Session 14: wherein an outpost, a spellsink manual, and a Ghern commander are captured, and Rojin is defeated
Players (Characters)
Scott (Filthy Ike)
Jeremy (Flynn Flamm)
Tony (Brother Jakob)
Rachel (Lotus)
Tom (Nathaniel Graythorne)
DM: Catherine
As the hobgoblins retreated, they lit up a set of smokesticks to obscure their exit. Nathaniel cast a ghost sound into the hallway to try to distract the spellsinks and Ike killed the unconscious troll with a well-aimed arrow. Lotus cast Wind Tunnel on Ike, which allowed him to disperse the smoke in the hallway and get a clear view of the two portcullises surrounding a puddle on the floor. Ike fired several arrows at a hobgoblin soldier in the room beyond, nearly paralyzing the enemy. Flynn began singing about the arrival of the Chord of Doom. Nathaniel's attempt to Phantasmal Killer a hobgoblin engineer was dispelled, but Lotus' flamestrike succeeded. The hobgoblins retreated into the smokier parts of their room as Jakob threw a stone door into the puddle between the portcullises. Ike's blowing smoke revealed a hobgoblin foot, which he shot precisely in the most damaging spot with a poisoned arrow. Flynn again hasted the party, and Nate fired his crossbow, thinking it had a higher chance of success than spells did.
Lotus summoned a large air elemental as the hobgoblins continued to cower. Jakob tried to tear another stone door away from its hinges, but it barely held in place. Ike stepped forward and killed a spellsink and an engineer. Nathaniel's Great Thunderclap was blocked by another unseen enemy, but Lotus' air elemental blew the last of the smoke away to reveal the remaining engineer and spellsinks. The elemental tried to toss a spellsink in front of Ike, but the spellsink's magical defenses proved too potent. A few hobgoblin soldiers made feeble attempts to hurt the elemental, but its physical defenses proved the same. Ike fired a few more shots at a hobgoblin soldier while Nate created an illusory air elemental and Lotus summoned a dire wolf.
A spellsink stepped forward and tried to dispel Nathaniel's illusion, but failed. Jakob propped one portcullis open with the stone door he'd finally managed to tear down, and noted that the puddle was highly flammable oil. Ike shot at the spellsink who'd stepped into sight, but it was Nate's crossbow bolt that dealt the killing blow. The air elemental brought the other spellsink into view, and Lotus' dire wolf tripped the largest remaining soldier. The wolf also held the spellsink down, proving far more effective than the spell Lotus tried to cast. The hobgoblin soldiers focused their attacks on the pair of summons, bringing both near their ends. As Jakob stepped forward to lift the second portcullis, a hiding hobgoblin lit the oil on fire. Ike blasted the last spellsink and then fired a pair of arrows through the small slit in the wall, killing the hidden hobgoblin. Flynn fired some arrows at the remaining enemies, and Nate confused the pack before backing around the corner.
The elemental and the wolf kept pounding away as Lotus dehydrated the leading soldier, killing him. The confused hobgoblins started running and attacking each other, though one managed to kill the wolf before it fell to its confused ally. Jakob lifted the final portcullis and propped it open, giving Ike a clear shot to kill a hobgoblin engineer. Nate held another entineer while Lotus, Jakob, Ike, and the air elemental moved forward to finish off the remaining live enemies. The enemies tried to focus their last, desperate attacks on Flynn, but couldn't get into the hallway past Jakob. The party quickly dropped the remaining enemies, keeping one soldier and one engineer alive but unconscious. Jakob picked up valuable and useful-looking gear and broke the remaining weapons in the armory, thinking it important to leave future hobgoblins less able to fight.
The party moved down a hallway and opened the nearest door. Two hobgoblins inside the room fired a catapult full of flaming metal at the door, narrowly missing Jakob and barely injuring the somewhat fire-resistant Ike. Two others operated a metal dinosaur-like machine of the right size and shape to have carved out most of the complex. Ike shot one of the engineers in the face while Nate confused the other three. Flynn began singing, and Jakob killed the unconfused enginner. One of the confused engineers drove the dinosaur into a wall while the others stood babbling. Ike took out the engineer standing outside and Jakob popped the top of the dinosaur open, punching and killing one of the engineers. The other tried to draw his bow and attack, giving Jakob an opening to strike him dead.
