond of camping with Flynn when he could get away from the throne--the best vacations which could pack weeks of rest into days were always Flynn's doing. If Boyent didn't understand Flynn's lowbrow tastes well, he could certainly enjoy them.
Boyent's younger son, Abel, was more ambitious. He threw himself into his studies with a zeal that commanded respect. No subject escaped his amitious attention, and he pleased all of his tutors. Witty, aristocratic, diplomatic, his exacting draconic pronunciations were matched only by his ready knowledge of the doings of the third cousins of the Jetsam family. He was charming to a fault. At any given time, it always seemed nine of any ten nobles owed him a favor. His knowledge of the law was perfect, if his fervor for reforming it was lacking. If he had any drawback, it was that his ambition was selfish; he lacked his older brother's sincerity and generosity. Most of the court loved him dearly and did not know this, but Boyent was not fooled.
Boyent worried about the fate of White Fields under either Flynn or Abel, but worried about Abel more. Flynn's heart was good, and he was competent to manage the throne--if only he would persevere in his studies! The danger for a decadent reign was ever-present. Yet the greater danger lay in Abel's selfish ambition. Under Abel, Boyent worried for the preservation of justice--yet Flynn was no safeguard, as he seemed unlikely to stand up to the more corrupt families.
As Flynn's twenty-fifth birthday approached in May, Boyent made him a unique offer. Boyent offered Flynn the throne, offering even to undertake the hardest of the administrative duties for the first few years, but Flynn would have to study hard to make up for lost time. At the end of ten years, if Flynn had not grown to love the work, Flynn should pass the throne on to another candidate (a few nephews in the family seemed promising, but were far too young.) Boyent knew Flynn wasn't really cut out for a king's life, but pleaded with his son at length for what he felt was the good of the city.
In the days ahead, Flynn sought the advice of friends about the offer. His usual friends, though--farmers and chefs--had little appreciation for the life of the court, or what was at stake. Setting foot uncomfortably in noblemans' parties, he began to seek the advice of his social peers. A bit naive in this setting, he apparently chose the wrong confidants.
In the days leading up to his birthday, strange rumors began to grow. Flynn heard he was seen in places he knew he hadn't been. He was reported to have associated with the most decadant of the nobles, seeking their advice on how to hold the throne without doing the work. His friend the chief chef swore he had seen him preparing meals and inspecting the ingredients used for royal feasts. Late one night, a shadowy figure appeared at his door with an unasked-for delivery--a bright red vial
containing what looked like water.
The next day, an attempt was made on the life of the king. His food was poisoned, and Flynn saw immediately that he would be the only suspect. Flynn fled before he could be arrested and executed. Barely able to breathe, Boyent set on Flynn a sentence of exile, and forbade him return to his homeland on pain of death.
Boyent barely recovered, and remains on the throne. Yet what news Flynn has heard from home holds him still an exile. The diplomatic position enjoyed by the Kingsmen overrides his exile, and he may visit home on official business--but he dare not stay a day late.
Truth be told, Flynn is hardly bitter about the turn of affairs, and has found life on the road to be to his liking. If he misses his father and the comforts of home and wealth, the wonders of the world seem to make up for it.
Westlay is a hundred miles of peace and justice, surrounded by a sea of chaos and destruction. One step outside its mighty walls, the world is swimming in dragons and werewolves. Within, its mighty eagles patrol constantly, and even its deep forests are safe. In Westlay alone, in all of Semferia, are the roads safe and the laws just. Even the enchanted forests of the Ivani are not so well protected--though the Westlayans are barely aware of what goes on west the Stonetower Mountains, and wouldn't compare themselves to the Forgotten People anyway. The peace of Westlay has stood firm for twelve generations, even through the war of the Ten Kings. No one else can say that!
Her people are busy humans and half-elves, proud, fierce, and lovers of life. They love music, competition, and innovation. Mount Korzhin is home to a race of giant eagles, the Goldbacks. They count themselves proud citizens. The annual Westlayan athletic games include an entire division of airborne sports the Goldbacks alone can enter, and they take great pride in besting their earthbound contrymen.
On the throne, in the capital city of Old Westlay, sits King Korethian Kelavin III, who has reigned for thirty-two years. At his side, chief judge and advisor Kerastrix, Who Remembers--an ancient gold dragon who has been guardian and protector of justice since the founding of Westlay. The many towers and walls of the mighty keep oversee the busy city of Old Westlay, home to much of Westlays military might, her finest schools, and an assortment of world-famous street musicians and atheletes.
Twenty miles southwest of Old Westlay stands White Fields. White Fields is larger, busier, and wealthier than Old Westlay. What it lacks in cultural and political clout it makes up for in economics. The wheatfields and orchards of White Fields could feed all of Westlay three times over; her fine tradesmen and practical magicians produce sturdy items valued throughout Semferia. Perhaps the richest people in all of Semferia are the noble family of the Flamms, on the White Fields throne.
As the most powerful noble families in all of Westlay, there is (of course) a rivalry between the Flamms and the Kelavins. But it takes the form of swimming competitions and displays of wealth; loyalty in Westlay is absolute. The Kelavins generally best the Flamms in fencing and magic, while the Flamms are generally more successful at driving their Kelavin rivals out of business in, say, the magic carpet industry. Nonetheless, the crown remains securely with King Korethian.
The life of a Westleyan noble is strenuous to say the least. Beginning at three years of age, a young lord or lady trains for ten hours a day. By age twelve, he is expected to have mastered Draconic, Auran, and Sylvan, together with swordplay, etiquette, geometry, history, the local and national laws, and eagle-back riding. Years of economics, magic, agriculture, philosophy, music (harp and horn are both mandatory), literature, and diplomacy await. By the time a lad assumes the throne, long twelve hour days of physical and mental labor are routine. This is a good thing, as the young king continues the habit of study and hard work through public speaking, diplomacy, lawmaking, warmaking, and physically helping his citizens. No one works harder to serve the people better than the nobles of Westlay.
It is the habit of the kings of Westlay to marry late in life, and retire from the throne as soon as an eligible prince comes of age. It is hardly a foregone conclusion that the eldest son will inherit the throne, though it is generally seen as his for the taking. All of the princes, and many in the royal family, train hard for the task, and the most promising, devoted, and wise is chosen. Sometimes it is a newphew or grandson, but more commonly it is one of the princes, and usually the eldest. On the young man's twenty-fifth birthday, the king retires from the throne and assumes the role of chief advisor, with no more power than is delegated to him by his son. For the first year, the old king remains as busy in the affairs of the court as ever, but eventually his power wanes, until finally he retires from regular appearance in the court at all, and lives his final days as a well-beloved friend of the people.
Flynn's father Boyent is the third of the line of Flamms on the White Fields throne, and is by all accounts a good king. Boyent succeded his grandfather's reign of fifty-five years--a reign that was a little long for Westlayan comfort, but the people feel Boyant was a fine choice over the mediocre princes of the previous generation. After reigning thirty-two years, Boyent is now ripe for retirement himself.
But that life was not for Flynn.
Maintaining goodness and justice among power-hungry nobles, to say nothing of running a city and supporting a kingdom, is a strenuous and difficult life. Flynn's training hardly stood him in good stead to take it up. His generosity and kindness were never in doubt, nor his wisdom, nor even really his capability and talent. It seemed obvious he could become a fine swordsman, but somehow swordplay was always neglected for swimming, draconic for drama, the fine intricacies of classical music for energetic and loud progressions of throbbing chords. Flynn's palate leaned more toward the peasant's meat pies than the royalty's seared quail, and his high etiquette suffered while his rapport with the common folk grew. It seemed he would be lucky to even pass his final tests and qualify for the throne; he was hardly anyone's first choice.
This didn't bother Flynn a bit. His mother Ingo worried a little, but Boyent liked Flynn as he was. Indeed, Boyent was fond of camping with Flynn when he could get away from the throne--the best vacations which could pack weeks of rest into days were always Flynn's doing. If Boyent didn't understand Flynn's lowbrow tastes well, he could certainly enjoy them.
Boyent's younger son, Abel, was more ambitious. He threw himself into his studies with a zeal that commanded respect. No subject escaped his amitious attention, and he pleased all of his tutors. Witty, aristocratic, diplomatic, his exacting draconic pronunciations were matched only by his ready knowledge of the doings of the third cousins of the Jetsam family. He was charming to a fault. At any given time, it always seemed nine of any ten nobles owed him a favor. His knowledge of the law was perfect, if his fervor for reforming it was lacking. If he had any drawback, it was that his ambition was selfish; he lacked his older brother's sincerity and generosity. Most of the court loved him dearly and did not know this, but Boyent was not fooled.
