So, lots of stuff happened, most of which revolved around Geoffrey Flinthurst, the Fade expert from Kaydtch. Having rescued Flinthurst and a single guard from Kaydtch before the little town turned evil, it was only a matter of time before the guard alerted his superiors that you had Flinthurst under your protection. Only one way around it....
Give Flinthurst to the halflings.
Boaben Fee, leader of the halflings, was only too happy to supplement his new business of selling weapons to scared peasants with a little job of hiding Geoffrey from the powers that be. As the halflings are not allowed in the city, they have no love for Drodswell or his Defenders. In fact, as a sign of good faith, they decided to return all of the items stolen from one of their less scrupulous fellows whom Boaben assures you has been run out of town. Among the items (all of which could have only been taken off characters in town, was a wooden box with an ivory seal).
When Earthmoon returned from town, having been hassled by a guard who still wants revenge on Emord, she immediately recognized on the box the sign of the Southern Jungle Trading Company--basically the Belgian colonial government in Heart of Darkness who are notorious more mistreating their lizard man slave populations during expeditions into the jungle. What's more, inside the box was a medallion awarded to Virgil Breech for his years of solid service to the company.
AT this point the party decided to split. Grengulia decided to head back to the farmhouse to guard Geoffrey Flinthurst until nighfall when he could be moved. Earthmoon and Felden headed off to Hyberoan to watch Breech and Emord and Neri waited with the halflings, Neri all the while losing gold coins.
While watching Flinthurst, Grengulia spied a convoy of Defendeer guards headed off to burned out ruins into which they disapeared. She did not pursue but instead waited for Neri and Emord.
Meanwhile in the city, Felden spent the day hanging around defender HQ listening in on important business. She learned that Breech was kicking in farmdoors all around the surrounding area looking for clues to the Fade ruins, and that the prisoners were to be taken away the next day in a caravan. Later, when Virgil got off duty, she and Earthmoon followed Breech to the Foul Toad--discovering there the faint odor of hard drugs.
Neri, Emord, and Grengulia headed back to the halfling camp with Flinthurst in toe. Grengulia who was riding ahead was jumped by two Owlbears which she completely destroyed.
Earthmoon summoned a Thoqua to burrow out of the city walls, putting a large tunnel right in the center of the Kaydtch stockade and then out into the surrounding field. The party now re-united, hoped to convince the people held in the Kaydtch stockade to escape. The plan worked to lesser and greater degrees. Half of the people made it away, now to wonder the country side, where they will, in all likelihood, get picked up again. The other half were happy enough where they were (too afraid to flee). The guards who were knocked unconscious during the escape attempt will be able to easilly identify their attackers (there are only so many half orcs and dwarves in the area) so the characters are likely to be implicated in this escape. Earthmoon, of course, isn't happy because there is still half of the stockade left that needs to be rescued.
This means, of course, that on top of all other difficulties, the characters are now likely to be hunted by Drodswell's Defenders, who are themselves looking to play with powers cosmic and ancient.
Wednesday, April 2, 2008
Treasure list
Here's what you all have:
MONEY
CP
SP
GP – 3202
PP – 171
POTIONS
Potion of Invisibility – Feldin (used)
3 Potions of Speak w/Animals – Earthmoon, Emord, Neri
Potion of Swimming – Feldin
Potion of Ventriloquism – Neri
Potion of Mirror Image – Grengulia
2 Potions of Levitate – Feldin (used), Emord
Potion of Charisma – Grengulia
4 Potions of CLW – Emord (used three, gave one to Neri)
3 Potions of Dark Vision – Earthmoon, Feldin, Neri
5 Potions of Neutralize Poison – 2 Emord, Earthmoon, Feldin, Neri
SCROLLS
Scroll w/Identify, Cat’s Grace, and Mount X3 – Feldin
Scroll w/Locate Object X3, Change Self, and Spider Climb – Neri (used spider climb, change self, and locate object)
Scroll of Fire Resistance
Scroll of Fire Shield Mass
Scroll of CMW (3rd level)
MAGIC ITEMS
Rod of Silent MetaMagic – Feldin
Ring of Electric Resistance – Grengulia
Horn of Blasting – Grengulia
Staff w/Runes (CMW) – Emord
Gem (creates telepathic link) – Grengulia
Cloak of Resistance (+1) – Feldin
Wand from Buonam’s Cript (Bulls Strength X10)-- Emord
WEAPONS & ARMOR
MW Mighty Composite Short Bow (+1) – Grengulia
20 MW Arrows – Grengulia
Rapier – Neri
MW Buckler – sold 45GP, added already to treasure GP total
Studded Leather – sold 13 GP, added already to treasure GP total
MISC.