Nate hopped in the dinosaur and tried to get it working, but couldn't figure out the complex machinery. The party piled all sorts of treasure into the dinosaur and Jakob dragged it outside, and Ike gladly burned other items in the outpost. Lotus took a few minutes to focus on some new spells while Nate chatted with an orc who had been cooking dinner, deciding to leave the civilian alive despite its questionable allegiances. In a room near the end of the complex, the party found an elf who had been a spellcaster but had been somehow neutralized by the spellsinks. The elf was tending to a library full of hobgoblin training manuals, including one that described the spellsink training process.
The party headed for the final door within the complex, with Flynn casting haste and singing on approach. Jakob kicked the door open to reveal a room full of ashes and burning paper and a single hobgoblin. Ike shot the hobgoblin, who charged at Jakob and found himself quickly on the ground. Jakob punched the hobgoblin unconscious, and Nate set about scouring the room for unburned papers. Only one held any tidbit of useful information: some group was apparently "ready for the legion of Ghern". Disappointed in the lack of written information, the party teleported the unconscious hobgoblin leader, the previously-captured soldier and engineer, and the dinosaur full of treasure back to Kinari, where the elves took over interrogation.
Early the next morning, the Ninja Mongoose Rockstars headed back into the outpost and stepped behind the door marked with the skull and crossbones. This led to a deep and dark shaft with a staircase circling downward. Lotus cast daylight on a stone and dropped it, revealing a stone inscription at the bottom of the shaft: "Here lies Rojin. Death awaits the unworthy." The party headed downward, discovering four doors marked with different symbols and a single tomb with four slits. Rojin's ghost materialized and matter-of-factly detailed the scenario: there were four tests ahead, each of which was necessary for a true ninja to pass. These were the tests of silence, darkness, numbers, and speed, each of which would wield a dagger that could be used as a key to the test.
Ike opted to approach the test of silence. Nate cast silent portal to quiet the door. Inside was a wall of greater dispelling and a room with several spouts hanging from the ceiling. Skeletons lay scattered on the floor. Flynn sang a song to inspire Ike and then quieted down, and Ike stepped quietly across the room, triggering some minor dexterity-draining poison when he breathed a little too loudly. Eventually Ike reached the far side of the room and grabbed a dagger, sneaking carefully back.
Jakob stepped into the test of speed. The door led to a long hallway with a dagger at the end. Jakob ran to the far end of the hallway, grabbed the dagger, and ran back, easily outrunning the spikes that started emerging from the floor.
Ike attempted the test of darkness. The door led to a pitch-black room with a narrow walkway and magical eyes above arrow slits. Jakob tied a rope to Ike and to himself in case retrieval became necessary. Ike stepped carefully around the room, using darkvision to guide him, but found he couldn't reach the dagger because a piece of the walkway had collapsed. He came out and Jakob took his place, easily reaching the dagger. Curious as to what would have happened, Nate threw a flaming bit of paper into the room after everyone had left, and a series of arrows shot through the paper.
Jakob and Ike moved into the test of numbers together. The door led to a room surrounded by 19 more doors and a dagger in the middle. Nate created webs around the room's perimeter and Flynn sang an inspirational song, and then Ike grabbed the dagger. The main door snapped shut the other 19 opened, revealing 19 beginning (summoned) ninjas who immediately became stuck in the webs. The ninjas threw shurikens at Ike, though only a pair managed to hit him. Ike started shooting back, dropping one ninja per arrow. Nate cast dimension door to bring himself, Lotus, and Flynn into the center of the room, saying "a box full of ninjas isn't dangerous; the more ninjas there are, the easier the fight." Flynn hasted the party and Lotus created a dinosaur stampede along the eastern half of the room. Jakob stepped toward one corner and punched one of the weak ninjas. A new group of 19 ninjas appeared, wielding a pair of swords each and finding themselves immediately stuck in the webs. Flynn shot three on the western half of the room, Jakob punched one, and Lotus' dinosaurs and some arc lightning dropped several more. A new group arrived, armed with bows. Nate stunned several, leaving only ten to fire at Ike, and three of those drew attacks from Jakob for their efforts. Ike used some minor healing on himself as the dinosaurs, Jakob, Flynn, and Nate kept dropping individual ninjas. Lotus created a vortex of teeth to cover the parts of the room her dinosaurs weren't already occupying, and the final group of ninjas arrived to find themselves in an ugly spot. A few of them managed to toss some poison at Ike, but he easily resisted and shot the few that Lotus' spells didn't kill. With that, the main door popped open.