Boyent worried about the fate of White Fields under either Flynn or Abel, but worried about Abel more. Flynn's heart was good, and he was competent to manage the throne--if only he would persevere in his studies! The danger for a decadent reign was ever-present. Yet the greater danger lay in Abel's selfish ambition. Under Abel, Boyent worried for the preservation of justice--yet Flynn was no safeguard, as he seemed unlikely to stand up to the more corrupt families.
As Flynn's twenty-fifth birthday approached in May, Boyent made him a unique offer. Boyent offered Flynn the throne, offering even to undertake the hardest of the administrative duties for the first few years, but Flynn would have to study hard to make up for lost time. At the end of ten years, if Flynn had not grown to love the work, Flynn should pass the throne on to another candidate (a few nephews in the family seemed promising, but were far too young.) Boyent knew Flynn wasn't really cut out for a king's life, but pleaded with his son at length for what he felt was the good of the city.
In the days ahead, Flynn sought the advice of friends about the offer. His usual friends, though--farmers and chefs--had little appreciation for the life of the court, or what was at stake. Setting foot uncomfortably in noblemans' parties, he began to seek the advice of his social peers. A bit naive in this setting, he apparently chose the wrong confidants.
In the days leading up to his birthday, strange rumors began to grow. Flynn heard he was seen in places he knew he hadn't been. He was reported to have associated with the most decadant of the nobles, seeking their advice on how to hold the throne without doing the work. His friend the chief chef swore he had seen him preparing meals and inspecting the ingredients used for royal feasts. Late one night, a shadowy figure appeared at his door with an unasked-for delivery--a bright red vial
containing what looked like water.
The next day, an attempt was made on the life of the king. His food was poisoned, and Flynn saw immediately that he would be the only suspect. Flynn fled before he could be arrested and executed. Barely able to breathe, Boyent set on Flynn a sentence of exile, and forbade him return to his homeland on pain of death.
Boyent barely recovered, and remains on the throne. Yet what news Flynn has heard from home holds him still an exile. The diplomatic position enjoyed by the Kingsmen overrides his exile, and he may visit home on official business--but he dare not stay a day late.
Truth be told, Flynn is hardly bitter about the turn of affairs, and has found life on the road to be to his liking. If he misses his father and the comforts of home and wealth, the wonders of the world seem to make up for it.
Nathaniel Graythorne's Backstory
A Short Biography of Nathaniel Graythorne
Family: Nathaniel was born in Hinnom valley, south of Jezrel, 32 years before the War of the Ten Kings. His mother, Jinle’a, had the blood of angels in her and could no doubt have chosen a mate from among the ranks of angels, but fell for a simple human farmer named Kenneth Graythorne. Jinle’a bore Kenneth three children: Andrea, Nathaniel, and Matthew. Andrea and Matthew lived fairly normal human lifespans, and their great grandchildren now live scattered about Westlay.
Nathaniel grew up and married his childhood sweetheart, a lovely young girl named Emily. She bore him four children: Dora, Jason, Michael, and Grace. Emily and Kenneth were both killed in the first raids during the War. Nathaniel stayed behind enemy lines while Jinle’a led his children to the south during William’s Gambit. It was over fifteen years before Nathaniel found his family again, and by that time, his children had families of their own and could not bring themselves to reconcile with the father they thought had died or abandoned them. His great grandchildren now live in an estate in Tindell, knowing Nathaniel only through Jinle’a’s stories.
Wartime Service: Nathaniel was an intelligence specialist during the War. He would often infiltrate giant encampments with his friend “Silent Mike”, both disguised as orc slaves. They would listen in on battle plans and transmit key details back to the city, and Nathaniel would often add insult to injury by winning large sums of gold from the giants through card games. With detailed knowledge of the enemy, the Jezrel militia was able to hold off the giants much longer than expected, but ultimately, it became clear that the city was going to fall.
William the Fox, one of Jezrel’s captains, devised a plan to evacuate the city. He and an elite squadron of archers, including Silent Mike, stationed themselves on a high rock and waited to ambush a group of giants patrolling outside the city. The plan was to draw the giants’ attention long enough to create a gap in the patrols so that Jezrel’s civilian population could flee on horseback, with most of the militia following on foot. The archers knew this would be a suicide mission, but their deaths would not be in vain. Many giants were slain, and Jezrel’s people and army made it safely to Tindell. Jezrel’s army later fought valiantly in the Battle of Thunder.
Nathaniel remained in orcish guise throughout William’s Gambit, placing illusory archers along the hills in order to slow and frustrate the giants’ progress. Unfortunately, he was injured in the fighting and was unable to flee. For the rest of the war, he remained active behind enemy lines, poisoning food and sabotaging equipment.
Postwar History: After the war, Nathaniel traveled the world seeking to make it a better place for his descendants. In the wild, he’d kill dangerous animals and even whole tribes of goblins through clever use of illusions. In society, his focus was on financially devastating those who exploited and mistreated others. He created the “Nate the Great” persona for two reasons: first, to lend credibility to the idea that he’d gained treasure from defeating goblins, and second, to fit in to high society so he could gain access to high-stakes gambling.
Nathaniel recently heard stories of a Sir Galron, a powerful and rich warrior who’d bullied, oppressed, and stolen from many widows in the area. Nate played up his persona as the naïve do-gooder son of a wealthy businessman, gaining invitation to Galron’s card game where he was expected to be an easy mark. Instead, he slowly accumulated wealth through careful and clever play, culminating in winning Galron’s armor and sword. In an outburst of anger, Galron stood and threatened to kill Nate with the very sword he’d lost in his final bet. Nate cast a spell to freeze his opponent, drained his strength, and took his things, selling them and distributing the proceeds to the local widows. A representative of the Kingsmen who had been at the card game believed Nathaniel would make a fine addition to Rogar’s team, and invited him to the outpost.
Philosophy: Nathaniel prefers to defeat enemies by striking them at their weakest point: their mind. He favors clever use of illusions and misdirection, preferring to convince an enemy to walk off a cliff or into a lion’s den rather than trying to attack directly. Convincing an enemy that he is a friend is often a precursor to that enemy suffering a freak accident.
Family: Nathaniel was born in Hinnom valley, south of Jezrel, 32 years before the War of the Ten Kings. His mother, Jinle’a, had the blood of angels in her and could no doubt have chosen a mate from among the ranks of angels, but fell for a simple human farmer named Kenneth Graythorne. Jinle’a bore Kenneth three children: Andrea, Nathaniel, and Matthew. Andrea and Matthew lived fairly normal human lifespans, and their great grandchildren now live scattered about Westlay.
Nathaniel grew up and married his childhood sweetheart, a lovely young girl named Emily. She bore him four children: Dora, Jason, Michael, and Grace. Emily and Kenneth were both killed in the first raids during the War. Nathaniel stayed behind enemy lines while Jinle’a led his children to the south during William’s Gambit. It was over fifteen years before Nathaniel found his family again, and by that time, his children had families of their own and could not bring themselves to reconcile with the father they thought had died or abandoned them. His great grandchildren now live in an estate in Tindell, knowing Nathaniel only through Jinle’a’s stories.
Wartime Service: Nathaniel was an intelligence specialist during the War. He would often infiltrate giant encampments with his friend “Silent Mike”, both disguised as orc slaves. They would listen in on battle plans and transmit key details back to the city, and Nathaniel would often add insult to injury by winning large sums of gold from the giants through card games. With detailed knowledge of the enemy, the Jezrel militia was able to hold off the giants much longer than expected, but ultimately, it became clear that the city was going to fall.
William the Fox, one of Jezrel’s captains, devised a plan to evacuate the city. He and an elite squadron of archers, including Silent Mike, stationed themselves on a high rock and waited to ambush a group of giants patrolling outside the city. The plan was to draw the giants’ attention long enough to create a gap in the patrols so that Jezrel’s civilian population could flee on horseback, with most of the militia following on foot. The archers knew this would be a suicide mission, but their deaths would not be in vain. Many giants were slain, and Jezrel’s people and army made it safely to Tindell. Jezrel’s army later fought valiantly in the Battle of Thunder.
Nathaniel remained in orcish guise throughout William’s Gambit, placing illusory archers along the hills in order to slow and frustrate the giants’ progress. Unfortunately, he was injured in the fighting and was unable to flee. For the rest of the war, he remained active behind enemy lines, poisoning food and sabotaging equipment.
Postwar History: After the war, Nathaniel traveled the world seeking to make it a better place for his descendants. In the wild, he’d kill dangerous animals and even whole tribes of goblins through clever use of illusions. In society, his focus was on financially devastating those who exploited and mistreated others. He created the “Nate the Great” persona for two reasons: first, to lend credibility to the idea that he’d gained treasure from defeating goblins, and second, to fit in to high society so he could gain access to high-stakes gambling.
