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.
Tuesday, April 8, 2008
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.
Friday, February 29, 2008
Programmed Constructs
Introduction to Programmed Constructs
Construct typesConstructs may be one of three types, depending on how they are controlled. They may be Controlled Constructs, Programmed Constructs, or Awakened Constructs.
Controlled Constructs are directly commanded by a master. They respond well to arbitrary commands, but require direct supervision at all times and are helpless without someone 'driving' them. Shield guardians are this sort of construct. The mythos is ‘mecha’. Vehicles are an outside example.
Programmed Constructs are clumsy to control directly. Instead, they are given an explicit set of instructions which they autonomously follow to the best of their abilities at all times. They are incapable of independant thought and prone to exploitation. Household servants and lone stone golem guardians of an ancient tomb are usually this sort of construct. The mythos is ‘robot’. Asimov's Three Law robots are an outside example.
Awakened Constructs have free will, possibly constrained by prior programming. Awakened constructs are required to follow any immutable programming they possess, but where their programming is silent, they are free. Inevitables are this sort of construct. The mythos is ‘android.’ RoboCop, C3P0, and Commander Data are outside examples.
A programmed construct has a set of four to eight command "slots", each of which is filled with a command. These commands are generally simple, represented as a sentence in plain English.
A programmed construct will fulfill each higher priority command slot as a top priority, to the exclusion of lower slots. However, if it is possible to accomplish both a high and a low priority goal, it will do both.
Here is an example of a guardian construct’s programming:
Remain within thirty feet of the cave mouth.
Remain at ease while peaceful Yuan-Ti are present
Destroy all living creatures.
Sound the alarm if attacking or being attacked.
Without knowledge of its programming this construct is quite dangerous--it remains inert until approached closer than 30 feet, at which point it becomes aggressive and alerts the entire area to intruders.
However, with knowledge of its programming, exploits become clear. It is possible to destroy it with ranged attacks, though its damage reduction still applies, and it will sound the alarm. Alternatively, it is possible to slip past it unhindered by persuading it a peaceful Yuan-Ti is present.
Gory Detail on Command Slots
While generally represented in plain English, a command slot really holds a complex arcane formula dictating every detail of an action. It cannot hold an arbitrary command, and is generally limited in scope and interpretation. Constructs have no intelligence and are not capable of interpreting complex commands which require judgment, ingenuity, or even actions it has not been told how to do. All behavior must be explicitly specified in advance.
A command slot can hold behavior as broad in scope as one or at most two related "tricks" taught to animals together with trigger conditions and constraints. However, specialized constructs have underlying knowledge which allows them to perform tasks much more complex than any animal can.
At creation, a construct may be imbued with innate specialized knowledge appropriate to its tasks. For example, a construct may be given a routine to "Clean the kitchen", complete with collecting and cleaning dishes, putting away and organizing ingredients and utensils, and mopping the floor. In a sophisticated construct, this routine may work on any kitchen--but generally it only works in a given one. At any rate, despite the behavior being complex, it is the same routine every time, carried out mechanically.
Innate knowledge is set at creation and cannot be changed or improved thereafter. Most constructs are given an innate understanding of how to effectively function in combat (though the exact strategy will vary from construct to construct). Some may be given specific battle strategies, an ability to write in certain languages, or knowledge of the complex controls of specific machinery (which it may then operate flawlessly). These routines are usually quite general. It is uncommon to encounter a construct with a built-in interpretation of something usually requiring judgment--such as "guard the cave"--unless the creator is sure she wanted every cave guarded according to exactly the same strategy.
Example Commands:
Destroy all living creatures within 200 feet of the door. (Valid - Construct has an innate definition of living creature and combat, and is given a visual/tactile definition of "the door" when the command is set.)
When commanded by any guest, play whatever music is set up on the harpsichord. (Valid - assuming the construct has an innate understanding of musical notation. Of course, the musical interpretation is rather mechanical.)
Do whatever John tells you to. (Not valid - the construct has no way to interpret arbitrary commands.)
Destroy any target John gives you, and desist on his command. (Valid)
Constructs, like most beings, are limited in perception to what they can see, hear, and feel. Trigger conditions are frequently vulnerable to exploitation through disguises and illusions. There is one exception to this: A construct has a permanent and supernatural connection to its master(s), and always knows who and where its masters are. A construct told to "find its master" cannot follow an intelligent route, but will always head in the right direction.
Due to the clumsiness of direct control, most constructs used in warfare or as personal servants are either awakened or commanded. Programmed constructs are most commonly encountered as guardians in remote places, or servants given simple tasks.
Command slots may have the following characteristics:
They may be suppressed. These slots are treated as empty, the construct ignoring any commands they contain. Suppressed command slots show as "empty" to scanning spells.
They may be immutable (set at creation). The contents of mutable command slots can be changed, but the contents of immutable Command Slots cannot be changed by any means.
They may be hidden (set at creation). Hidden command slots, though still active, show as "empty" to scanning spells.
They may be masked. Masked command slots scan as one thing, but operate as another.