With the fourth dagger in place, the ghost spoke: "to win the prize, you must face Rojin himself. Whoever dares, stand here on the floor. All others, step aside." Ike, Lotus, and Jakob stood at the center of the room while Nathaniel and Flynn moved aside. The floor sank a hundred feet downward and a pair of stone slabs closed above the newly-formed pit. Rojin's ghost suddenly disappeared. Ike used his headband to grant himself True Seeing, which revealed Rojin now standing upside down on the ceiling. Jakob began climbing as the ghost cast Find the Gap. Lotus cast wind tunnel on Ike, whose four arrows found their mark and killed the ghost. With that, the floor rose up and Rojin's corpse appeared, with Fox's Bite in hand. Ike spit on the corpse and grabbed the bow, wondering why Nathaniel and Flynn had been so cowardly as to stay out. Nate replied "I didn't get to be 187 years old by climbing into a box with one ninja."
Saturday, December 15, 2007
Saturday, December 8, 2007
Session 13, 2007-12-08: The Chord of Doom is Here
Session 13: wherein a spellsink is captured and an outpost is besieged
Players (Characters)
Scott (Filthy Ike)
Jeremy (Flynn Flamm)
Tony (Brother Jakob; Lotus)
Tom (Nathaniel Graythorne)
DM: Catherine
Curious about the spellsinks, Nate teleported to Lonely Sparrow. He described the spellsinks to Minellin, who asked that one be captured for further study. Nate agreed, and Lotus set out in eagle form to locate one that could be captured. She soon found a group with two gargoyles, six soldiers, and a single spellsink. The party hid about 200 feet away (with Nate, Flynn, and Lotus all rolling natural 20's on their hide checks.) Lotus' opening volley was Ice Flowers, and Nate's followup Great Thunderclap left many enemies stunned, deaf, or half-dead. Jakob approached as Ike took down both gargoyles. Jakob then found his target and quickly knocked the spellsink unconscious. Nate fired a crossbow bolt into the dirt next to one of the stunned enemies, so Ike showed him how it's done, killing the largest soldier with a string of arrows. Ike and Lotus walked around killing the remaining soldiers while Minellin teleported in to study the spellsink's spell resistance and spell duration reduction effect. After Minellin left, Ike killed the spellsink and called Jakob a wuss for not doing it himself.
The party returned to Thameor's outpost, where a group of Ivani had arrived just before. The elves delievered a message: the Ninja Mongoose Rockstars were wanted in Kinari. One of the elves guided the party's teleport to the northeast, and then began dancing, which summoned a gate to Kinari. Inside the city, an Ivani commander requested the party gather information behind enemy lines, possibly striking at a Ghern outpost deep within their territory. Ike found an archery shop whose shopkeeper was very interested in Ike's mask. He told the story of William the Fox, whose sacrifice in William's Gambit had not gone unnoticed by the gods, and whose gear was granted great power in response to his sacrifice. Ike wore William's mask, but William's bow was an even greater prize. A ninja named Rojin had claimed the bow many years ago, and swore that it would never fall into the hands of a lesser ninja; that lair was now said to be guarded by Rojin's ghost, deep inside Ghern territory. This would be a perfect opportunity to complete the Ivani's request, so the party teleported to the area.