Nathaniel recently heard stories of a Sir Galron, a powerful and rich warrior who’d bullied, oppressed, and stolen from many widows in the area. Nate played up his persona as the naïve do-gooder son of a wealthy businessman, gaining invitation to Galron’s card game where he was expected to be an easy mark. Instead, he slowly accumulated wealth through careful and clever play, culminating in winning Galron’s armor and sword. In an outburst of anger, Galron stood and threatened to kill Nate with the very sword he’d lost in his final bet. Nate cast a spell to freeze his opponent, drained his strength, and took his things, selling them and distributing the proceeds to the local widows. A representative of the Kingsmen who had been at the card game believed Nathaniel would make a fine addition to Rogar’s team, and invited him to the outpost.
Philosophy: Nathaniel prefers to defeat enemies by striking them at their weakest point: their mind. He favors clever use of illusions and misdirection, preferring to convince an enemy to walk off a cliff or into a lion’s den rather than trying to attack directly. Convincing an enemy that he is a friend is often a precursor to that enemy suffering a freak accident.
Friday, April 4, 2008
Session 21, 2008-04-04: Making the Mountain Passable
Session 21: wherein Jakob throws dogs and giants, and the undead become merely dead
Players (Characters)
Scott (Filthy Ike)
Jeremy (Flynn Flamm)
Tony (Brother Jakob)
Rachel (Lotus)
Tom (Nathaniel Graythorne)
DM: Catherine
The party set about upgrading equipment, and Ike found he was a bit short on funds. Lotus made an offer: "you can have 1500 gold pieces, but you can't kill squirrels for a week." Ike's response was "you can keep your damn money." Ike spent the next week killing squirrels. Lotus spent the time talking to and healing squirrels. Jakob spent some time playing with orphans. Nate researched Grayn family history to figure out his relation to Martin Grayn. Flynn threw a benefit concert for the people of Westlay, with Nate providing a lightshow and Ike preparing food.
Minellin informed the party that the Ghern had started travelling southward and burned much of the forest, but that there was no great need for NMR's help at the time. A few days later he let the party know a group of clerics was coming from the mountains to help deal with the Thirsting in Westlay. A day after that, the clerics sent word that they were under attack by big lumbering beasts -- Mivilorns. They sent coordinates, and Nate and the party teleported out, with Flynn casting haste on everyone just before teleporting. Ike started shooting, hitting a far-off squirrel with his first shot and one of the beasts with the next four. Jakob tried to throw another beast aside. Flynn started singing, providing everyone in the area with magical healing. Lotus cast lightning at the pack of beasts. Two of them tried to eat clerics, and two missed on their attempts to eat Ike and Jakob. The remaining clerics started running. Ike kept shooting, and Nate tried to phantasmally kill one of the beasts, but didn't succeed. Jakob's flurry of blows wounded one substantially (183 hp) and Flynn fired his bow. Lotus cast Languor, draining one beast's strength. Two kept eating the clerics they'd bitten, and the other two missed the slightly quicker than normal Ike and Jakob.
Ike finally took down the one he'd been working on, and took another shot at one nearby. Nate unlucked one who had been trying to eat clerics. Jakob tripped one and ruptured its spleen, killing it. Flynn fired a couple more arrows and Lotus flamestriked one of the enemies. It turned to try to eat Jakob, but failed. The other spit one of the clerics out of his mouth and sniffed to see if it was still alive, but his poor luck gave him a mouth full of gravel when trying to bite again. Ike's arrows and Jakob's fists combined to kill one of the remaining mivilorns, and Nate's Phantasmal Killer took down the unlucky one. Several clerics healed Ike and cast Lingering Soul on their fallen brothers, and the party teleported back to Westlay with the recently deceased and as many extra clerics as could be managed.
A couple days later, Minellin sent a message saying that two strange giants had closed off a key mountain pass, and had wraiths along with them. The party decided to disguise themselves as commoners and join a caravan heading over the pass. Lotus summoned a pair of wolves to lead the way. Nate gave everyone mage armor, and Veiled the wolves to look like big strong mercenaries. Lotus cast Death Ward on herself and Jakob, and Flynn hasted the party and sang a song from within the caravan's wagon. As the party reached the spot where the giants were known to dwell, the giants stepped out of a pair of caves. They were surrounded by ghosts, and one said "this is our mountain, claimed for Vash."
Jakob leaped up to the platform where one of the giants stood, and tossed him down onto the road (with some luck from Nate.) The giant stood and flung one of the "mercenary" wolves off of the cliff, and devoured the other with some sort of vortex. The other cast Unholy Blight, sickening Nate. Ike peppered the giant with arrows (191 hp), and his last painful poke made the giant move slower in his last, dying moments. Nate cast Sensory Deprivation on the other giant, meaning the giant could only feel crude sensations, and had no sense of sight, sound, or smell. Flynn nailed it with an arrow, and Lotus' Sudden Stalagmite immobilized it while providing a fairly crude sensation. The caravan's normal mercenaries fired ineffectively at the giant. Jakob's quicksilver boots let him leap over to the other platform, and his flurry seriously wounded the giant. The souls around the giant started screaming, and the valley echoed, scaring the caravan's driver, horses, and guards. Ike finished off the giant, and the ghosts dissipated, but the valley kept whining.
Nate created an illusion of several mercenaries standing on the edge of the road looking into the valley, and then disconnected the horses from the wagon so they wouldn't take it with them when they fled. Flynn tried to use a countersong to help those who'd been scared, but it had no effect. A shrieking undead creature materialized and tried to scare Nate's illusion. A pair of wraiths materialized next to Lotus and attacked, but her Death Ward kept her safe. Ike shot at the shrieking creature, hitting it with several force arrows. Nate unlucked one of the wraiths, and Lotus' sunbeam killed both plus the shrieker. Flynn's countersong counteracted the dying shriek (negative levels). Nate chased down the horses and caravan members, who had finally recovered from their fear, and the party checked out the cave behind the giants' platforms.
The party climbed into a swerving tunnel. Flynn cast a minor light spell on himself since he couldn't see in the dark. A group of wraiths came out from the walls. Flynn played the "OMG Wraiths are PWN3D" song. One wraith struck Lotus ineffectively, one missed Ike, one missed Flynn, and the final one hit Ike but he avoided the drain effect. Jakob's flurry took down two wraiths and Ike's bow took down two more.
The party stepped into a large cave with a pit in the middle. A big black worm-like creature called a Nightcrawler was in the middle of the cave. Jakob charged with a Divine Surge, but missed. Lotus' flamestrike was ineffective against the magically resistant beast. Ike's holy arrows were somewhat effective. Flynn cast Haste and started to retreat. The nightcrawler bit Jakob and held him tight. Nate's unluck failed on the creature, and Jakob barely managed to hit it. Lotus' force dinosaurs were also ineffective. Ike's force arrows made the nightcrawler start to bleed. Flynn stepped forward and cast Freedom of Movement on Jakob, but took a nasty hit for his trouble. The nightcrawler tried to swallow Jakob, but he slipped away. It spit out a cone of cold, catching Flynn completely unaware and leaving him badly hurt. Nate's unluck was again ineffective. Jakob's flurry and Ike's arrows, with some guidance from Lotus, were just enough to bring the nightcrawler down. Flynn kept his song going for the next few minutes as his body magically recovered from the fight.
The party reached level 14.
Players (Characters)
Scott (Filthy Ike)
Jeremy (Flynn Flamm)
Tony (Brother Jakob)
Rachel (Lotus)
Tom (Nathaniel Graythorne)
DM: Catherine
The party set about upgrading equipment, and Ike found he was a bit short on funds. Lotus made an offer: "you can have 1500 gold pieces, but you can't kill squirrels for a week." Ike's response was "you can keep your damn money." Ike spent the next week killing squirrels. Lotus spent the time talking to and healing squirrels. Jakob spent some time playing with orphans. Nate researched Grayn family history to figure out his relation to Martin Grayn. Flynn threw a benefit concert for the people of Westlay, with Nate providing a lightshow and Ike preparing food.
Minellin informed the party that the Ghern had started travelling southward and burned much of the forest, but that there was no great need for NMR's help at the time. A few days later he let the party know a group of clerics was coming from the mountains to help deal with the Thirsting in Westlay. A day after that, the clerics sent word that they were under attack by big lumbering beasts -- Mivilorns. They sent coordinates, and Nate and the party teleported out, with Flynn casting haste on everyone just before teleporting. Ike started shooting, hitting a far-off squirrel with his first shot and one of the beasts with the next four. Jakob tried to throw another beast aside. Flynn started singing, providing everyone in the area with magical healing. Lotus cast lightning at the pack of beasts. Two of them tried to eat clerics, and two missed on their attempts to eat Ike and Jakob. The remaining clerics started running. Ike kept shooting, and Nate tried to phantasmally kill one of the beasts, but didn't succeed. Jakob's flurry of blows wounded one substantially (183 hp) and Flynn fired his bow. Lotus cast Languor, draining one beast's strength. Two kept eating the clerics they'd bitten, and the other two missed the slightly quicker than normal Ike and Jakob.