3 gems – 600 GP (200/piece) – Earthmoon
Bag of Stones & Dust – Neri
2 Thief’s Tools - Feldin
MONEY
CP
SP
GP – 3202
PP – 171
POTIONS
Potion of Invisibility – Feldin (used)
3 Potions of Speak w/Animals – Earthmoon, Emord, Neri
Potion of Swimming – Feldin
Potion of Ventriloquism – Neri
Potion of Mirror Image – Grengulia
2 Potions of Levitate – Feldin (used), Emord
Potion of Charisma – Grengulia
4 Potions of CLW – Emord (used three, gave one to Neri)
3 Potions of Dark Vision – Earthmoon, Feldin, Neri
5 Potions of Neutralize Poison – 2 Emord, Earthmoon, Feldin, Neri
SCROLLS
Scroll w/Identify, Cat’s Grace, and Mount X3 – Feldin
Scroll w/Locate Object X3, Change Self, and Spider Climb – Neri (used spider climb, change self, and locate object)
Scroll of Fire Resistance
Scroll of Fire Shield Mass
Scroll of CMW (3rd level)
MAGIC ITEMS
Rod of Silent MetaMagic – Feldin
Ring of Electric Resistance – Grengulia
Horn of Blasting – Grengulia
Staff w/Runes (CMW) – Emord
Gem (creates telepathic link) – Grengulia
Cloak of Resistance (+1) – Feldin
Wand from Buonam’s Cript (Bulls Strength X10)-- Emord
WEAPONS & ARMOR
MW Mighty Composite Short Bow (+1) – Grengulia
20 MW Arrows – Grengulia
Rapier – Neri
MW Buckler – sold 45GP, added already to treasure GP total
Studded Leather – sold 13 GP, added already to treasure GP total
MISC.
3 gems – 600 GP (200/piece) – Earthmoon
Bag of Stones & Dust – Neri
2 Thief’s Tools - Feldin
Friday, March 28, 2008
What's Happened: sphinxes and other stuff: adventure 2
The characters, sans Earthmoon, went to see Eugene. He had a book on the Fade that he had procured for a valuable customer. Unfortunately, he feared that the book might be a fake. The only Fade expert available was currently serving in the Kaydtch stockade and so he wanted to hire the characters to take the book to that expert for verification. He figured that the characters' status as soldiers would grant them the ability to get into the stockade.
Unfortunately, the guards had already taken the expert away in order to examine Fade ruins in the area. The characters tried to get more information, but nobody seemed to know where the expert had been taken. Eventually, someone mentioned that there were quite a few spots of Fade ruins in Kaydtch. Before they left, the characters tried to help Alicia escape, but got a lesson in peasant courage. The peasents of Kaydtch feared escaping the stockade and being rounded up by the Defenders.
The characters went to Kaydtch only to find the place deserted except for various apparitions running around. Emord detected evil from a manor house on the near by hill. While the characters attempted to figure out what to do next, they were attacked by a gigantic gargoyle that seemed to be made of rock and fungi. The gargoyle turned out to be a mean adversary and in defeating him, the characters lit another of Kaydtch's buildings on fire.
Meanwhile, Earthmoon was chased by hobgoblins away from her place of meditation and towards Kaydtch which had been set partially ablaze. Deciding that everyone needed to rest and recoup, the party decided to head off into the forest to set up camp. Unfortunately, they were set upon by a Wolf/Worg hunting party that was chasing down a herd of dire elk. The characters learned that they had met one of the worgs outside the temple of Boccob. Having slain most of the vile beasts, the party captured the last worg and charmed it into answering questions about the near by Fade ruins.