The lair's entrance was up on a hillside, and four hobgoblin soldiers and a spellsink stood guard. The road, heading eastbound, was heavily trafficked. The party snuck into a good position to strike, and Flynn began singing and playing his lute. Nathaniel filled the cave mouth with webs and Jakob ran in a blur of fur. Ike dropped the spellsink with a series of arrows while the soldiers yelled and struggled against the webs. Lotus' arc lightning and Jakob's shadow garrotte combined to bring a soldier down and wound the others. Flynn filled the tunnel behind with light, revealing a wide room with pillars and a fleeing troll.
Hobgoblin voices grew louder within the tunnel, and they soon began to shout "the Chord of Doom!" The party moved into the cave mouth, and Nathaniel created an illusory Jakob to try to bait enemies into combat. Flynn cast invisibility on the real Jakob, but the illusory Jakob fizzled away before the deception could be completed. Jakob moved forward and toward the center of the room, while Nathaniel used ghost sound to replicate Flynn's singing next to a door to the left marked with a skull and crossbones. Ike moved to the right and saw a large group of enemies approaching, so he fired a poisoned arrow at the largest target he saw. Jakob and Lotus joined back up with the party, and Lotus tried to impale another troll with a sudden stalagmite. Flynn cast haste and Ike backed up the group while firing more arrows. With the group all together, Nate was able to use dimension door to create some range.
The mass of enemies split as they entered the large room, with one group approaching the fake Flynn sounds and the other approaching the real party. A spellsink removed Jakob's invisibility and a troll moved to attack, but Jakob was able to trip it and knock it unconscious with a series of carefully-placed strikes. Lotus' Ice Flowers ripped through the pack of enemies, though a spellsink had tried to disrupt the spell. Flynn shot at the spellsink using his Bow of Songs, and Ike's critical hit helped finish the spellsink off. Nathaniel pulled the acid crystal from his crossbow and handed it to Ike, and prepared a Phantasmal Killer for the still-standing troll. A pack of soldiers found themselves in reach of Jakob, which led swiftly to their deaths as Jakob pummelled them and the unconscious troll (taking it to -160 hp with a pair of critical hits.) Jakob yelled out "come on! Come face the Chord of Doom!" Nate's Phantasmal Killer was ineffective against the troll, and a spellsink dispelled Lotus' tremor. Jakob tripped and pummelled the remaining troll and Ike took down a pair of spellsinks. Lotus' vortex of teeth ripped into most enemies, though the spellsinks seemed unaffected -- but Nathaniel's second, and more successful, Phantasmal Killer destroyed the healthier troll and sent the remaining enemies fleeing.
Players (Characters)
Scott (Filthy Ike)
Jeremy (Flynn Flamm)
Tony (Brother Jakob; Lotus)
Tom (Nathaniel Graythorne)
DM: Catherine
Curious about the spellsinks, Nate teleported to Lonely Sparrow. He described the spellsinks to Minellin, who asked that one be captured for further study. Nate agreed, and Lotus set out in eagle form to locate one that could be captured. She soon found a group with two gargoyles, six soldiers, and a single spellsink. The party hid about 200 feet away (with Nate, Flynn, and Lotus all rolling natural 20's on their hide checks.) Lotus' opening volley was Ice Flowers, and Nate's followup Great Thunderclap left many enemies stunned, deaf, or half-dead. Jakob approached as Ike took down both gargoyles. Jakob then found his target and quickly knocked the spellsink unconscious. Nate fired a crossbow bolt into the dirt next to one of the stunned enemies, so Ike showed him how it's done, killing the largest soldier with a string of arrows. Ike and Lotus walked around killing the remaining soldiers while Minellin teleported in to study the spellsink's spell resistance and spell duration reduction effect. After Minellin left, Ike killed the spellsink and called Jakob a wuss for not doing it himself.