A command slot may reference other command slots in a general way. For example, a valid command is "When asked, open the door for anyone protected by command #1". However, it is not possible to store a full copy of one command slot in another, and under no condition may a Command Slot change the contents of another command slot, or add to or change the construct's master(s). Constructs are capable of reading their own Hidden Command Slots, and are not aware of or fooled by masks. However, a construct will always treat Suppressed Command Slots as empty, even when referenced by other commands.
Gory Detail On Masked Command Slots
A masked slot has two elements: the Clear Command and the Mask.
The Clear Command represents the true contents of the Command Slot, and is a command in the usual way. It is subject to all the same constraints as other Command Slot contents, and is obeyed by the construct just like any other command.
The Mask is shown when spells like Scan Construct are used to read command slots. These spells show the Mask in the Command Slot, instead of the Clear Command, and give no indication that the Clear Command exists. The Mask has no other affect on the construct, and does not change its behavior in any way.
Due to space limitations, it is not possible to store two full commands in the same slot. Therefore, Masks are limited to a simple form. Masks may only take the form of passive constraints, and cannot be full-fledged active commands. A Mask always appears to limit a construct's actions, and never takes a form which would authorize any new activity. The plain language representation has the following form: "Do not [positive action or actions].”
Any construct can store at most one masked Command Slot at a time.
Some examples of masks and non-masks:
A guardian stone golem:
Do not move farther than 30 feet from the cave mouth. (Valid mask)
Do not engage in combat or movement while peaceful Yuan-Ti are present. (Valid mask)
Destroy all living creatures. (Not a mask)
Sound the alarm if attacking or being attacked. (Not a mask)
An enchanted broom:
Put yourself away and come back out when commanded. (Not a mask)
Sweep any dirty surfaces you find. (Not a mask)
Do not leave the castle.(Valid mask)
Roam freely. (Not a mask)
A mask must always forbid a positive action, and never enables it. A command such as "Do not remain silent" is not a valid mask, as it requires positive action. When Scan Construct translates arcane formulas to plain language, potential Masks are always translated beginning with the words "Do not".
Scan Construct is a translation from a complex arcane formula, so equivalent command wordings are considered the same command. Therefore, if a command can be re-worded as a Mask, this may be done without changing the apparent contents of the slot. (Metagame note: All potential constraints should begin with the words "Do not," so there is no confusion. But in the case of an oversight, a command such as "Remain silent" may be covered with a Mask of "Do not make sound," and the scanning spells will not detect a difference.)
Any effect which changes the contents of a Command Slot reveals the existence of the Mask. At the caster's option, the Mask may be discarded or retained. The Clear Command is not revealed and is erased in the process of replacing the command.
Command Slot Property Summary
| Command Slot Property | Origin | Removed By | Scan Shows | Other Effects |
| Immutable | Set at creation. | N/A | (Im) Command. | Slot contents cannot be changed by any means. |
| Hidden | Set at creation. | N/A | Empty. | Slot contents cannot be revealed by any means (but may be deduced). |
| Masked | Mask Command | Changing Command Slot contents | Mask. | None. |
| Suppressed | Suppress Command | Dispel Magic effects. | Empty. | Construct treats Command Slot as empty. |
Scan Details For Combined Effects
| | Immutable | Hidden | Suppressed | Masked |
| Immutable | (Im) Command. | (Im) Empty. | (Im) Empty. | (Im) Mask. |
| Hidden | (Im) Empty. | Empty. | Empty. | N/A |
| Suppressed | (Im) Empty. | Empty. | Empty. | Empty. |
| Masked | (Im) Mask. | N/A | Empty. | Mask. |
Awakened constructs begin life as programmed constructs. When awakened, they lose their command slots, but absorb any immutable commands into their consciousness. These commands do not function as command slots in the usual sense, and cannot be targeted by command-slot altering spells. An awakened construct cannot take further command slot commands, even from her master, but may be bound by immutable programming to obey a specific master or law.
An awakened construct always follows her immutable programming and is not consciously capable of doing otherwise (though she may accidentally do so while deceived or under the effects of confusion). She is consciously aware of her programming and may either agree with it or hate it, but in any case, she has no choice but to follow it.
A programmed construct prepared specifically for awakening which is never activated in its programmed form may include programming more sophisticated than is usually permissible. Commands requiring judgement and interpretation, such as "Uphold the law," may be immutably transcribed on the consciousness of an awakened construct.
Hidden commands are possible, although the construct will usually be able to deduce what they are when they come into effect.