Ike finally took down the one he'd been working on, and took another shot at one nearby. Nate unlucked one who had been trying to eat clerics. Jakob tripped one and ruptured its spleen, killing it. Flynn fired a couple more arrows and Lotus flamestriked one of the enemies. It turned to try to eat Jakob, but failed. The other spit one of the clerics out of his mouth and sniffed to see if it was still alive, but his poor luck gave him a mouth full of gravel when trying to bite again. Ike's arrows and Jakob's fists combined to kill one of the remaining mivilorns, and Nate's Phantasmal Killer took down the unlucky one. Several clerics healed Ike and cast Lingering Soul on their fallen brothers, and the party teleported back to Westlay with the recently deceased and as many extra clerics as could be managed.
A couple days later, Minellin sent a message saying that two strange giants had closed off a key mountain pass, and had wraiths along with them. The party decided to disguise themselves as commoners and join a caravan heading over the pass. Lotus summoned a pair of wolves to lead the way. Nate gave everyone mage armor, and Veiled the wolves to look like big strong mercenaries. Lotus cast Death Ward on herself and Jakob, and Flynn hasted the party and sang a song from within the caravan's wagon. As the party reached the spot where the giants were known to dwell, the giants stepped out of a pair of caves. They were surrounded by ghosts, and one said "this is our mountain, claimed for Vash."
Jakob leaped up to the platform where one of the giants stood, and tossed him down onto the road (with some luck from Nate.) The giant stood and flung one of the "mercenary" wolves off of the cliff, and devoured the other with some sort of vortex. The other cast Unholy Blight, sickening Nate. Ike peppered the giant with arrows (191 hp), and his last painful poke made the giant move slower in his last, dying moments. Nate cast Sensory Deprivation on the other giant, meaning the giant could only feel crude sensations, and had no sense of sight, sound, or smell. Flynn nailed it with an arrow, and Lotus' Sudden Stalagmite immobilized it while providing a fairly crude sensation. The caravan's normal mercenaries fired ineffectively at the giant. Jakob's quicksilver boots let him leap over to the other platform, and his flurry seriously wounded the giant. The souls around the giant started screaming, and the valley echoed, scaring the caravan's driver, horses, and guards. Ike finished off the giant, and the ghosts dissipated, but the valley kept whining.
Nate created an illusion of several mercenaries standing on the edge of the road looking into the valley, and then disconnected the horses from the wagon so they wouldn't take it with them when they fled. Flynn tried to use a countersong to help those who'd been scared, but it had no effect. A shrieking undead creature materialized and tried to scare Nate's illusion. A pair of wraiths materialized next to Lotus and attacked, but her Death Ward kept her safe. Ike shot at the shrieking creature, hitting it with several force arrows. Nate unlucked one of the wraiths, and Lotus' sunbeam killed both plus the shrieker. Flynn's countersong counteracted the dying shriek (negative levels). Nate chased down the horses and caravan members, who had finally recovered from their fear, and the party checked out the cave behind the giants' platforms.
The party climbed into a swerving tunnel. Flynn cast a minor light spell on himself since he couldn't see in the dark. A group of wraiths came out from the walls. Flynn played the "OMG Wraiths are PWN3D" song. One wraith struck Lotus ineffectively, one missed Ike, one missed Flynn, and the final one hit Ike but he avoided the drain effect. Jakob's flurry took down two wraiths and Ike's bow took down two more.
The party stepped into a large cave with a pit in the middle. A big black worm-like creature called a Nightcrawler was in the middle of the cave. Jakob charged with a Divine Surge, but missed. Lotus' flamestrike was ineffective against the magically resistant beast. Ike's holy arrows were somewhat effective. Flynn cast Haste and started to retreat. The nightcrawler bit Jakob and held him tight. Nate's unluck failed on the creature, and Jakob barely managed to hit it. Lotus' force dinosaurs were also ineffective. Ike's force arrows made the nightcrawler start to bleed. Flynn stepped forward and cast Freedom of Movement on Jakob, but took a nasty hit for his trouble. The nightcrawler tried to swallow Jakob, but he slipped away. It spit out a cone of cold, catching Flynn completely unaware and leaving him badly hurt. Nate's unluck was again ineffective. Jakob's flurry and Ike's arrows, with some guidance from Lotus, were just enough to bring the nightcrawler down. Flynn kept his song going for the next few minutes as his body magically recovered from the fight.
The party reached level 14.
Friday, March 28, 2008
Sessions 19-20, 2008-03-21 and 28: The Battle for White Fields
Sessions 19-20: wherein a kingdom is crushed, a king is slain, and a city is buried
Players (Characters)
Scott (Filthy Ike)
Jeremy (Flynn Flamm)
Tony (Brother Jakob)
Rachel (Lotus)
Tom (Nathaniel Graythorne)
DM: Catherine
As the huge group flew for the edge of the anti-teleportation shell, Richard, one of the kingsmen, gave the party an update from Westlay. They had conjured a huge rainstorm over the top of the siege camp, which forced the black sands to grow and the yuan-ti to move onto open ground. The armies from Old Westlay joined with those who broke through the stone wall at White Fields and surrounded the Serpenti army, whose clerics lost their divine connection a moment later. The eagles mission is to move to seal the breach in the wall, to ensure the Serpenti clerics can't escape. Unfortunately, a force of five hundred marruspawn launched a strike on Old Westlay, and they would be an additional threat to deal with.
With the help of a tailwind, the whole group got outside of the Serpenti anti-teleportation shell and teleported to the breach in Westlay's wall. Some guards were on top of the wall, and a group of marruspawn and a group of sand golems were preparing to strike from outside. The Ninja Mongoose Rockstars took position in the breach while the eagles hovered overhead. Jakob drew a line in the sand and taunted the oncoming enemies with a "bring it on" motion. Nate cast confusion on the middle pack of soldiers, who immediately lost unit cohesion. Two of the golems approached along with one group of soldiers. One wizard cast sandstorm to block visibility, and another turned three of the guards to salt. Flynn began singing with Words of Creation, and Ike fired a series of arrows at the remaining wizard. Lotus used Ice Flowers to hurt and slow the golems. The remaining enemies approached, and one wizard tried to turn the remaining guards to salt, but the guards (inspired by Flynn) let off a volley that took him down. The eagles filled the other two wizards with arrows.
Nate confused another group of enemy soldiers, who joined the brawl with the first group. Flynn un-salted one guard, who joined his friends in shooting at the soldiers below. Jakob punched one golem several times and Ike shot another. One golem moved forward and punched the wall, forming several cracks. Lotus created a tremor that knocked two of the golems over, and the eagles took out most of the soldiers, leaving a few to fight amongst themselves. Nate greased the third golem, which slipped and let its guard down, allowing Jakob to pummel it into a pile of sand. Flynn un-salted another guard, who dragged his still-salty friend away from the damaged wall. Jakob and Ike finished off the next golem, and the final golem failed in its attempt to retaliate against Jakob. Jakob and Ike combined to kill the final golem, Flynn turned the last salty guy back to normal, and the eagles said they could handle the breach from here on out.
Nate teleported the party in to where the main battle was going on. The yuan-ti army occupied an oval area about 1500 feet long and shrouded in magical darkness. Westlay's forces had them surrounded, and the muddy battlefield showed clearly how the battle had gone. Spots of black sand were apparent throughout the area, and yuan-ti made up the bulk of the dead. When the party arrived, those nearby began to cheer -- "NMR is here!" They said groups of yuan-ti psions kept teleporting behind the lines and trying to break through, and that the weakest point was on the east. The party's responsibility was to shore up the line and take out as many yuan-ti clerics as possible before they regained their spellcasting. Flynn hasted the party as they moved to the eastern part of the battlefield.