The party returned to Thameor's outpost, where a group of Ivani had arrived just before. The elves delievered a message: the Ninja Mongoose Rockstars were wanted in Kinari. One of the elves guided the party's teleport to the northeast, and then began dancing, which summoned a gate to Kinari. Inside the city, an Ivani commander requested the party gather information behind enemy lines, possibly striking at a Ghern outpost deep within their territory. Ike found an archery shop whose shopkeeper was very interested in Ike's mask. He told the story of William the Fox, whose sacrifice in William's Gambit had not gone unnoticed by the gods, and whose gear was granted great power in response to his sacrifice. Ike wore William's mask, but William's bow was an even greater prize. A ninja named Rojin had claimed the bow many years ago, and swore that it would never fall into the hands of a lesser ninja; that lair was now said to be guarded by Rojin's ghost, deep inside Ghern territory. This would be a perfect opportunity to complete the Ivani's request, so the party teleported to the area.
The lair's entrance was up on a hillside, and four hobgoblin soldiers and a spellsink stood guard. The road, heading eastbound, was heavily trafficked. The party snuck into a good position to strike, and Flynn began singing and playing his lute. Nathaniel filled the cave mouth with webs and Jakob ran in a blur of fur. Ike dropped the spellsink with a series of arrows while the soldiers yelled and struggled against the webs. Lotus' arc lightning and Jakob's shadow garrotte combined to bring a soldier down and wound the others. Flynn filled the tunnel behind with light, revealing a wide room with pillars and a fleeing troll.
Hobgoblin voices grew louder within the tunnel, and they soon began to shout "the Chord of Doom!" The party moved into the cave mouth, and Nathaniel created an illusory Jakob to try to bait enemies into combat. Flynn cast invisibility on the real Jakob, but the illusory Jakob fizzled away before the deception could be completed. Jakob moved forward and toward the center of the room, while Nathaniel used ghost sound to replicate Flynn's singing next to a door to the left marked with a skull and crossbones. Ike moved to the right and saw a large group of enemies approaching, so he fired a poisoned arrow at the largest target he saw. Jakob and Lotus joined back up with the party, and Lotus tried to impale another troll with a sudden stalagmite. Flynn cast haste and Ike backed up the group while firing more arrows. With the group all together, Nate was able to use dimension door to create some range.
The mass of enemies split as they entered the large room, with one group approaching the fake Flynn sounds and the other approaching the real party. A spellsink removed Jakob's invisibility and a troll moved to attack, but Jakob was able to trip it and knock it unconscious with a series of carefully-placed strikes. Lotus' Ice Flowers ripped through the pack of enemies, though a spellsink had tried to disrupt the spell. Flynn shot at the spellsink using his Bow of Songs, and Ike's critical hit helped finish the spellsink off. Nathaniel pulled the acid crystal from his crossbow and handed it to Ike, and prepared a Phantasmal Killer for the still-standing troll. A pack of soldiers found themselves in reach of Jakob, which led swiftly to their deaths as Jakob pummelled them and the unconscious troll (taking it to -160 hp with a pair of critical hits.) Jakob yelled out "come on! Come face the Chord of Doom!" Nate's Phantasmal Killer was ineffective against the troll, and a spellsink dispelled Lotus' tremor. Jakob tripped and pummelled the remaining troll and Ike took down a pair of spellsinks. Lotus' vortex of teeth ripped into most enemies, though the spellsinks seemed unaffected -- but Nathaniel's second, and more successful, Phantasmal Killer destroyed the healthier troll and sent the remaining enemies fleeing.
Saturday, December 1, 2007
Session 12, 2007-12-01: We're Going to See the Elves!
Session 12: wherein an archery contest winner gets a trophy, and arrows beat antimagic
Players (Characters)
Scott (Filthy Ike)
Jeremy (Flynn Flamm)
Tony (Brother Jakob)
Rachel (Lotus)
Tom (Nathaniel Graythorne)
DM: Catherine
Minellin gave Nathaniel a freshly-crafted Runestaff of Construct Control and then sent the party on their first "special ops" mission, northward to the Ivani-Ghern border. Gindralen gave Nate the teleportation coordinates and, after teleporting, led the party to a huge tree that was hidden by illusions as if it was just an average tree. Nate began studying the illusions, noticing they gave off no aura whatsoever. Jakob climbed the tree while Lotus licked the bark, noting its texture and flavor. Ike moved to shave some bark off the tree for use as a cooking ingredient, but the party held him back. Soon, everyone climbed the tree and stepped into the outpost high in its branches.