New Spells
| Hide From Constructs Abjuration Level: Sor/Wiz 1 Components: V, S, M Casting Time: 1 Standard Action Range: Touch Targets: One touched creature / level Duration: 10 min. / level Save: Will negates (harmless) Spell Resistance: Yes Constructs cannot see, hear, or smell the warded creatures. Even extraordinary or supernatural sensory capabilities, such as blindsense, blindsight, scent, and tremorsense, cannot detect or locate the warded creatures. Constructs simply act as though the warded creatures are not there. An intelligent (awakened) construct gets a single Will saving throw. If it fails, the subject can’t see any of the warded creatures. However, if it has reason to believe unseen opponents are present, it can attempt to find or strike them. If a warded creature touches a construct or attacks any creature, even with a spell, the spell ends for all recipients. Material component: A bit of cloth woven of thin copper fibers. |
Probe Command Divination Level: Sor/Wiz 2 Components: V, S, M Casting Time: 1 Standard Action Range: Medium (100 ft. + 10 ft./level) Targets: One programmed construct Duration: Instantaneous Save: No; Special (see text) Spell Resistance: No. Upon casting this spell, you immediately learn the number of Command Slots the targeted construct has. You may then choose one slot from the set. Probe Command reveals the contents of that slot, provided the slot is not Suppressed, Hidden or Masked. If the Command Slot is immutable, this is revealed. Any Suppressed or Hidden slots which are probed are shown as empty. Any Masked slot which is probed reveals the Mask, but not the Clear Command or the fact that the Command Slot is masked. If the probed Command Slot holds a potential mask (a command beginning with "Do not"), you may attempt a caster level check (1d20 + caster level) against the Command Slot DC (10 + Construct Hit Dice + command slot priority above lowest slot). If you succeed on this check, Probe Command reveals whether the slot is Masked, and if so, reveals the the Clear Command. The subject construct is not especially aware of the casting of this spell or that it is the target. It will take no actions against you (even if it sees you casting) unless it would do so otherwise—for example, if it had been commanded to attack anyone casting a spell. This spell does not work on awakened constructs, constructs designed to operate under direct supervision and command, or other constructs which are not programmed. Material Component: A pair of thin copper rods. |
Scan Construct Divination Level: Sor/Wiz 3 Components: V, S Casting Time: 1 Standard Action Range: Medium (100 ft. + 10 ft./level) Targets: One construct with commands. Duration: Instantaneous Save: None Spell Resistance: No You know the commands a single construct is currently set to obey. The exact contents of its command slots are revealed to you, so that you are capable of fully specifying the construct's behavior. This spell reveals only active, visible, and unmasked command slots; suppressed or hidden command slots are shown as empty, while masked command slots show the mask. The subject construct is not especially aware of the casting of this spell or that it is the target. It will take no actions against you (even if it sees you casting) unless it would do so otherwise—for example, if it had been commanded to attack anyone casting a spell. This spell does not work on awakened constructs, constructs designed to operate under direct supervision and command, or other constructs which are not programmed. Constructs designed at creation with immutable commands may still be scanned, and this spell will reveal that those commands are immutable. If the casting time is extended to ten minutes, this spell will also reveal the full details of any innate behavior and knowledge the construct posesses. |
| Suppress Command Transmutation Level: Sor/Wiz 3 Components: S, F Casting Time: 1 Standard Action Range: Close (25 ft. + 5 ft./level) Targets: One construct command slot. Duration: Permanent Save: No; Special (see text). Spell Resistance: No You suppress a single command slot, causing the construct to behave as though that command slot was empty. Any command currently in the slot or entered after this spell is cast is ignored. To cast this spell successfully, you must succeed on a caster level check (1d20 + caster level) against the command slot (10 + Construct Hit Dice + command slot priority above lowest slot). For example, the DC for a 12 HD stone golem with 6 command slots would be 10 + 12 + 4 = 26 for its second highest priority command slot. The construct is not especially aware of the casting of this spell or that it is the target. It will take no actions against you (even if it sees you casting) unless it would do so otherwise—for example, if it had been commanded to attack anyone casting a spell. This spell does not work on awakened constructs, constructs designed to operate under direct supervision and command, or other constructs which are not programmed. Constructs designed at creation with immutable commands may still be targeted. Immutable commands cannot be changed, but the slot can be suppressed. The effect of this spell is permanent. A construct’s creator may not simply re-fill the suppressed command slot, as any entered command will be ignored. However, the effect can be removed as a spell effects generally can by Dispel Magic, Break Enchantment, Greater Dispel Magic, Antimagic Field, and similar effects. A construct with no active commands takes no actions, and is considered helpless. Arcane Focus: A tiny silver net worth 25 gp. |
Replace Command Transmutation Level: Sor/Wiz 4 Components: V, S Casting Time: 1 Standard Action Range: Close (25 ft. + 5 ft./level) Targets: One mutable construct command slot. Duration: Instantaneous Save: No; Special (see text). Spell Resistance: No You replace the contents of a single command slot, erasing any previous command. To cast this spell successfully, you must succeed on a caster level check (1d20 + caster level) against the command slot (DC 10 + Construct Hit Dice + command slot priority above lowest slot). For example, the DC for a 12 HD stone golem with 6 command slots would be 10 + 12 + 4 = 26 for its second highest priority command slot. The construct is not especially aware of the casting of this spell or that it is the target. It will take no actions against you (even if it sees you casting) unless it would do so otherwise—for example, if it had been commanded to attack anyone casting a spell. This spell does not work on awakened constructs, constructs designed to operate under direct supervision and command, or other constructs which are not programmed. Constructs designed at creation with immutable commands may not be targeted unless they have mutable command slots as well. This spell has an instantaneous effect and cannot be reversed or dispelled in any way. However, this spell does not hinder a construct’s creator from changing the command as a move action (as she can usually do). A second casting of this spell can also change the command. Material Component: A rare pearl worth 250 gp. |