There on the east, a person Jakob recognized -- his old mentor, Jacob -- stood with a thin line of Westlayan soldiers, between the main Serpenti army and a small group of psions and other yuan-ti. Flynn began singing an inspirational song and approached to where Westlay's soldiers could hear him. Ike loosed five arrows at the nearest psion, killing him with the last critical shot. Nate shattered another psion's mind blank, and Lotus placed a dinosaur stampede atop the yuan-ti strike force. The psion Nate had just hit used his telekinetic ability to pull Ike's bow away, and the others closed in to try to kill the Westlayan soldiers holding the breach. Jakob ran toward Jacob, right over a psion, and stunned a Serpenti cleric. Two more psions attacked, one scrambling Jacob's atoms and the other trying but failing to make Jakob suicidal. Flynn continued to approach and sing, and the army perked up noticeably. Ike drew Fox's Bite and kept shooting at the bowstealing psion, and Nate feebleminded him as well. Lotus shattered the ground under some yuan-ti with Ice Flowers, and her force dinosaurs stampeded over another group. The feebleminded psion stumbled toward Jakob, who tripped and killed it.
A larger group of yuan-ti, including a pair of abominations, started teleporting in. Jakob punched another psion and then moved next to the preimages. Another psion scrambled Jacob's atoms again, and more yuan-ti tried to approach but got tripped by Jacob's swinging spiked chain. Jacob called out instructions to the soldiers next to him, who swarmed and killed one psion and a pair of clerics. As the new yuan-ti group materialized, the two abominations cast Timeless Body to avoid wounds, and the other pair tried to turn Jakob insane but both failed. Lotus' dinosaurs continued trampling yuan-ti as she cast Drown, killing a psion. Ike shot at the biggest abomination, to no effect, but Nate was able to shatter the psion's mind blank. Jakob killed the other, smaller psion with a flurry of searing blows, psionic fists, and stunning fists (177 hp.)
[The session stopped here and resumed one week later.]
Some yuan-ti tried to flee through a small gap in the line near Jacob, who tripped a pair in the path of the force dinosaurs. Jacob called out to Jakob "hey, come visit me at Jade Feather when this is over. I just got rescued from Senneth's temple down in Mer-Merrshaulk, and I've got business to attend to up that way." His Mithril Tornado slew several of the nearby psions, and Flynn's inspiring words had something to do with him being out of spells. More yuan-ti tried to push through the lines, struggling past the rubble from the Ice Flowers. The abominations cast Crisis of Breath on Lotus, who had to concentrate to keep breathing, and Death Urge on Jakob, who felt the need to do something insanely dangerous. Ike fired a precise shot at the big abomination, and Nate feebleminded the other one, taunting "you're not that tough without your Mind Blank, are you?" Lotus' dinosaurs ran into the main group of yuan-ti and she covered the area with an Entangle spell, but kept struggling to breathe.
Jakob's suicidal urge sent him running into the middle of the yuan-ti army. Luckily for him, his Ring of the Darkhidden meant he wasn't visible within the magical darkness. Unfortunately, he was wading in the black sand the yuan-ti were trying so desperately to get out of. One enemy tried to get Jakob to share his wounds, but failed, and another tried to crush Jacob's mind, but again failed. Flynn moved near Old Jacob, looking for protection from the hordes of enemies, but the inspired allies continued taking enemies down. Flynn felt a rush of wind coming down from above, but stayed focused on his music. The abominations teleported away (the feebleminded one under the control of the other), and the lesser yuan-ti continued to try to find a hole in the line. Ike took down the biggest remaining psion and one of the fleeing yuan-ti. Nate confused a group inside the main battlefield, and Lotus placed a Vortex of Teeth on the opposite side. She fainted due to lack of breath, but Flynn's magic brought her back to consciousness. Jakob tried to get out of the main group, stunning a psion on his way back to the line, and Old Jacob's Ancient Mountain Hammer maneuver took down another yuan-ti cleric.
The line stabilized quickly now that there were no threats outside. The Westlayan soldiers and Lotus' dinosaurs killed several enemies, and several others started killing one another because they were confused. Jakob took down a pack of four enemies who tried to move away from him, and Ike took down the last two yuan-ti who'd broken through the line before he turned his bow on the last nearby psion. That psion threw one of the humans into the vortex of teeth.
Flynn now heard the sound of eagle wings overhead, and heard Boyent's voice call out: "We stopped here to find our inspiration. Sennet must be stopped." A scroll fell from the sky at Flynn's feet, and the eagles flew off toward the middle of the yuan-ti formation. Nate knocked some enemies down with a thunderclap, and Lotus' dinosaurs and piranhas kept shredding the enemies. Jakob dropped another psion, but yet another stepped into view and dispelled Lotus' entangle. Old Jacob again called out instructions, helping Jakob and several soldiers reposition themselves. Now Jakob and Jacob were standing side by side, tripping and throwing enemies aside and laughing about old times. The rest of the Westlayan guard cut down all of the enemies within reach.
Nathaniel cast another illusion, placing a huge NMR logo, complete with sound and discouraging text like "we're in ur camp killing ur selves", above the battlefield. The yuan-ti who were visible were clearly shaken (-2 penalties) by this. Flynn looked at the scroll, and sang out "I've been pardoned, oh yes, I'm no longer exiled!" Ike shot down four more enemies and then got distracted by the logo, firing his final shot harmlessly away. Lotus' dinosaurs continued stomping on guys as the allies fired their bows at whatever targets they could see. Jakob and Jacob discussed strategy while taking out a few more enemies, and Jakob started roaring out taunts at the shaken yuan-ti.
Suddenly, the abomination/psion reappeared, this time with another group of allies, clearly hoping for one last shot to break the line open. At that moment, there was a bright flash -- a Sunburst in the middle of the yuan-ti formation. A hail of arrows came down on a target somewhere below, and with a loud crack, four yuan-ti and four dead-looking eagles became visible in that area. Ike positioned himself with the rest of the party, and Nate cast Daylight on Jacob's chain, helping the allies see and shoot more enemies. Ike fired several shots at the big psion, and Jakob stepped next to him. Nate cast confusion, which affected most of the lesser yuan-ti the abomination had brought along. Lotus cast Arc Lightning, which sparked across a group of enemies. Several psions tossed lines of flame at Flynn, who found himself seriously wounded. The abomination cast Microcosm on Jacob, but his Iron Heart Surge let him break out of the false world the psion implanted in his mind. Jakob punched and clawed at the abomination and one of his allies, and the rest of the Westlayan soldiers combined with Ike to kill the remaining psions within range.
Nate cast Veil on the yuan-ti who were flying above the middle of the battlefield, making one of them look like Ike and another look like Nate. Several waves of fire came out of the darkness and shredded the two of them. Lotus' dinosaurs started plowing a path into the middle of the battlefield, and Jacob, Jakob, and the Westlayan soldiers finished off whoever they could. Ike fired several arrows at the yuan-ti who now looked like him. (The party had 152 kills to their credit by now, including one champion and 17 elites.) Nate pulled the sending stones and tried to get instructions from Joanna and Boyent; Joanna said the battle had turned and that the line needed to be held, but Boyent couldn't be reached. Jakob picked Flynn up and started running around the battlefield, and Flynn's song inspired the rest of the troops to press the attack. After another minute of fighting, the remaining big psions and clerics gathered up and teleported away, and another minute later, the last remaining Serpenti troops in the area were dead.
Within minutes, word came as to the location of the psions and clerics: they had joined the attack on Old Westlay, sealing it in stone much like they'd done to White Fields. But this time, a huge blue dragon/marruspawn halfbreed joined the battle, covering the city with a sandstorm two miles wide. Korethean, Derex, and Proudbeak were trapped inside, along with the rest of the city's population -- and the remaining yuan-ti and marruspawn were killed by the sandstorm itself. Over the next few minutes, it became apparent Boyent had died in his strike on Serpenti's champion cleric, but the strike had succeeded. All five of the yuan-ti's champions had been killed in the war, three directly by NMR, one by some eagles who found him stumbling around feebleminded, and one by Boyent.
The next morning, a group of Woodling Druids came to the battlefield and buried all of the black sand. All of Westlay's clerics who were outside of the buried capital got to work on curing those who still had the disease. The storm over Old Westlay continued, its duration unknown. Abel took temporary stewardship of the throne of White Fields, and Joanna and Kerastrix joined him in trying to find allies to help out -- perhaps dwarves or druids could tunnel in to the city or stop the storm.
The party reached level 13.
Players (Characters)
Scott (Filthy Ike)
Jeremy (Flynn Flamm)
Tony (Brother Jakob)
Rachel (Lotus)
Tom (Nathaniel Graythorne)
DM: Catherine
As the huge group flew for the edge of the anti-teleportation shell, Richard, one of the kingsmen, gave the party an update from Westlay. They had conjured a huge rainstorm over the top of the siege camp, which forced the black sands to grow and the yuan-ti to move onto open ground. The armies from Old Westlay joined with those who broke through the stone wall at White Fields and surrounded the Serpenti army, whose clerics lost their divine connection a moment later. The eagles mission is to move to seal the breach in the wall, to ensure the Serpenti clerics can't escape. Unfortunately, a force of five hundred marruspawn launched a strike on Old Westlay, and they would be an additional threat to deal with.