The outpost's director, Thameor, called out "hey, Nate! Did you get it yet?" Alas, neither of the two companions had returned to the Dancing Bear tavern since the fall of Jezrel 155 years ago, so neither had won the bet they'd made shortly after the war. Now that the Hobgoblins controlled the city, it would take a monumental effort to reach the tavern. The two old friends babbled on and on about life back when they were young, boring the rest of the party.
Soon, Lotus and Ike spotted a gargoyle flying about a thousand feet away from the tree. Thameor said it was a scout from the hobgoblins. Ike wasted no time, nailing it with a pair of arrows. Thameor fired his own pair of arrows but missed with both. Ike taunted Thameor as Flynn began singing, and Ike's next three poisoned arrows both killed and paralyzed the gargoyle (6-6-6 dex.) When the gargoyle hit the ground, it broke in half from the force. Jakob hopped out of the outpost, swinging and tumbling to the ground, and then ran to the gargoyle corpse. Some of the gold the gargoyle carried ended up wedged into nearby trees, but Jakob was able to pull the coins out of where they'd gotten stuck. He brought back the coins and the gargoyle's head, which Ike mounted with the inscription "Ike wuz heer."
About an hour later, the party noticed a golem walking around punching trees, obviously searching for fakes. Nathaniel used his staff to cast "hide from constructs" on the party, and they moved to surround the golem. Flynn began singing and Nate placed grease under the golem's feet, making it slip and fall. Jakob and Ike each hit the golem once, while Thameor's arrow bounced off of the golem. Ike shot several more arrows and even Nate got in on the action with an acid-covered crossbow bolt, but it was Jakob's flurry of fists and feet that ended the golem's existence. Ike and Thameor covered the golem's tracks and destroyed evidence of the party's involvement in killing it, and Jakob buried the golem itself.
Another hour passed and Ike spotted a group of hobgoblins moving around with a large wagon that had a large flaming bowl at its center. The Ninja Mongoose Rockstars moved to engage the hobgoblins. Ike fired a series of arrows at the lead hobgoblin and Jakob charged him. Lotus' Ice Flowers extinguished the flame and injured all of the others. Flynn began singing about how stupid hobgoblins were and how they'd look good in coffins. One of the hobgoblins, with a symbol of a triangle with a line balanced at its tip on his armor, relit the flame, which billowed thick obscuring smoke. Several others, with sword symbols on their armor, moved toward Jakob. Nate's Great Thunderclap stunned a pair of hobgoblins and knocked another pair over. Jakob waited for two hobgoblins to approach him from the smoke, and when their attacks swung wide, he took the opportunity to knock both over and kill them. Lotus' vortex of teeth killed all but two of the remaining hobgoblins. Ike and Nate finished off the one with a circle and X on his equipment (Ike said the symbol made a nice target), and Jakob grabbed the final one with the balance, wrestling him to the ground and unconscious. Nate discovered none of the hobgoblins had magical equipment, and in fact, one of them (the one with the "target") had an aura that looked to be anti-magical on his body.
Lotus put out the fire and then experimented with the wagon. She found that one lever released thousands of gallons of oil and tipped the fire bowl over, which likely would have charred acres of forest if the fire had been actively burning. Jakob destroyed the cart and began overturning soil to get the oil off of the surface quickly. Nate disguised himself as one of the "target" hobgoblins (the party later learned these were called "spellsinks"). He tried to interrogate the "balance" hobgoblin (an engineer), but the engineer refused to take orders from a spellsink, and tried to attack Nate. Ike's bow put a quick end to that drama and the party headed back to the outpost.
Lotus took eagle form and flew over the hobgoblin outpost. It was on top of a hill, and the forest had been burned away for several hundred yards around. Two dozen of the hobgoblin soldiers were practicing with their swords, and the outpost had at least one trebuchet. Rather than making a frontal assault, the party decided to destroy an inbound supply wagon. Lotus and Jakob stood near the road out in front of the wagon, Ike and Flynn took up positions off to the side, and Nate snuck behind the wagon as it passed. Nate's Great Thunderclap, Lotus' Entangle, and Flynn's Inspirational Boost all took longer to cast than expected. Jakob threw the wagon's driver aside, and Ike fired an arrow right through where the driver had just been a moment before.