It then led them to those ruins which were set up in the center of the Kaydtch graveyard outside of town. Sitting atop one grave, which was covered with a chainmail blanket, was an insane sphinx waiting to ask riddles of passerbys. The sphinxes name was Hiromon and she claimed to have looked beyond time (thus the insanity).
The characters figured out how to move the chain blanket without revealing (too many) of the Symbol spells beneath. They were then able to trace a design which summoned up the spirit of a fade known as Buanhum the Hunter. Buahnhum traced a set of symbols on the Fade Ruins thus summoning Oash Koleesh, a remant of the monster Bokrug.
Oash Koleesh detailed that it could only be set free from the confines of Vargas if the characters traced the symbol of the fourth fade onto the fifth temple. The first fade was Buanhum. The second and third fade are up in the air (one is Vargas). The fourth fade is known as Ubbo Naphan.
Okay, so, four fade, each with a symbol. Somewhere is a fifth temple where a symbol needs to be drawn to release Bokrug from its eternal imprisonment with Vargas. Vargas is the reason for all the undead. Right.
According to Oash Koleesh, Ubbo Naphan is in his tomb where he is eaten by worms...whatever that means (wyrms?). The characters conversation with Oash was interrupted when a group of Drodswell's defenders came down the road with Geoffrey Flinthurst. He claimed to know nothing and that they brought him out to the ruins every day, but that he was no closer to figuring this out than before. The guards explained that Hiromon was always there and a royal pain with her never ending riddles, but that she, at least, kept the ghouls at bay.
The defenders assumed that the characters were there under order from Virgil Breech and so offerred the characters a safe place to sleep for the night. The characters went back with the defenders to the mansion they had taken over (the Old Pran place, same place that was glowing earlier). In the middle of the night, the Pran mansion came under attack by more gargoyle thingees and some spellstiched ghasts, no fun. Earthmoon nearly died. Emord learned that it takes a long time to put on armor and...yeah.
Feldon, turning invisible, made it to Geoffrey who was cowering in the corner and the party ran for it. Earthmoon turned into a dire badger in order to get everyone safely out of town but not before noticing that the sky was filled with green glowing fireflies (the gargoyles). Interogating Flinthurst revealed the legend of Bokrug in greater detail. The characters headed back to their room at Bruno Kielers where Blenbury has been kicking back like it was a bed and breakfast (which it kind of is).
Unfortunately, the guards had already taken the expert away in order to examine Fade ruins in the area. The characters tried to get more information, but nobody seemed to know where the expert had been taken. Eventually, someone mentioned that there were quite a few spots of Fade ruins in Kaydtch. Before they left, the characters tried to help Alicia escape, but got a lesson in peasant courage. The peasents of Kaydtch feared escaping the stockade and being rounded up by the Defenders.
The characters went to Kaydtch only to find the place deserted except for various apparitions running around. Emord detected evil from a manor house on the near by hill. While the characters attempted to figure out what to do next, they were attacked by a gigantic gargoyle that seemed to be made of rock and fungi. The gargoyle turned out to be a mean adversary and in defeating him, the characters lit another of Kaydtch's buildings on fire.
Meanwhile, Earthmoon was chased by hobgoblins away from her place of meditation and towards Kaydtch which had been set partially ablaze. Deciding that everyone needed to rest and recoup, the party decided to head off into the forest to set up camp. Unfortunately, they were set upon by a Wolf/Worg hunting party that was chasing down a herd of dire elk. The characters learned that they had met one of the worgs outside the temple of Boccob. Having slain most of the vile beasts, the party captured the last worg and charmed it into answering questions about the near by Fade ruins.
It then led them to those ruins which were set up in the center of the Kaydtch graveyard outside of town. Sitting atop one grave, which was covered with a chainmail blanket, was an insane sphinx waiting to ask riddles of passerbys. The sphinxes name was Hiromon and she claimed to have looked beyond time (thus the insanity).