With the help of a tailwind, the whole group got outside of the Serpenti anti-teleportation shell and teleported to the breach in Westlay's wall. Some guards were on top of the wall, and a group of marruspawn and a group of sand golems were preparing to strike from outside. The Ninja Mongoose Rockstars took position in the breach while the eagles hovered overhead. Jakob drew a line in the sand and taunted the oncoming enemies with a "bring it on" motion. Nate cast confusion on the middle pack of soldiers, who immediately lost unit cohesion. Two of the golems approached along with one group of soldiers. One wizard cast sandstorm to block visibility, and another turned three of the guards to salt. Flynn began singing with Words of Creation, and Ike fired a series of arrows at the remaining wizard. Lotus used Ice Flowers to hurt and slow the golems. The remaining enemies approached, and one wizard tried to turn the remaining guards to salt, but the guards (inspired by Flynn) let off a volley that took him down. The eagles filled the other two wizards with arrows.
Nate confused another group of enemy soldiers, who joined the brawl with the first group. Flynn un-salted one guard, who joined his friends in shooting at the soldiers below. Jakob punched one golem several times and Ike shot another. One golem moved forward and punched the wall, forming several cracks. Lotus created a tremor that knocked two of the golems over, and the eagles took out most of the soldiers, leaving a few to fight amongst themselves. Nate greased the third golem, which slipped and let its guard down, allowing Jakob to pummel it into a pile of sand. Flynn un-salted another guard, who dragged his still-salty friend away from the damaged wall. Jakob and Ike finished off the next golem, and the final golem failed in its attempt to retaliate against Jakob. Jakob and Ike combined to kill the final golem, Flynn turned the last salty guy back to normal, and the eagles said they could handle the breach from here on out.
Nate teleported the party in to where the main battle was going on. The yuan-ti army occupied an oval area about 1500 feet long and shrouded in magical darkness. Westlay's forces had them surrounded, and the muddy battlefield showed clearly how the battle had gone. Spots of black sand were apparent throughout the area, and yuan-ti made up the bulk of the dead. When the party arrived, those nearby began to cheer -- "NMR is here!" They said groups of yuan-ti psions kept teleporting behind the lines and trying to break through, and that the weakest point was on the east. The party's responsibility was to shore up the line and take out as many yuan-ti clerics as possible before they regained their spellcasting. Flynn hasted the party as they moved to the eastern part of the battlefield.
There on the east, a person Jakob recognized -- his old mentor, Jacob -- stood with a thin line of Westlayan soldiers, between the main Serpenti army and a small group of psions and other yuan-ti. Flynn began singing an inspirational song and approached to where Westlay's soldiers could hear him. Ike loosed five arrows at the nearest psion, killing him with the last critical shot. Nate shattered another psion's mind blank, and Lotus placed a dinosaur stampede atop the yuan-ti strike force. The psion Nate had just hit used his telekinetic ability to pull Ike's bow away, and the others closed in to try to kill the Westlayan soldiers holding the breach. Jakob ran toward Jacob, right over a psion, and stunned a Serpenti cleric. Two more psions attacked, one scrambling Jacob's atoms and the other trying but failing to make Jakob suicidal. Flynn continued to approach and sing, and the army perked up noticeably. Ike drew Fox's Bite and kept shooting at the bowstealing psion, and Nate feebleminded him as well. Lotus shattered the ground under some yuan-ti with Ice Flowers, and her force dinosaurs stampeded over another group. The feebleminded psion stumbled toward Jakob, who tripped and killed it.
A larger group of yuan-ti, including a pair of abominations, started teleporting in. Jakob punched another psion and then moved next to the preimages. Another psion scrambled Jacob's atoms again, and more yuan-ti tried to approach but got tripped by Jacob's swinging spiked chain. Jacob called out instructions to the soldiers next to him, who swarmed and killed one psion and a pair of clerics. As the new yuan-ti group materialized, the two abominations cast Timeless Body to avoid wounds, and the other pair tried to turn Jakob insane but both failed. Lotus' dinosaurs continued trampling yuan-ti as she cast Drown, killing a psion. Ike shot at the biggest abomination, to no effect, but Nate was able to shatter the psion's mind blank. Jakob killed the other, smaller psion with a flurry of searing blows, psionic fists, and stunning fists (177 hp.)
[The session stopped here and resumed one week later.]
Some yuan-ti tried to flee through a small gap in the line near Jacob, who tripped a pair in the path of the force dinosaurs. Jacob called out to Jakob "hey, come visit me at Jade Feather when this is over. I just got rescued from Senneth's temple down in Mer-Merrshaulk, and I've got business to attend to up that way." His Mithril Tornado slew several of the nearby psions, and Flynn's inspiring words had something to do with him being out of spells. More yuan-ti tried to push through the lines, struggling past the rubble from the Ice Flowers. The abominations cast Crisis of Breath on Lotus, who had to concentrate to keep breathing, and Death Urge on Jakob, who felt the need to do something insanely dangerous. Ike fired a precise shot at the big abomination, and Nate feebleminded the other one, taunting "you're not that tough without your Mind Blank, are you?" Lotus' dinosaurs ran into the main group of yuan-ti and she covered the area with an Entangle spell, but kept struggling to breathe.
Jakob's suicidal urge sent him running into the middle of the yuan-ti army. Luckily for him, his Ring of the Darkhidden meant he wasn't visible within the magical darkness. Unfortunately, he was wading in the black sand the yuan-ti were trying so desperately to get out of. One enemy tried to get Jakob to share his wounds, but failed, and another tried to crush Jacob's mind, but again failed. Flynn moved near Old Jacob, looking for protection from the hordes of enemies, but the inspired allies continued taking enemies down. Flynn felt a rush of wind coming down from above, but stayed focused on his music. The abominations teleported away (the feebleminded one under the control of the other), and the lesser yuan-ti continued to try to find a hole in the line. Ike took down the biggest remaining psion and one of the fleeing yuan-ti. Nate confused a group inside the main battlefield, and Lotus placed a Vortex of Teeth on the opposite side. She fainted due to lack of breath, but Flynn's magic brought her back to consciousness. Jakob tried to get out of the main group, stunning a psion on his way back to the line, and Old Jacob's Ancient Mountain Hammer maneuver took down another yuan-ti cleric.
The line stabilized quickly now that there were no threats outside. The Westlayan soldiers and Lotus' dinosaurs killed several enemies, and several others started killing one another because they were confused. Jakob took down a pack of four enemies who tried to move away from him, and Ike took down the last two yuan-ti who'd broken through the line before he turned his bow on the last nearby psion. That psion threw one of the humans into the vortex of teeth.
Flynn now heard the sound of eagle wings overhead, and heard Boyent's voice call out: "We stopped here to find our inspiration. Sennet must be stopped." A scroll fell from the sky at Flynn's feet, and the eagles flew off toward the middle of the yuan-ti formation. Nate knocked some enemies down with a thunderclap, and Lotus' dinosaurs and piranhas kept shredding the enemies. Jakob dropped another psion, but yet another stepped into view and dispelled Lotus' entangle. Old Jacob again called out instructions, helping Jakob and several soldiers reposition themselves. Now Jakob and Jacob were standing side by side, tripping and throwing enemies aside and laughing about old times. The rest of the Westlayan guard cut down all of the enemies within reach.
Nathaniel cast another illusion, placing a huge NMR logo, complete with sound and discouraging text like "we're in ur camp killing ur selves", above the battlefield. The yuan-ti who were visible were clearly shaken (-2 penalties) by this. Flynn looked at the scroll, and sang out "I've been pardoned, oh yes, I'm no longer exiled!" Ike shot down four more enemies and then got distracted by the logo, firing his final shot harmlessly away. Lotus' dinosaurs continued stomping on guys as the allies fired their bows at whatever targets they could see. Jakob and Jacob discussed strategy while taking out a few more enemies, and Jakob started roaring out taunts at the shaken yuan-ti.
Suddenly, the abomination/psion reappeared, this time with another group of allies, clearly hoping for one last shot to break the line open. At that moment, there was a bright flash -- a Sunburst in the middle of the yuan-ti formation. A hail of arrows came down on a target somewhere below, and with a loud crack, four yuan-ti and four dead-looking eagles became visible in that area. Ike positioned himself with the rest of the party, and Nate cast Daylight on Jacob's chain, helping the allies see and shoot more enemies. Ike fired several shots at the big psion, and Jakob stepped next to him. Nate cast confusion, which affected most of the lesser yuan-ti the abomination had brought along. Lotus cast Arc Lightning, which sparked across a group of enemies. Several psions tossed lines of flame at Flynn, who found himself seriously wounded. The abomination cast Microcosm on Jacob, but his Iron Heart Surge let him break out of the false world the psion implanted in his mind. Jakob punched and clawed at the abomination and one of his allies, and the rest of the Westlayan soldiers combined with Ike to kill the remaining psions within range.