| Mask Command Abjuration Level: Sor/Wiz 5 Components: V, S, M Casting Time: 1 Standard Action Range: Close (25 ft. + 5 ft./level) Targets: One construct Command Slot Duration: Instantaneous Save: No; Special (see text) Spell Resistance: No. You create a Mask over the targeted Command Slot. The superficial appearance of the Command Slot is changed so that Scan Construct shows the Mask in the slot instead of the Clear Command. This spell does not affect the behavior of the target construct in any way. It continues to obey the original contents of the Command Slot, which persist as the Clear Command. A Mask is a permanent, non-magical change to a Command Slot. It cannot be dispelled or disjoined, nor is it suppressed in an Anti-magic field. A Mask can be removed by any effect which changes the contents of the Command Slot. To cast this spell successfully, you must succeed on a caster level check (1d20 + caster level) against the command slot (10 + Construct Hit Dice + command slot priority above lowest slot). For example, the DC for a 12 HD stone golem with 6 command slots would be 10 + 12 + 4 = 26 for its second highest priority command slot. If this check fails, the spell is not cast, and you gain no information about what would have happened had the check succeeded. If the targeted slot already has a Mask, the new Mask replaces the old one. You do not learn that the Command Slot was masked, nor do you learn what the Clear Command is. If the target already has a Mask on a different Command Slot, this spell fails and you learn that the construct already has a Mask in a different Command Slot. If a hidden Command Slot is targeted, the spell fails and you learn that the targeted Command Slot is Hidden. A Mask must always take the form of a constraint, and cannot command any new action or activity. Material Component: A tiny hollow figurine of a mare. |
Command Construct Transmutation Level: Sor/Wiz 6 Components: V, S, M Casting Time: 1 Standard Action Range: Close (25 ft. + 5 ft./level) Targets: One construct with mutable command slots. Duration: 1 min. / level Save: No; Special (see text). Spell Resistance: No The subject of this spell regards you as one of its masters. For the duration of this spell, as a move action, you may change the contents of any mutable command slot provided you are within 60 feet and the construct can hear you. The construct is given a supernatural ability to recognize you for the duration of the spell and knows where you are. Constructs speak a variety of specific arcane languages; the translation of your own language to this one is automatically carried out as part of this spell. Anyone who can hear you may make a DC 25 Knowledge (Arcane) check to understand what you are telling the construct to do. (Magical effects which permit understanding languages do not work on this.) To cast this spell successfully, you must succeed on a caster level check (1d20 + caster level) against 10 + Construct Hit Dice + Number of Command Slots. For example, the DC for a 12 HD stone golem with 6 command slots would be 10 + 12 + 6 = 28. The construct is not especially aware of the casting of this spell or that it is the target. It will take no actions against you (even if it sees you casting) unless it would do so otherwise—for example, if it had been commanded to attack anyone casting a spell. This spell does not work on awakened constructs, constructs designed to operate under direct supervision and command, or other constructs which are not programmed. Constructs designed at creation with immutable commands may be targeted, but you cannot change immutable commands. All command changes are an instantaneous effect and cannot be reversed or dispelled in any way. However, this spell does not hinder a construct’s original creator from changing the command as a move action (as she can usually do), even while the spell is in effect. Material Component: A rare pearl worth 100 gp per construct HD. |
| Master Construct Transmutation Level: Sor/Wiz 9 Components: V, S, M Casting Time: 1 minute Range: Close (25 ft. + 5 ft./level) Targets: One programmed construct Duration: Instantaneous Save: No; Special (see text). Spell Resistance: No The subject of this spell permanently regards you as one of its masters. As a move action, you may change the contents of any mutable command slot, provided you are within 60 feet and the construct can hear you. The construct gains a pernament supernatural connection to you and always recognizes you and and knows where you are. Constructs speak a variety of specific arcane languages; the translation of your own language to this one is automatically carried out as part of this spell. Anyone who can hear you may make a DC 25 Knowledge (Arcane) check to understand what you are telling the construct to do. (Magical effects which permit understanding languages do not work on this.) To cast this spell successfully, you must succeed on a caster level check (1d20 + caster level) against 10 + Construct Hit Dice + Number of Command Slots. For example, the DC for a 12 HD stone golem with 6 command slots would be 10 + 12 + 6 = 28. The effects of this spell in no way hinder the connection between a construct and its existing masters. This effect is permanent. Construct masters cannot be removed by any means short of Wish or Miracle. Material Component: A magically luminescent green diamond worth 1,000 gp per construct HD. |
Session 17, 2008-02-29: In Ur Camp, Killin Ur Boss
Session 17: wherein prisoners are freed, snakes are killed, and NMR leaves a calling card
Players (Characters)
Scott (Filthy Ike)
Jeremy (Flynn Flamm)
Tony (Brother Jakob)
Rachel (Lotus)
Tom (Nathaniel Graythorne)
DM: Catherine
Nate cast veil on the party, disguising himself as the female psion who had led the yuan-ti party, and disguising the others to look like the remaining enemies, who were yuan-ti halfblood clerics and psions. At the gate to the siege camp, a group of guards gladly greeted the "insidious anklebiters" and said Seth Ness'n was waiting impatiently for the group. He also warned that teleporting within the camp was very bad -- all teleports would be redirected to a very bad place, no exceptions. Within the camp, snakes continually approached, looking to be petted. A few human slaves were being badly mistreated along the way, and Nate had to remind Jakob that the mission couldn't be compromised; slaves could only be rescued if it was safe. Flynn ran the Rod of the Mongoose in eavesdropping mode for a few minutes, hearing various lackies get summoned, but nothing of great interest. At one point along the way, a yuan-ti purebred coughed out some of the black sand associated with the Thirsting, and then healed himself. Jakob yelled at him to clean the mess up, so he kicked the black sand into one of the blood-filled trenches along the road. Elsewhere, in the market, the party witnessed items being purchased with red coins, and mistreatment of those who only had gold with which to pay. Throughout the camp, the yuan-ti class system was readily apparent -- the more snake-like one was, the more they would mistreat the lower classes.
