Community

Demetri_Knighthawk wrote:

Okay, well 'in the morning' became 'tomorrow' became 'thursday' so here I am now.

Not a lot happened this last session (12 July) but we did learn of a legend. Some old trader we met along the road told us the story of a firesoul Genasi bandit king named Akuma Brightscar, who ruled the bandit tribes decades ago. He told us many things about old Akuma, but most importantly he claimed to know where the bandit king's tomb lay. You see Akuma was injured in his last fight, and he retreated to his secret lair to rest and recuperate... only he never got better and his lair became his tomb.

For a small amount of gold, the trader agreed to tell us the location of the tomb. He had been intending to mount an expedition out to the tomb himself, but instead thought it would be more profitable if we went. The adventurers assumed all of the risk, and paid him a bit of gold if they returned. If they all died inside, well... the prize is still there to be claimed. Being hardy (foolhardy?) adventurers, we accepted.

Upon returning to the town of Goldenwall, we investigated the rumor in detail. Lord Sule, the necromancer in the town, helped us do a bit of research on the topic. We did glean a number of interesting facts about old Akuma which may help us later, but more importantly we got a much more detailed map. The trader's map had been hastily sketched from memory, but comparing to to cartographer's maps allowed us to fill in landmarks and chart a route. Begging supplies and manpower from Lord Sule, we set out for high adventure and tomb plundering.

Fast forward past travel over road, mountain, and forest... we arrive in the area. We note a hill which appears on the map and seems to be marked as the tomb's location, as well as a nearby town. Thinking we could resupply later at said town, we decide to make for the hill. The hill has a river running beside it, and a small stone bridge over it. Leaving our faithful NPC companions guarding the supplies, we hastened to the bridge and began to cross it when...

Frogs! Gigantic frogs! Huge demon frogs from the abyss pop up from the river's surface, each one larger than our wagon and hungrier than a halfling on a fast. Tongues lashed out, pulling two of us from the bridge and into their gaping maws. We gave a very good accounting of ourselves though, with only one near-death. Thorinn, my storm sorcerer, managed to make good use of the lightning strike at-will finishing off two badly-hurt frogs in one blast. Once we'd whittled them down from 4 to two, however, another two join the fray as well as a third who's skin seemed made of stone and who was even larger than the others. This was not looking good.

We battled these monstrous frogs for what seemed like hours, though only a minute or so in reality(gametime). Finally, with a nasty slurping sound, the last frog's lifeless body slipped under the river's surface and floated away. Our fighter, disgusting as he is, tore out the slimey tongue of one and is using it as a belt. We don't stand next to him... he has a rotting untreated gnoll-hide cloak, and a living piece of a green slime in a jar. He feeds it...

Anyway, after a momentary rest we charge onwards. (More in Part 2)

Part 3 - The good, the bad, the really bad.

The Good: We went upstairs and found the objects we needed. They were four coins of different metals, minted in the old days when the Brightscar bandit clan was stronger.

The Bad: The coins were each in an enchanted elemental nexus.

The Really Bad: The nexi were guarded.

We walked upstairs and found a large room with some strange things. On the western wall was a dilapidated stone stairway leading up the wall and into some obviously artificial but all-to-real looking clouds and winds. Along the north wall was a flowing stream of water without apparent beginning or end, it just flowed in a circle with no power. On the east wall was a pit of what appeared to be obsidian granules lined with granite or some other dark stone. On the south wall was a 'tub' of very hot rocks containing a lot of very hot magma.

In each case, there was a coin; At the top of the stairs, at the bottom of the water, laying on the granules, or in an obsidian bowl floating in magma. (I say magma because it's not lava until it erupts onto the earth's surface, subsurface liquid rock is magma.)

Being hearty adventurers, we ran up and snatches the water coin.. well, the bard did anyway. Immediately (after 1 round..) two guardians formed flanking the water area. The guardians were a mix of the two elements on either side, with water/air (Some large stormcloud thing) on the left and water/earth (Great big mudmen) on the right. This was the hardest fight we've ever dealth with so far, with mudmen drowning our party members by forcing mud down our throats and into our lungs while the thunderhead shocked and dazed us and exploded throwing us around the room. We did prevail, but it was a grueling fight and we had to retreat with our prize afterwards.

I have to mention that during the fight our fighter managed to successfully (with a natural 20) grapple the storm cloud, ride it for 3 rounds, and punch it in the eye with a spiked gauntlet. AWESOME.

We holed up in one of the rooms downstairs and secured our tiefling prisoner, then took a nice long rest. In the morning, recouperated and ready to go, we returned to the room and figured we would lick whatever came out handily. I was unable to glean any insight as yet on the way the room works (crappy 1 on an arcana check, 'duh what's magic?') so we decided to go take the fire coin which was opposite the water coin. BAD idea.

Immediatly (1 round later) a fire/air (firestorm elemental) and fire/earth (magma guy with pointy arms) guardians formed up. The firestorm turned into a big howling tornado of fire and ran over us all in one round, moving something like 15 squares while the magma guys with pointy arms poked us making us vulnerable to further fire damage (save ends) which sucked. As the only one with fire resistance, I was taking less damage and even I was badly hurt after only a few rounds. We managed to kill both magma men but in a lucky crit our bard went down, then our avenger followed soon after.

Two members down, we decided we should retreat (we lost our healer and one of our best damage dealers, plus the rogue and I were also near death). Using various means at our disposal we fled from the hardly-scratched firestorm and got our companions downstairs. Unfortunatly too much time had passed and our Bard bled out and died, but we saved the Avenger.