Nate cast Veil on the yuan-ti who were flying above the middle of the battlefield, making one of them look like Ike and another look like Nate. Several waves of fire came out of the darkness and shredded the two of them. Lotus' dinosaurs started plowing a path into the middle of the battlefield, and Jacob, Jakob, and the Westlayan soldiers finished off whoever they could. Ike fired several arrows at the yuan-ti who now looked like him. (The party had 152 kills to their credit by now, including one champion and 17 elites.) Nate pulled the sending stones and tried to get instructions from Joanna and Boyent; Joanna said the battle had turned and that the line needed to be held, but Boyent couldn't be reached. Jakob picked Flynn up and started running around the battlefield, and Flynn's song inspired the rest of the troops to press the attack. After another minute of fighting, the remaining big psions and clerics gathered up and teleported away, and another minute later, the last remaining Serpenti troops in the area were dead.
Within minutes, word came as to the location of the psions and clerics: they had joined the attack on Old Westlay, sealing it in stone much like they'd done to White Fields. But this time, a huge blue dragon/marruspawn halfbreed joined the battle, covering the city with a sandstorm two miles wide. Korethean, Derex, and Proudbeak were trapped inside, along with the rest of the city's population -- and the remaining yuan-ti and marruspawn were killed by the sandstorm itself. Over the next few minutes, it became apparent Boyent had died in his strike on Serpenti's champion cleric, but the strike had succeeded. All five of the yuan-ti's champions had been killed in the war, three directly by NMR, one by some eagles who found him stumbling around feebleminded, and one by Boyent.
The next morning, a group of Woodling Druids came to the battlefield and buried all of the black sand. All of Westlay's clerics who were outside of the buried capital got to work on curing those who still had the disease. The storm over Old Westlay continued, its duration unknown. Abel took temporary stewardship of the throne of White Fields, and Joanna and Kerastrix joined him in trying to find allies to help out -- perhaps dwarves or druids could tunnel in to the city or stop the storm.
The party reached level 13.
Friday, March 14, 2008
Session 18, 2008-03-14: The Big Bang
Session 18: wherein a failed quest leads to an exploding temple, and the calling card gets bigger
Players (Characters)
Scott (Filthy Ike)
Jeremy (Flynn Flamm)
Tony (Brother Jakob)
Rachel (Lotus)
Tom (Nathaniel Graythorne)
DM: Catherine
The party spent the next few days in Old Westlay, waiting for their next assignments. Ike and Lotus hung out in the fields, and Lotus made crop circles with her force dinosaurs. As Lotus was out in the fields, she noticed a Marruspawn skulking around spying, and resisted its aura of forgetfulness. Back in town, a little kid asked Jakob "are you a real ogre?" Jakob replied "I'm just a half-ogre." The boy said "wow, that's really cool!" Flynn came upon a group of street musicians competing over a small pot of gold, and decided to accompany a lady who was playing the flute. Needless to say, she won the competition. Gary Stonehearth, a shopkeeper and old friend of Flynn's who'd been watching the competition, called Flynn over. "I remember you; you played the best bass lute in all of Westlay!" He asked Flynn if he'd cleared up the assassination rumor, saying it made no sense for a failed assassination to get him accepted into an elite group of assassins. "Sounds like nobles makin up some hullabaloo", he said. In any case, Mr. Stonehearth offered Flynn an ongoing discount at his shop.
As the party was walking through a run-down part of town, they heard a group of guards yell "hey" and a voice call back "no, wait." A group of guards came running past, and Jakob headed to the corner to see what was happening. There stood a yuan-ti and a human warrior wearing a yellow cloak. Jakob stepped to the front of the pack and used a Shadow Garrotte strike on the yuan-ti. The yuan-ti tried to push Jakob back with telekinesis, and the human called out "you moron, don't!" Nate tried to unluck the yuan-ti as the fighter called out "stop, I command you all, in the name of the house of Grayn!" The guards moved to surround the yuan-ti, saying "don't listen to the illusion!" But Flynn recongized the man, and his name -- Martin Grayn was one of the prisoners who had been rescued from the yuan-ti camp. Flynn yelled out "halt in the name of the kingsmen!" Jakob moved between the guards and the yuan-ti and boomed out "He said, STOP!" The guards and the yuan-ti both stepped back. Martin Grayn said "now, that's enough of that. This guy is a friend." One of the guards was upset, saying "wait, he killed my brother at the gate!" "He's a friend now. Back off." Martin Grayn explained that the yuan-ti had been a prisoner along with the rest of them, and they'd let him out. They were now forming an adventuring group, the Brotherhood of Solace, to rescue other prisoners. Nate offered the yuan-ti a cast of Veil to keep him from getting attacked everywhere he went, and the yuan-ti and Nate swapped knowledge of certain magical effects (Unluck and Shatter Mind Blank.) Nate later learned that Grayn was a shortened form of Graythorne, and that Martin was likely a far-distant relative.
The party met back in the throne room with Joanna and Kerastrix. Also in the room was a goofy little gnome with a huge red device marked "DO NOT TOUCH!" Ike went to fiddle with the contraption, but Jakob wrapped a hand firmly around Ike and held him back. Joanna spoke: "Serpenti has overracted, and most of their clerics are now in the siege camp, leaving their own country virtually undefended." Kerastrix said "the mongoose provokes its prey into striking over and over again. Once the snake is tired and overextended, the mongoose crushes its head. So it will be with you. You will go to the dark temple at Mel-Merrshaulk and destroy it, and the dark god will abandon his people for one hour. During that time, we will strike and kill them here." Westlay would provide sixty eagles and riders (only five had participated in the strike on the Insidious Anklebiters) and the eagles and the Brotherhood of Solace would provide a distraction. Gorlinook the gnome would bring along an "unstable contraption" to destroy the temple.
In the morning, the party headed for Mel-Merrshaulk invisibly and on eagleback, with Lotus flying as a normal eagle. Teleporting south, beyond the yuan-ti kingdom, the party noticed the landscape was entirely desert, warmer than expected for this area and time of year. Approaching the yuan-ti capital from the south, it was clear the town was mostly empty. The majority of the people were gone fighting wars. From about 20 miles out, Lotus, with her eagle eyes, could see the head cleric in the temple raising her arms. Suddenly, the party was in a vision.
The Ninja Mongoose Rockstars materialzed in a circular cave with a flat floor and a dark circle in the middle. Five poles had rings on them, and Seth Ness'n (who looked somewhat older) was in the process of placing a sixth ring on the sixth pole. A voice spoke out "the summoning is complete, the final piece is laid, now turn and slay your slayers." The cleric Lotus had just seen was standing on the other side of the chamber, again looking somewhat older, and a spherical cloud with tendrils appeared within the circle. Ike fired an arrow at Seth Ness'n. The voice boomed "no, that will not be done", and Seth Ness'n disappeared through the wall. Ike fired a shot at the other yuan-ti, and the voice again called "not too swift, are you?" as the cleric disappeared through the wall. Ike fired a shot at the strange cloud and yelled at the voice to shut the hell up. Jakob punched the edges of the cloudy creature, which reached out and grabbed him. Lotus flamestriked the cloud and Nate unlucked it. Flynn began signing and playing his healing harp, singing out a description of the undead strength-draining creature and how Seth Ness'n's Resurrection Quest was destined to fail. Ike fired four holy arrows into the cloud and Jakob swung all around himself, and both seriously wounded the undead thing. It clouded over toward Ike and pulled him in, but unluckily for it, drained very little strength. Lotus empowered a Sudden Stalagmite, and the unlucky thing got stuck to it and died. Nate placed a big illusory heart with the text "I wuv you guys, thanks for having us visit" in the middle of the room as the vision ended. Shortly thereafter, Lotus saw the cleric back in the temple, dejected as the Resurrection Quest failed.
The temple to Merrshaulk was atop a hill, and at the base of the hill was a second temple to Senneth, with some sort of cobra as its holy symbol. Several human prisoners were laid out in the sand next to that temple, and a few yuan-ti prisoners were laid on the ground next to the head cleric in the temple to Merrshaulk. The party landed on the roof and Gorlinook, with an eagle keeping him invisible, started preparing his contraption as Martin Grayn and the eagles prepared for their assault on the lower temple. In the chaos down there, hopefully nobody would notice the commotion at the top of the hill. Flynn cast invisibility and haste on the party, and set the Rod of the Mongoose to block sound. Lotus cast Death Ward on Jakob, Nate made the party look like marruspawn with Veil, and Flynn began his song as he signalled the eagles to open fire on the other temple.