Flynn began singing and Ike made up for his missed shot by putting three arrows right through the driver's body. A troll stepped from inside the wagon and attacked Jakob. Jakob was unable to trip the troll, but it was able to daze him. The spellsink dispelled Nate's mage armor and his spellsink disguise, but Nate's Great Thunderclap finally went off, knocking down the troll and horses. The spellsink was completely immune. Nate, upset that his spells seemed to be failing, shot the spellsink right in the throat. Lotus began casting Flamestrike, which again took longer than expected, and Flynn cast Rage on Jakob. Jakob and the troll each tried their same tricks, but the troll kept its feet and Jakob kept his composure. Jakob pulled the sides of the wagon down on top of the troll and the spellsink and then ran for help. Ike fired some arrows at the smaller lump in the wagon, killing the spellsink with a second shot to the throat. Nate cast unluck on the troll, and Lotus' flamestrike and dehydration hurt it and drained away its health. Flynn missed with a pair of arrows and the troll began to flee. Ike's pair of poisoned arrows made the troll significantly less agile, and Nate's phantasmal assailants paralyzed it. Jakob used the Touch of the Shadow Sun to heal himself and drain the troll. Once Jakob was fully healed, Lotus told Nate the troll would only die from acid, so Nate used his acidic crossbow to fire a shot right at the troll's heart. The unlucky troll died from the wound, and the party retrieved many supplies.
Players (Characters)
Scott (Filthy Ike)
Jeremy (Flynn Flamm)
Tony (Brother Jakob)
Rachel (Lotus)
Tom (Nathaniel Graythorne)
DM: Catherine
Minellin gave Nathaniel a freshly-crafted Runestaff of Construct Control and then sent the party on their first "special ops" mission, northward to the Ivani-Ghern border. Gindralen gave Nate the teleportation coordinates and, after teleporting, led the party to a huge tree that was hidden by illusions as if it was just an average tree. Nate began studying the illusions, noticing they gave off no aura whatsoever. Jakob climbed the tree while Lotus licked the bark, noting its texture and flavor. Ike moved to shave some bark off the tree for use as a cooking ingredient, but the party held him back. Soon, everyone climbed the tree and stepped into the outpost high in its branches.
The outpost's director, Thameor, called out "hey, Nate! Did you get it yet?" Alas, neither of the two companions had returned to the Dancing Bear tavern since the fall of Jezrel 155 years ago, so neither had won the bet they'd made shortly after the war. Now that the Hobgoblins controlled the city, it would take a monumental effort to reach the tavern. The two old friends babbled on and on about life back when they were young, boring the rest of the party.
Soon, Lotus and Ike spotted a gargoyle flying about a thousand feet away from the tree. Thameor said it was a scout from the hobgoblins. Ike wasted no time, nailing it with a pair of arrows. Thameor fired his own pair of arrows but missed with both. Ike taunted Thameor as Flynn began singing, and Ike's next three poisoned arrows both killed and paralyzed the gargoyle (6-6-6 dex.) When the gargoyle hit the ground, it broke in half from the force. Jakob hopped out of the outpost, swinging and tumbling to the ground, and then ran to the gargoyle corpse. Some of the gold the gargoyle carried ended up wedged into nearby trees, but Jakob was able to pull the coins out of where they'd gotten stuck. He brought back the coins and the gargoyle's head, which Ike mounted with the inscription "Ike wuz heer."
About an hour later, the party noticed a golem walking around punching trees, obviously searching for fakes. Nathaniel used his staff to cast "hide from constructs" on the party, and they moved to surround the golem. Flynn began singing and Nate placed grease under the golem's feet, making it slip and fall. Jakob and Ike each hit the golem once, while Thameor's arrow bounced off of the golem. Ike shot several more arrows and even Nate got in on the action with an acid-covered crossbow bolt, but it was Jakob's flurry of fists and feet that ended the golem's existence. Ike and Thameor covered the golem's tracks and destroyed evidence of the party's involvement in killing it, and Jakob buried the golem itself.