Another yuan-ti halfblood approached the party and said he'd heard we had a mission assignment, with payment of "full scales" (that is, transformation into a higher class of yuan-ti), and that he wanted to be included. Nate, in his female yuan-ti voice, said he might consider it, and asked where they could meet later. After gathering up an address, the party headed for the temple that served as a gate to the inner ring of the camp. Ditches full of blood and other nastiness flowed freely from the temple, and inside, various forms of torture and killings were being performed on humans, elves, and lower-class yuan-ti. One cleric removed the heart from a living prisoner, and that was not the worst the party witnessed. The party decided to press onward, moving down the wooden pole at the back of the temple; Lotus wildshaped into a snake to make the climb easier.
Below the temple was a torture chamber where two yuan-ti guards had just accidentally killed a prisoner they were supposed to keep alive. The other guards pointed to them, and the party stepped forward and beat them to death. This did not surprise the remaining guards in the least, but when Flynn switched the Rod of the Mongoose to block sound and cast haste on the party, they started to suspect trouble. Lotus began summoning constrictor snakes, and Ike shot and killed a guard. One of the others yelled out "treason" and cast Sadism. Two others stepped back, out of where the psion Jakob was disguised as would have been able to reach, and began casting spells. They were quite surprised when Jakob knocked one on his back and punched the other in the face. One managed to cast Waves of Pain on Jakob, who resisted (melee-oriented Half-Ogres tend to have better physical resistance than yuan-ti psions, so this was a poor choice of spells.) Two more enemies approached Jakob, and he tripped one and took a minor wound from the other. Jakob used Searing Blade and killed two opponents with two strikes each. Nate used Hold Person to freeze the remaining cleric, and one of the human prisoners kicked at his captor.
Flynn fired a few shots from his bow, dealing minor wounds to one enemy. Lotus' snakes wrapped up two of the enemies and bit a third. Ike's five arrows left one enemy near death. Another turned invisible and started climbing the wall, hoping to get to safety. Jakob killed one of the enemies he'd tripped, and Nate fired an errant shot toward the wall-climbing enemy. Ike showed Nate how it's done with a critical shot that pinned the enemy to the wall, and Lotus' snake crushed the head of the final enemy. The party gathered up all of the arrows they'd fired, slashing dead enemies with scimitars to disguise their wounds. They also cast Lingering Soul on the recently killed prisoner, unlocked all of their cages, burned out a wand of Cure Light Wounds, and handed them a bit of gold. Nate cast Veil on the whole group, and Flynn handed the toughest-looking prisoner a pearl that allowed him to speak yuan-ti fluently. He gave the prisoners instructions to head out of camp and just keep walking for an hour, after which Nate would dismiss the spell and make them look human again -- so if they weren't away within an hour, they were going to be in trouble. Nate also used a permanent image to make the room appear occupied from afar.
The party walked out of the torture chamber and into the inner area. Some guards were talking about Azulu's recent attack on the Ninja Mongoose Rockstars. They thought the name was strange. Rockstars are loud, so they must not be very good ninjas, and the mongoose is an animal that kills snakes, which makes it some sort of hideous abomination of nature. It didn't make sense for a party to name themselves the equivalent of "sucky ninja puppykickers". No; a better name would be the "masked jackasses", and they'd be dead soon anyway. The guards then turned to greet the "insidious anklebiters", who obviously had a much better name, and told them Seth Ness'n was getting anxious. Nate asked where Azulu might be found, and got another address, this time to one of the nice stone houses in the middle of the camp.