Lotus' kelp strand wrapped around the head cleric, but slipped off of her. Flynn fired a shot from his bow of songs and started blocking telepathy with the Rod. Ike took a precise shot, and with a bit of luck from Nate's fatespinning, caused a grievous wound. Jakob jumped forward with a Wolf Fang Strike, numbing the cleric's arm and causing her to drop her scimitar. Nate's Great Thunderclap knocked her over, and Jakob broke her other hand as he pounded her to death. As she died, she still thought the party were marruspawn, and cried "I knew this day would come, you treacherous beasts!" Nate signalled Gorlinook to prep the bomb as the eagles pressed their assault, and he used an illusion to make the temple appear completely normal in the mean time. As the bomb counted down its last few seconds, Derex sent a message about an intercepted communication: the yuan-ti had just sent word that the eagles were in Mer-Merrshaulk and it was time to strike. The party got some distance on the temple as it exploded, and Nate put a huge Ninja Mongoose Rockstars logo in the sky above it. The eagles, NMR, the Brotherhood of Solace, and several prisoners on magic carpets started flying back toward Westlay.
Flynn reached level 13.
Players (Characters)
Scott (Filthy Ike)
Jeremy (Flynn Flamm)
Tony (Brother Jakob)
Rachel (Lotus)
Tom (Nathaniel Graythorne)
DM: Catherine
The party spent the next few days in Old Westlay, waiting for their next assignments. Ike and Lotus hung out in the fields, and Lotus made crop circles with her force dinosaurs. As Lotus was out in the fields, she noticed a Marruspawn skulking around spying, and resisted its aura of forgetfulness. Back in town, a little kid asked Jakob "are you a real ogre?" Jakob replied "I'm just a half-ogre." The boy said "wow, that's really cool!" Flynn came upon a group of street musicians competing over a small pot of gold, and decided to accompany a lady who was playing the flute. Needless to say, she won the competition. Gary Stonehearth, a shopkeeper and old friend of Flynn's who'd been watching the competition, called Flynn over. "I remember you; you played the best bass lute in all of Westlay!" He asked Flynn if he'd cleared up the assassination rumor, saying it made no sense for a failed assassination to get him accepted into an elite group of assassins. "Sounds like nobles makin up some hullabaloo", he said. In any case, Mr. Stonehearth offered Flynn an ongoing discount at his shop.
As the party was walking through a run-down part of town, they heard a group of guards yell "hey" and a voice call back "no, wait." A group of guards came running past, and Jakob headed to the corner to see what was happening. There stood a yuan-ti and a human warrior wearing a yellow cloak. Jakob stepped to the front of the pack and used a Shadow Garrotte strike on the yuan-ti. The yuan-ti tried to push Jakob back with telekinesis, and the human called out "you moron, don't!" Nate tried to unluck the yuan-ti as the fighter called out "stop, I command you all, in the name of the house of Grayn!" The guards moved to surround the yuan-ti, saying "don't listen to the illusion!" But Flynn recongized the man, and his name -- Martin Grayn was one of the prisoners who had been rescued from the yuan-ti camp. Flynn yelled out "halt in the name of the kingsmen!" Jakob moved between the guards and the yuan-ti and boomed out "He said, STOP!" The guards and the yuan-ti both stepped back. Martin Grayn said "now, that's enough of that. This guy is a friend." One of the guards was upset, saying "wait, he killed my brother at the gate!" "He's a friend now. Back off." Martin Grayn explained that the yuan-ti had been a prisoner along with the rest of them, and they'd let him out. They were now forming an adventuring group, the Brotherhood of Solace, to rescue other prisoners. Nate offered the yuan-ti a cast of Veil to keep him from getting attacked everywhere he went, and the yuan-ti and Nate swapped knowledge of certain magical effects (Unluck and Shatter Mind Blank.) Nate later learned that Grayn was a shortened form of Graythorne, and that Martin was likely a far-distant relative.
The party met back in the throne room with Joanna and Kerastrix. Also in the room was a goofy little gnome with a huge red device marked "DO NOT TOUCH!" Ike went to fiddle with the contraption, but Jakob wrapped a hand firmly around Ike and held him back. Joanna spoke: "Serpenti has overracted, and most of their clerics are now in the siege camp, leaving their own country virtually undefended." Kerastrix said "the mongoose provokes its prey into striking over and over again. Once the snake is tired and overextended, the mongoose crushes its head. So it will be with you. You will go to the dark temple at Mel-Merrshaulk and destroy it, and the dark god will abandon his people for one hour. During that time, we will strike and kill them here." Westlay would provide sixty eagles and riders (only five had participated in the strike on the Insidious Anklebiters) and the eagles and the Brotherhood of Solace would provide a distraction. Gorlinook the gnome would bring along an "unstable contraption" to destroy the temple.
In the morning, the party headed for Mel-Merrshaulk invisibly and on eagleback, with Lotus flying as a normal eagle. Teleporting south, beyond the yuan-ti kingdom, the party noticed the landscape was entirely desert, warmer than expected for this area and time of year. Approaching the yuan-ti capital from the south, it was clear the town was mostly empty. The majority of the people were gone fighting wars. From about 20 miles out, Lotus, with her eagle eyes, could see the head cleric in the temple raising her arms. Suddenly, the party was in a vision.
The Ninja Mongoose Rockstars materialzed in a circular cave with a flat floor and a dark circle in the middle. Five poles had rings on them, and Seth Ness'n (who looked somewhat older) was in the process of placing a sixth ring on the sixth pole. A voice spoke out "the summoning is complete, the final piece is laid, now turn and slay your slayers." The cleric Lotus had just seen was standing on the other side of the chamber, again looking somewhat older, and a spherical cloud with tendrils appeared within the circle. Ike fired an arrow at Seth Ness'n. The voice boomed "no, that will not be done", and Seth Ness'n disappeared through the wall. Ike fired a shot at the other yuan-ti, and the voice again called "not too swift, are you?" as the cleric disappeared through the wall. Ike fired a shot at the strange cloud and yelled at the voice to shut the hell up. Jakob punched the edges of the cloudy creature, which reached out and grabbed him. Lotus flamestriked the cloud and Nate unlucked it. Flynn began signing and playing his healing harp, singing out a description of the undead strength-draining creature and how Seth Ness'n's Resurrection Quest was destined to fail. Ike fired four holy arrows into the cloud and Jakob swung all around himself, and both seriously wounded the undead thing. It clouded over toward Ike and pulled him in, but unluckily for it, drained very little strength. Lotus empowered a Sudden Stalagmite, and the unlucky thing got stuck to it and died. Nate placed a big illusory heart with the text "I wuv you guys, thanks for having us visit" in the middle of the room as the vision ended. Shortly thereafter, Lotus saw the cleric back in the temple, dejected as the Resurrection Quest failed.
The temple to Merrshaulk was atop a hill, and at the base of the hill was a second temple to Senneth, with some sort of cobra as its holy symbol. Several human prisoners were laid out in the sand next to that temple, and a few yuan-ti prisoners were laid on the ground next to the head cleric in the temple to Merrshaulk. The party landed on the roof and Gorlinook, with an eagle keeping him invisible, started preparing his contraption as Martin Grayn and the eagles prepared for their assault on the lower temple. In the chaos down there, hopefully nobody would notice the commotion at the top of the hill. Flynn cast invisibility and haste on the party, and set the Rod of the Mongoose to block sound. Lotus cast Death Ward on Jakob, Nate made the party look like marruspawn with Veil, and Flynn began his song as he signalled the eagles to open fire on the other temple.
Lotus' kelp strand wrapped around the head cleric, but slipped off of her. Flynn fired a shot from his bow of songs and started blocking telepathy with the Rod. Ike took a precise shot, and with a bit of luck from Nate's fatespinning, caused a grievous wound. Jakob jumped forward with a Wolf Fang Strike, numbing the cleric's arm and causing her to drop her scimitar. Nate's Great Thunderclap knocked her over, and Jakob broke her other hand as he pounded her to death. As she died, she still thought the party were marruspawn, and cried "I knew this day would come, you treacherous beasts!" Nate signalled Gorlinook to prep the bomb as the eagles pressed their assault, and he used an illusion to make the temple appear completely normal in the mean time. As the bomb counted down its last few seconds, Derex sent a message about an intercepted communication: the yuan-ti had just sent word that the eagles were in Mer-Merrshaulk and it was time to strike. The party got some distance on the temple as it exploded, and Nate put a huge Ninja Mongoose Rockstars logo in the sky above it. The eagles, NMR, the Brotherhood of Solace, and several prisoners on magic carpets started flying back toward Westlay.
Flynn reached level 13.
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