Another hour passed and Ike spotted a group of hobgoblins moving around with a large wagon that had a large flaming bowl at its center. The Ninja Mongoose Rockstars moved to engage the hobgoblins. Ike fired a series of arrows at the lead hobgoblin and Jakob charged him. Lotus' Ice Flowers extinguished the flame and injured all of the others. Flynn began singing about how stupid hobgoblins were and how they'd look good in coffins. One of the hobgoblins, with a symbol of a triangle with a line balanced at its tip on his armor, relit the flame, which billowed thick obscuring smoke. Several others, with sword symbols on their armor, moved toward Jakob. Nate's Great Thunderclap stunned a pair of hobgoblins and knocked another pair over. Jakob waited for two hobgoblins to approach him from the smoke, and when their attacks swung wide, he took the opportunity to knock both over and kill them. Lotus' vortex of teeth killed all but two of the remaining hobgoblins. Ike and Nate finished off the one with a circle and X on his equipment (Ike said the symbol made a nice target), and Jakob grabbed the final one with the balance, wrestling him to the ground and unconscious. Nate discovered none of the hobgoblins had magical equipment, and in fact, one of them (the one with the "target") had an aura that looked to be anti-magical on his body.
Lotus put out the fire and then experimented with the wagon. She found that one lever released thousands of gallons of oil and tipped the fire bowl over, which likely would have charred acres of forest if the fire had been actively burning. Jakob destroyed the cart and began overturning soil to get the oil off of the surface quickly. Nate disguised himself as one of the "target" hobgoblins (the party later learned these were called "spellsinks"). He tried to interrogate the "balance" hobgoblin (an engineer), but the engineer refused to take orders from a spellsink, and tried to attack Nate. Ike's bow put a quick end to that drama and the party headed back to the outpost.
Lotus took eagle form and flew over the hobgoblin outpost. It was on top of a hill, and the forest had been burned away for several hundred yards around. Two dozen of the hobgoblin soldiers were practicing with their swords, and the outpost had at least one trebuchet. Rather than making a frontal assault, the party decided to destroy an inbound supply wagon. Lotus and Jakob stood near the road out in front of the wagon, Ike and Flynn took up positions off to the side, and Nate snuck behind the wagon as it passed. Nate's Great Thunderclap, Lotus' Entangle, and Flynn's Inspirational Boost all took longer to cast than expected. Jakob threw the wagon's driver aside, and Ike fired an arrow right through where the driver had just been a moment before.
Flynn began singing and Ike made up for his missed shot by putting three arrows right through the driver's body. A troll stepped from inside the wagon and attacked Jakob. Jakob was unable to trip the troll, but it was able to daze him. The spellsink dispelled Nate's mage armor and his spellsink disguise, but Nate's Great Thunderclap finally went off, knocking down the troll and horses. The spellsink was completely immune. Nate, upset that his spells seemed to be failing, shot the spellsink right in the throat. Lotus began casting Flamestrike, which again took longer than expected, and Flynn cast Rage on Jakob. Jakob and the troll each tried their same tricks, but the troll kept its feet and Jakob kept his composure. Jakob pulled the sides of the wagon down on top of the troll and the spellsink and then ran for help. Ike fired some arrows at the smaller lump in the wagon, killing the spellsink with a second shot to the throat. Nate cast unluck on the troll, and Lotus' flamestrike and dehydration hurt it and drained away its health. Flynn missed with a pair of arrows and the troll began to flee. Ike's pair of poisoned arrows made the troll significantly less agile, and Nate's phantasmal assailants paralyzed it. Jakob used the Touch of the Shadow Sun to heal himself and drain the troll. Once Jakob was fully healed, Lotus told Nate the troll would only die from acid, so Nate used his acidic crossbow to fire a shot right at the troll's heart. The unlucky troll died from the wound, and the party retrieved many supplies.
Saturday, September 29, 2007
Session 11, 2007-09-29: Killing Her Dog Is Secondary
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.
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 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.
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