The party headed over to meet Seth Ness'n, and Nate made sure to mute Ike via the Veil spell. Seth Ness'n said "you are late. I fear you've come to love your leader too much" and cast a spell on each party member that would harm the nearby person they loved most or were most loyal to -- a simple way to punish those who had too many loyal followers. Ike loved himself the most; Flynn and Nate were friendly with each other, as were Lotus and Jakob. "I suppose I have misjudged your loyalties. Ah well. I have a mission for you. It's simple -- kill the Ninja Mongoose Rockstars. This request comes all the way from the wastelands." Seth Ness'n headed back to his office, and Ike was clearly upset that they hadn't killed the enemy cleric on the spot. "Come on, Ike, let's go get your bow", Nate said, and Ike was satisfied.
The party walked to the tavern/sauna where Azulu was hanging out, and opened the door. Azulu was in the pool, holding Ike's bow in his hands and getting it wet and dirty as he spoke of how badly he'd destroy NMR "if they were here right now." Ike drew Fox's Bite and shot Azulu in the chest, and it was all the party could do to get the door swung shut before those outside would see. Flynn quickly set the Rod to block telepathic communications as Ike continued shooting. Jakob tripped one of the psions who was in the pool, and Nate used telekinesis to push another into Jakob's reach. Flynn played a quiet acoustic chord that inspired the party to attack. One of the psions dropped some lightning on Ike and Nate, and Azulu, recognizing who the party was, tried to telekinetically pull Flynn's lyre out of his hands. Flynn was able to hold on, so Azulu scrambled Flynn's atoms. A cleric who was in the pool with the psions and snakes cast True Seeing to try to figure out what was going on, and a pair of attendants panicked and tried to get to the door. Lotus called lightning down on Azulu, killing him and, to her dismay, some of the snakes in the pool. Ike fired four shots at the cleric, and Jakob's flurry of flaming fists hit solidly (rolled 2 20's and a third 20 to confirm) and killed the psion. Nate tried to bullrush the cleric away from his armor, but failed. Flynn's pair of arrows left the cleric barely alive, and the cleric cast Delay Death on himself. The attendants tried to send for help, but the Rod again blocked the effect. Lotus hit the cleric with lightning, which mattered little due to his Delay Death spell. Ike took down the attendants while Jakob, using his Quicksilver boots, strode across the water and knocked the enemy cleric unconscious. Jakob used his Shadow Sun Hand to pull life force from the cleric and heal the party, and Nate lifted Ike's bow from the water using telekinesis.
The Ninja Mongoose Rockstars headed back to Seth Ness'n's office, asking the guards for entry. The guards said "nobody is allowed to distrub Seth Ness'n. Come back later." Nate insisted "we were ordered to bring back information as soon as possible." After a brief staredown, the guards relented and moved out of the way. Inside the structure were three trapdoors, one with a cleric symbol, one with a psion eye symbol, and one blank. Flynn used the Rod of the Mongoose to block the sound from opening the door, and the party jumped down into Seth Ness'n's private chamber. The big yuan-ti stood and yelled "speak your piece and save your lives." Nate replied "the guards said to come right in." (bluff: natural 20.) "This better be important", the cleric said, backing off from his aggressive pose. "We got this bow from Azulu. We need to scry on the Ninja Mongoose Rockstars. It's time-critical." "I like your initiative." With that, Seth Ness'n grabbed the bow and began casting scrying as the party arranged themselves for battle. Soon, Seth Ness'n realized he was scrying on the room he was in.
Nate spun up his Great Thunderclap, knocking the enemy prone, but Lotus' Drown spell failed. Flynn played a loud lute riff and then flipped the Rod into its telepathy-blocking mode. Ike broke the AMF arrow out of its bottle and fired it at Seth Ness'n, hitting him solidly. Jakob stepped forward and took two swings, smashing the still-surprised cleric. Ike took a precisely aimed shot, Jakob hit the big cleric three times, and Flynn hasted the party. Seth Ness'n pulled the arrow out of himself and tossed it to the side, taking a hit from Jakob in the process, and then cast Dictum -- surely these "assassins" were chaotic and evil, so Blasphemy would not do. Everyone but Jakob was paralyzed by the powerful spell, but Jakob was able to grab the AMF arrow and toss it in the middle of the party, supressing the paralysis. Flynn fired a pair of completely unmagical arrows at the enemy cleric, killing him. ("We do a lot of assassinating for non-assassins." -Rachel) The party waited for the Dictum spell to wear off and then picked up various treasures from the room. Nate drew the Ninja Mongoose Rockstars logo on the floor in chalk, and then the party headed out.
On the way out, Nate told the guards "Seth Ness'n is really angry with you guys for letting us in, so I wouldn't go anywhere near him if I was you." They continued standing watch as the party walked toward the camp gates. Jakob bullied a few yuan-ti into giving up their human slaves, and Flynn traded a bunch of red coins for their gold equivalents. Once the party was outside of the camp, Nate contacted Derex to let him know the party was ready for pickup and that a group of "yuan-ti" ahead were really disguised human slaves. A group of kingsmen showed up to teleport NMR and the slaves back to Old Westlay.
Jakob reached level 12.