The characters figured out how to move the chain blanket without revealing (too many) of the Symbol spells beneath. They were then able to trace a design which summoned up the spirit of a fade known as Buanhum the Hunter. Buahnhum traced a set of symbols on the Fade Ruins thus summoning Oash Koleesh, a remant of the monster Bokrug.
Oash Koleesh detailed that it could only be set free from the confines of Vargas if the characters traced the symbol of the fourth fade onto the fifth temple. The first fade was Buanhum. The second and third fade are up in the air (one is Vargas). The fourth fade is known as Ubbo Naphan.
Okay, so, four fade, each with a symbol. Somewhere is a fifth temple where a symbol needs to be drawn to release Bokrug from its eternal imprisonment with Vargas. Vargas is the reason for all the undead. Right.
According to Oash Koleesh, Ubbo Naphan is in his tomb where he is eaten by worms...whatever that means (wyrms?). The characters conversation with Oash was interrupted when a group of Drodswell's defenders came down the road with Geoffrey Flinthurst. He claimed to know nothing and that they brought him out to the ruins every day, but that he was no closer to figuring this out than before. The guards explained that Hiromon was always there and a royal pain with her never ending riddles, but that she, at least, kept the ghouls at bay.
The defenders assumed that the characters were there under order from Virgil Breech and so offerred the characters a safe place to sleep for the night. The characters went back with the defenders to the mansion they had taken over (the Old Pran place, same place that was glowing earlier). In the middle of the night, the Pran mansion came under attack by more gargoyle thingees and some spellstiched ghasts, no fun. Earthmoon nearly died. Emord learned that it takes a long time to put on armor and...yeah.
Feldon, turning invisible, made it to Geoffrey who was cowering in the corner and the party ran for it. Earthmoon turned into a dire badger in order to get everyone safely out of town but not before noticing that the sky was filled with green glowing fireflies (the gargoyles). Interogating Flinthurst revealed the legend of Bokrug in greater detail. The characters headed back to their room at Bruno Kielers where Blenbury has been kicking back like it was a bed and breakfast (which it kind of is).
What's happenned- hyberoan, still: adventure 2
I almost forgot. Emord stepped in at a shop, keeping a defender from threatening some poor shop keep. The soldier left incensed.
Also, while waiting for the decision, Gringulia talked to an elf named Alicia Twain. She recognized the horse that the party was using (which they got from Blenbury) as her friends: a message courier between the frontier and the lands across The March.
Also, while waiting for the decision, Gringulia talked to an elf named Alicia Twain. She recognized the horse that the party was using (which they got from Blenbury) as her friends: a message courier between the frontier and the lands across The March.
Thursday, March 27, 2008
What's Happened- adventure 2: Hyberoan
A few points: first of all, the characters in Hyberoan figured out that just about every store was busting over with stuff. Clearly, the guards have been selling the possessions of the people they've arrested. So, basically, the guards in Hyberoan have sold all the belongings of Kaydtch to the stores, who have now doubled their stocks but who have no one to sell all this stuff to. The characters witnessed once a guard threatening a store owner if he refused to buy the guard's loot.
Second, the guards are all Redguard, a race of humans from outside of Sturmgort. They were brought in to Aversill as mercenaries under the leadership of Beinvan Drodswell, a local noble who did not go off to war but stayed behind to police the frontier against invasion. Groups like his have acted in the past as protectorates of the realm, but as there has been less and less for these groups to do, more an more accusations of treason to the baron have been made by the groups. Anyone who is convicted of this crime forfeits all land to the barony, and therefore, arresting as many people as possible for this crime is a great way to increasimg one's political standing. The accusation is made against anyone housing the enemy at a time of war. Benivan and his men (Drodswell's Defenders) have arrested the entire town of Kaydtch for this crime.
The characters learn from the guards at Hyberoan that they cannot simply pass through and onto to the city of Streckhorn because the intervening woods have become plagued with a vast number of ghouls. The defenders fearing the forces housed by the people in Kaydtch have relocaed the townsfolk to Hyberoan where they awaited a magistrate of the barony to hold trials. Of course, the dispossessed traitors serve as a great warning to the townsfolk of Hyberoan who are daily forced to cator to Benivan and his men.