Also unfortunately, it seemed the avenger had dropped his sword upstairs. He loved that sword, and he wanted it back, so after a short rest we cautiously walked back upstairs.

I was first up, being the only one able to speak primordial (and wisely leaving the coins down stairs). I knew that elementals generally had a very narrow definition of their bound task, and I figured it likely that he wouldn't attack if we were not actively stealing things. I decided to use my cunning wit and bluff the thing, claiming to be a much-removed descendant of the Brightscar clan and seeking passage to pay tribute to my ancestor's remains. It was good enough that he was unsure, and waited for me to say more.

Instead of continuing to plead and beg (as I thought maybe a brightscar should be ostentatious and demanding) I decided to intimidate the thing with my mastery of arcana and the elements. I rolled a natural 20 and put on a brilliant display of power, which effectively cowed the elemental for a while so my friends could search the chamber for the other two coins.

Now free to examine the chamber further, (much better arcana check) I noted that there were four separate enchanted devices which put the elementals into a sort of deep slumber between activations, and gleaned that they were only openly hostile to a being holding a coin. Never one to deliberate, Thorinn slammed his flaming-skull-headed staff on the device's activation sigil and channeled power into it, activating it after some effort. This put the elemental back to sleep.

We made an elaborate plan to take the other coins and run away, which we all agreed on except the avenger who'd remained silent. We grabbed the other two coins (The earth node was like dry quicksand, the obsidian granules sucking you down into the pit). When the firestorm manifested again, however, we decided it was better to remove the threat should anyone else come along. I had not told them that we didn't kill the other elementals, they merely go dormant when slain and revive after a fortnight. Its not important, as they cannot leave the room.

After a fight in which the avenger fell down again unconscious and we took yet more damage, we finally managed to lay the firestorm to rest and escape with the coins.

At this point, coins in hand, we know the tomb is safe from anyone else's plundering so we decide to make arrangements for the Bard's body and return to town for the time being.

The Avenger has decided to leave, he feels he's failed his god (Tempus) by falling in battle and failing to kill his oathed target twice. The fighter is leaving as well, feeling a need to escort the Bard's body home. I don't know what will come of our small band now, we'll be hiring new people in in town.

Demetri_Knighthawk wrote:

horray! all ecept for the arse-handing it still sounds like a good time for all. Might I suggest not letting the players use the recent encounter to guide their future choices for new characters.

Well I have little control over what they decide to make, as I'm just a player and not the DM, but it seems so far like they've built a better team overall and not specifically allowed the events to influence their choices. We're now a party of six, with a Swordmage as our defender, an invoker controller, two leaders (cleric and warlord), my sorcerer and our rogue as the two strikers.

Our last party was heavy on strikers, this time we are more balanced between the roles with lots of healing between the two leaders.

Some news: Because the two people wearing pieces of the storm chain have exited the party, they have returned their pieces to Thorinn. What fortuitous circumstances, even though they come on the heels of tragedy. Thorinn has hollowed out his metal staff and mounted the two lengths of chain inside, rigging the top cap of the staff so that it can be removed. This is normally beneath the flaming skull familiar (which generally perches on my staff when not active) so the chains are well hidden. Doing this changed the staff from nonmagical into a +1 Staff of Ruin. Woot!

Our recent session was mostly roleplaying and introductions, though we did soundly defeat some annoying rust monsters. The swordmage's sword got eaten, and then he reforged it from the nonmetallic pommel pieces after an hour so no big loss.

Demetri_Knighthawk wrote:

Cleric: so what are you going to do for the 4 hours of extended rest?
Swordmage: *snaps on elbow length rubber glove* Getting my sword back...

serrious thought, how many pieces of chain was it broken into again?

Well fortunately the swordmage just has to meditate but we did get some extra residuum out of the rust monster from things he's eaten in the past.

The chain is currently in 4 pieces. Two of them are 1ft lengths of chain currently mounted inside my staff, granting it a +1 Staff of Ruin effect, another 1ft length is around my neck acting as a +1 Talon Amulet which does lightning damage. The final piece, a single link of the chain, was left with a wizard named Lord Sule for study. Getting that piece back could be a problem.

My DM has told me that I know how to reassemble the chain. It released so much energy when dismantled, mostly trying to protect itself, that it must be charged again before it could repair itself. This means I need a relatively large storm to harness and channel into the chain. Should be fun if I can get the final link.

Demetri_Knighthawk wrote:

Find a living lightning breathweapon from the draconomicon, or, go to a cleric of melora/kord and ask for either a big storm or a map with a date they plan on letting out a massive storm (hand of fate ritual: big risk big reward)

While I appreciate your input, your suggestions are... problematic.

A living breath weapon per the Draconomicon is, at minimum, a level 16 soldier. I am a level 3 sorcerer. There may be a slight problem there, I doubt I could vanquish it much less absorb it into the chain.

Asking a cleric of Melora or Kord to whip up a big storm is also a bit out of the question for 4 reasons.

1. I'm level 3, so have no way to pay for such a service.
2. Neither church owes me a favor, so I doubt I could convince them to do this.
3. I don't know where such a church exists, we are not near any large cities.
4. I don't think they can even do that, and if they can its surely not as easy as you make it sound.

We're level 3 adventurers in a small town with limited resources right now. The only major civilized area we can reach is Akanul. I think I may have to wait for a natural storm, unfortunately.