Players (Characters)
Scott (Filthy Ike)
Jeremy (Flynn Flamm)
Tony (Brother Jakob)
Rachel (Lotus)
Tom (Nathaniel Graythorne)
DM: Catherine
Nate cast veil on the party, disguising himself as the female psion who had led the yuan-ti party, and disguising the others to look like the remaining enemies, who were yuan-ti halfblood clerics and psions. At the gate to the siege camp, a group of guards gladly greeted the "insidious anklebiters" and said Seth Ness'n was waiting impatiently for the group. He also warned that teleporting within the camp was very bad -- all teleports would be redirected to a very bad place, no exceptions. Within the camp, snakes continually approached, looking to be petted. A few human slaves were being badly mistreated along the way, and Nate had to remind Jakob that the mission couldn't be compromised; slaves could only be rescued if it was safe. Flynn ran the Rod of the Mongoose in eavesdropping mode for a few minutes, hearing various lackies get summoned, but nothing of great interest. At one point along the way, a yuan-ti purebred coughed out some of the black sand associated with the Thirsting, and then healed himself. Jakob yelled at him to clean the mess up, so he kicked the black sand into one of the blood-filled trenches along the road. Elsewhere, in the market, the party witnessed items being purchased with red coins, and mistreatment of those who only had gold with which to pay. Throughout the camp, the yuan-ti class system was readily apparent -- the more snake-like one was, the more they would mistreat the lower classes.
Another yuan-ti halfblood approached the party and said he'd heard we had a mission assignment, with payment of "full scales" (that is, transformation into a higher class of yuan-ti), and that he wanted to be included. Nate, in his female yuan-ti voice, said he might consider it, and asked where they could meet later. After gathering up an address, the party headed for the temple that served as a gate to the inner ring of the camp. Ditches full of blood and other nastiness flowed freely from the temple, and inside, various forms of torture and killings were being performed on humans, elves, and lower-class yuan-ti. One cleric removed the heart from a living prisoner, and that was not the worst the party witnessed. The party decided to press onward, moving down the wooden pole at the back of the temple; Lotus wildshaped into a snake to make the climb easier.
Below the temple was a torture chamber where two yuan-ti guards had just accidentally killed a prisoner they were supposed to keep alive. The other guards pointed to them, and the party stepped forward and beat them to death. This did not surprise the remaining guards in the least, but when Flynn switched the Rod of the Mongoose to block sound and cast haste on the party, they started to suspect trouble. Lotus began summoning constrictor snakes, and Ike shot and killed a guard. One of the others yelled out "treason" and cast Sadism. Two others stepped back, out of where the psion Jakob was disguised as would have been able to reach, and began casting spells. They were quite surprised when Jakob knocked one on his back and punched the other in the face. One managed to cast Waves of Pain on Jakob, who resisted (melee-oriented Half-Ogres tend to have better physical resistance than yuan-ti psions, so this was a poor choice of spells.) Two more enemies approached Jakob, and he tripped one and took a minor wound from the other. Jakob used Searing Blade and killed two opponents with two strikes each. Nate used Hold Person to freeze the remaining cleric, and one of the human prisoners kicked at his captor.
Flynn fired a few shots from his bow, dealing minor wounds to one enemy. Lotus' snakes wrapped up two of the enemies and bit a third. Ike's five arrows left one enemy near death. Another turned invisible and started climbing the wall, hoping to get to safety. Jakob killed one of the enemies he'd tripped, and Nate fired an errant shot toward the wall-climbing enemy. Ike showed Nate how it's done with a critical shot that pinned the enemy to the wall, and Lotus' snake crushed the head of the final enemy. The party gathered up all of the arrows they'd fired, slashing dead enemies with scimitars to disguise their wounds. They also cast Lingering Soul on the recently killed prisoner, unlocked all of their cages, burned out a wand of Cure Light Wounds, and handed them a bit of gold. Nate cast Veil on the whole group, and Flynn handed the toughest-looking prisoner a pearl that allowed him to speak yuan-ti fluently. He gave the prisoners instructions to head out of camp and just keep walking for an hour, after which Nate would dismiss the spell and make them look human again -- so if they weren't away within an hour, they were going to be in trouble. Nate also used a permanent image to make the room appear occupied from afar.
The party walked out of the torture chamber and into the inner area. Some guards were talking about Azulu's recent attack on the Ninja Mongoose Rockstars. They thought the name was strange. Rockstars are loud, so they must not be very good ninjas, and the mongoose is an animal that kills snakes, which makes it some sort of hideous abomination of nature. It didn't make sense for a party to name themselves the equivalent of "sucky ninja puppykickers". No; a better name would be the "masked jackasses", and they'd be dead soon anyway. The guards then turned to greet the "insidious anklebiters", who obviously had a much better name, and told them Seth Ness'n was getting anxious. Nate asked where Azulu might be found, and got another address, this time to one of the nice stone houses in the middle of the camp.