The guards at the gate also alert the characters that they will not allow the halfling caravan into the city (they are allowed to set up north of the stockade but cannot expect the guard's protection) nor will they allow Gringulia into town as they perceive her as one of the enemy. After some discussion, the characters convince the guards to let them appeal to a higher authority--the Defender's second in command Virgil Kleetch.
Virgil is less than enthusiastic about the characters (they are after all, real soldiers, whereas his authority is more ceremonial than anything else). He does not want them interfering with Defender business and he refuses entrance to Gringulia. The audience is, however, interrupted by Benivan himself who is only too happy that the characters are there as it lends his operation some legitamacy. He attempted to talk turkey with the characters, allowed Gringulia entrance into the city, and offered them barrack in a local farm (which the characters took).
Gringulia, Emord, and Neri headed towards the farm to set up. Earthmoon and Feldon headed off to the woods on a hunch that the ghouls were a story made up to scare people into behaving. It turned out that this hunch was wrong. Feldon abandoned Earthmoon to her fate. Earthmoon turned into a bird and escaped the clutches of the fiends. She then headed off to commune with nature on what to do about this blight.
Meanwhile, the characters were approached by an agent of a local bookseller Eugene Pollipard, who had a task he hoped the charadcters could help him with...
Second, the guards are all Redguard, a race of humans from outside of Sturmgort. They were brought in to Aversill as mercenaries under the leadership of Beinvan Drodswell, a local noble who did not go off to war but stayed behind to police the frontier against invasion. Groups like his have acted in the past as protectorates of the realm, but as there has been less and less for these groups to do, more an more accusations of treason to the baron have been made by the groups. Anyone who is convicted of this crime forfeits all land to the barony, and therefore, arresting as many people as possible for this crime is a great way to increasimg one's political standing. The accusation is made against anyone housing the enemy at a time of war. Benivan and his men (Drodswell's Defenders) have arrested the entire town of Kaydtch for this crime.
The characters learn from the guards at Hyberoan that they cannot simply pass through and onto to the city of Streckhorn because the intervening woods have become plagued with a vast number of ghouls. The defenders fearing the forces housed by the people in Kaydtch have relocaed the townsfolk to Hyberoan where they awaited a magistrate of the barony to hold trials. Of course, the dispossessed traitors serve as a great warning to the townsfolk of Hyberoan who are daily forced to cator to Benivan and his men.
The guards at the gate also alert the characters that they will not allow the halfling caravan into the city (they are allowed to set up north of the stockade but cannot expect the guard's protection) nor will they allow Gringulia into town as they perceive her as one of the enemy. After some discussion, the characters convince the guards to let them appeal to a higher authority--the Defender's second in command Virgil Kleetch.
Virgil is less than enthusiastic about the characters (they are after all, real soldiers, whereas his authority is more ceremonial than anything else). He does not want them interfering with Defender business and he refuses entrance to Gringulia. The audience is, however, interrupted by Benivan himself who is only too happy that the characters are there as it lends his operation some legitamacy. He attempted to talk turkey with the characters, allowed Gringulia entrance into the city, and offered them barrack in a local farm (which the characters took).
Gringulia, Emord, and Neri headed towards the farm to set up. Earthmoon and Feldon headed off to the woods on a hunch that the ghouls were a story made up to scare people into behaving. It turned out that this hunch was wrong. Feldon abandoned Earthmoon to her fate. Earthmoon turned into a bird and escaped the clutches of the fiends. She then headed off to commune with nature on what to do about this blight.
Meanwhile, the characters were approached by an agent of a local bookseller Eugene Pollipard, who had a task he hoped the charadcters could help him with...
What happened- adventure 2: the road to Hyberoan
Adventure 2 is non-linear and probably encapsulates more than just a single adventure. But here goes.
Having left the temple of Boccob, the characters happened upon a caravan of halflings. Half their number had disapeared into a fog never to return. The halfling's were eager to pay the characters for protection until they could make it back to civilization. During their stay, the halflings proceeded to attempt to get the characters drunk so as to learn what they could about what was going on.
Feldon stayed off from the debauch only to learn that someone was watching the camp. Feldon discovered that this someone was a hobgoblin who she incapacitated and then killed. The Halfling's admitted to having conned a group of humanoids into believing that they had bought a piece of Aversill land, thereby making them citizens of the colony. The humanoids had figured out the con and now wanted their money back (and probably a bit of vengeance as well). Earthmoon decided to give the money back to the humanoids and made a deal to take them their gold. The humanoids were happy to have their money back and hoped to organize a defection to the Aversill forces. Earthmoon basically said no.
The halflings have since expressed some disdain for having lost the gold that they feel they earned fair and square (by halfling standards).
In any case, while travelling with the halflings, the party stopped by battlefields where the bodies of the fallen had basically just been left to rot. Nearby peasants were looting the bodies in some places. Later, the party passed through the abandoned village of Kaydtch, but sensing its eeriness they decided it was best not to stop.
The next stop was the walled village of Hyberoan, outside of which stood a makeshift stockade of prisoners who were awaiting trial for treason to the baron. The characters learned that this stockade represented the captured citizens of Kaydtch...
Having left the temple of Boccob, the characters happened upon a caravan of halflings. Half their number had disapeared into a fog never to return. The halfling's were eager to pay the characters for protection until they could make it back to civilization. During their stay, the halflings proceeded to attempt to get the characters drunk so as to learn what they could about what was going on.
Feldon stayed off from the debauch only to learn that someone was watching the camp. Feldon discovered that this someone was a hobgoblin who she incapacitated and then killed. The Halfling's admitted to having conned a group of humanoids into believing that they had bought a piece of Aversill land, thereby making them citizens of the colony. The humanoids had figured out the con and now wanted their money back (and probably a bit of vengeance as well). Earthmoon decided to give the money back to the humanoids and made a deal to take them their gold. The humanoids were happy to have their money back and hoped to organize a defection to the Aversill forces. Earthmoon basically said no.
The halflings have since expressed some disdain for having lost the gold that they feel they earned fair and square (by halfling standards).
In any case, while travelling with the halflings, the party stopped by battlefields where the bodies of the fallen had basically just been left to rot. Nearby peasants were looting the bodies in some places. Later, the party passed through the abandoned village of Kaydtch, but sensing its eeriness they decided it was best not to stop.
The next stop was the walled village of Hyberoan, outside of which stood a makeshift stockade of prisoners who were awaiting trial for treason to the baron. The characters learned that this stockade represented the captured citizens of Kaydtch...
What happenned- Adventure 1
Characters returned from across The March with orders to hit Streckhorn and report there for mustering out. On their way, they were to report to a temple of Baccob that a squad of Ogres were headed in that direction. The characters found the temple silent and showing signs that, not only had the ogres already arrived, but that they had taken over the temple. The characters attacked a Worg pen on the side of the temple (a recent construction) and then headed through a side entrance into the temple itself.
Most of the doors and mechanics of the Boccob temple were steam powered so that many of the traps in the place involved releasing large clouds of vapor. The characters learned later that the steam also acted as a deterrant to some of the temples less corporeal guardians.
Once inside the temple, the characters encountered zombie versions of the ogres they expected. Evidentally, before their arrival, the ogres had been defeated and re-animated, but there was no sign of the Boccobites themselves. The characters were then threatened by an army of Grieg who were attempting to rescue their princess from "the rat king".
The party was led to another room which seemed to be the last hold out of live ogres, whom the party killed and in doing so rescued the last member of the Boccobite temple: a gnome cleric of Boccob named Blenbury Knox. Blenbury claimed to be a graduate of Krimfolet--the gnome engineering university. He also claimed that the Boccobites had abandoned the temple because of some disaster they had foreseen, that it was his job as low man on the totem pole to summon the temple's guardain once everyone had left, and that he was in the process of this summoning when he was captured by the ogres. Thus, the guardian is in a volatile and unbound state. Thus, Blenbury urged the characters assistance and led them into the ground level of the temple (the characters had come in on the second floor).