The party headed over to meet Seth Ness'n, and Nate made sure to mute Ike via the Veil spell. Seth Ness'n said "you are late. I fear you've come to love your leader too much" and cast a spell on each party member that would harm the nearby person they loved most or were most loyal to -- a simple way to punish those who had too many loyal followers. Ike loved himself the most; Flynn and Nate were friendly with each other, as were Lotus and Jakob. "I suppose I have misjudged your loyalties. Ah well. I have a mission for you. It's simple -- kill the Ninja Mongoose Rockstars. This request comes all the way from the wastelands." Seth Ness'n headed back to his office, and Ike was clearly upset that they hadn't killed the enemy cleric on the spot. "Come on, Ike, let's go get your bow", Nate said, and Ike was satisfied.
The party walked to the tavern/sauna where Azulu was hanging out, and opened the door. Azulu was in the pool, holding Ike's bow in his hands and getting it wet and dirty as he spoke of how badly he'd destroy NMR "if they were here right now." Ike drew Fox's Bite and shot Azulu in the chest, and it was all the party could do to get the door swung shut before those outside would see. Flynn quickly set the Rod to block telepathic communications as Ike continued shooting. Jakob tripped one of the psions who was in the pool, and Nate used telekinesis to push another into Jakob's reach. Flynn played a quiet acoustic chord that inspired the party to attack. One of the psions dropped some lightning on Ike and Nate, and Azulu, recognizing who the party was, tried to telekinetically pull Flynn's lyre out of his hands. Flynn was able to hold on, so Azulu scrambled Flynn's atoms. A cleric who was in the pool with the psions and snakes cast True Seeing to try to figure out what was going on, and a pair of attendants panicked and tried to get to the door. Lotus called lightning down on Azulu, killing him and, to her dismay, some of the snakes in the pool. Ike fired four shots at the cleric, and Jakob's flurry of flaming fists hit solidly (rolled 2 20's and a third 20 to confirm) and killed the psion. Nate tried to bullrush the cleric away from his armor, but failed. Flynn's pair of arrows left the cleric barely alive, and the cleric cast Delay Death on himself. The attendants tried to send for help, but the Rod again blocked the effect. Lotus hit the cleric with lightning, which mattered little due to his Delay Death spell. Ike took down the attendants while Jakob, using his Quicksilver boots, strode across the water and knocked the enemy cleric unconscious. Jakob used his Shadow Sun Hand to pull life force from the cleric and heal the party, and Nate lifted Ike's bow from the water using telekinesis.
The Ninja Mongoose Rockstars headed back to Seth Ness'n's office, asking the guards for entry. The guards said "nobody is allowed to distrub Seth Ness'n. Come back later." Nate insisted "we were ordered to bring back information as soon as possible." After a brief staredown, the guards relented and moved out of the way. Inside the structure were three trapdoors, one with a cleric symbol, one with a psion eye symbol, and one blank. Flynn used the Rod of the Mongoose to block the sound from opening the door, and the party jumped down into Seth Ness'n's private chamber. The big yuan-ti stood and yelled "speak your piece and save your lives." Nate replied "the guards said to come right in." (bluff: natural 20.) "This better be important", the cleric said, backing off from his aggressive pose. "We got this bow from Azulu. We need to scry on the Ninja Mongoose Rockstars. It's time-critical." "I like your initiative." With that, Seth Ness'n grabbed the bow and began casting scrying as the party arranged themselves for battle. Soon, Seth Ness'n realized he was scrying on the room he was in.
Nate spun up his Great Thunderclap, knocking the enemy prone, but Lotus' Drown spell failed. Flynn played a loud lute riff and then flipped the Rod into its telepathy-blocking mode. Ike broke the AMF arrow out of its bottle and fired it at Seth Ness'n, hitting him solidly. Jakob stepped forward and took two swings, smashing the still-surprised cleric. Ike took a precisely aimed shot, Jakob hit the big cleric three times, and Flynn hasted the party. Seth Ness'n pulled the arrow out of himself and tossed it to the side, taking a hit from Jakob in the process, and then cast Dictum -- surely these "assassins" were chaotic and evil, so Blasphemy would not do. Everyone but Jakob was paralyzed by the powerful spell, but Jakob was able to grab the AMF arrow and toss it in the middle of the party, supressing the paralysis. Flynn fired a pair of completely unmagical arrows at the enemy cleric, killing him. ("We do a lot of assassinating for non-assassins." -Rachel) The party waited for the Dictum spell to wear off and then picked up various treasures from the room. Nate drew the Ninja Mongoose Rockstars logo on the floor in chalk, and then the party headed out.
On the way out, Nate told the guards "Seth Ness'n is really angry with you guys for letting us in, so I wouldn't go anywhere near him if I was you." They continued standing watch as the party walked toward the camp gates. Jakob bullied a few yuan-ti into giving up their human slaves, and Flynn traded a bunch of red coins for their gold equivalents. Once the party was outside of the camp, Nate contacted Derex to let him know the party was ready for pickup and that a group of "yuan-ti" ahead were really disguised human slaves. A group of kingsmen showed up to teleport NMR and the slaves back to Old Westlay.
Jakob reached level 12.
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