Once down, the characters discovered that the front door was solidly shut and trapped. Detect Evil revealed strong emenations from beyond the door (outside). The characters then met a steam mephit that offerred to help the characters to open whatever doors to the temple that they so desired, provided they would shut down an interdimensional anchor and kill the other two mephits who shared in the responsibility of controlling the steam system of the temple. The players refused and Blenbury offerred that he thought he could take manual control of the steam system provided he had time.
The players left him to his duty only to find out that Blenbury was actually going to perform the mephit's will without the characters. Deciding to chase down Blenbury, the characters fought their way through a large chamber where, high above, Grieg fought against rat men in an epic battle. Blenbury set up creatures to fight the characters and then made it to the dimensional anchor just as the characters arrived. He shut the anchor down and disapeared allowing the mephit free reign over the doors. The mephit opened the doors allowing a fog of wraithlike spirits into the temple.
The Grieg offered to help the players by leading through steam tunnels to their destination (the guardian whom the characters still assumed was a danger). As it turned out, the steam pipes stopped the fog so that the characters were safe from the wraith beasties that were filling the temple. The characters learned that under the temple was a menagerie of very bad things which the rat men were setting free. The Grieg forces were battling the rats so as to stop everything in the undertemple from being let loose. The Grieg called upon the character to rescue their princess by stopping the summoning of a monster. Putting 2 and 2 together, the players realized that the monster was being summoned to kill the princess and set off with the help of a Grieg guide to save the day.
Along the way, they ran into a giant rat monster, were attacked by a chain monster, killed a mephit, and watched the last remaining mephit attack the rats with the help of four demons it had bound into service.
The characters found the summoning chamber only to find out that the princess had been keeping her attacker at bay through Ottiluke's irresistable dance. Anyone entering the room had to face off against it. Meanwhile, the summoner, Blenbury, waited invisibly inside a zone of silence for the princess to run out of endurance. The room was guarded by three zombie ogres.
The characters managed to kill the ogres and to pull back the lid of the princess's well-like cell only to see the monster below waiting just at the edge of the ethereal plane. Sensing that he lost the day, Blenbury jumped down to be taken to the ethereal by the beast, but the characters killed the monster while Blenbury was half way between the planes. Trapped thusly, he made his escape, not wholly in one world or the other.
The princess was saved, the Grieg celebrated, the characters rested. The Grieg explained that the wraith fog were the spirits of ancient Grieg ancestors angered by the kidnapping of the fey royalty. Her release appeased them and they dissapated. Later that night, the characters discovered another Blenbury who claimed to have been unconscious throughout the whole ordeal. He had a gem on his forehead that registered some kind of telepathic magic. Thus, the characters are led to ask, is this the real Blenbury, the same Blenbury, some clone, some dream version, etc.?
The characters left the temple of Boccob with the wraithstorm having become not but a thunderstorm and off they headed back to Streckhorn...
Most of the doors and mechanics of the Boccob temple were steam powered so that many of the traps in the place involved releasing large clouds of vapor. The characters learned later that the steam also acted as a deterrant to some of the temples less corporeal guardians.
Once inside the temple, the characters encountered zombie versions of the ogres they expected. Evidentally, before their arrival, the ogres had been defeated and re-animated, but there was no sign of the Boccobites themselves. The characters were then threatened by an army of Grieg who were attempting to rescue their princess from "the rat king".
The party was led to another room which seemed to be the last hold out of live ogres, whom the party killed and in doing so rescued the last member of the Boccobite temple: a gnome cleric of Boccob named Blenbury Knox. Blenbury claimed to be a graduate of Krimfolet--the gnome engineering university. He also claimed that the Boccobites had abandoned the temple because of some disaster they had foreseen, that it was his job as low man on the totem pole to summon the temple's guardain once everyone had left, and that he was in the process of this summoning when he was captured by the ogres. Thus, the guardian is in a volatile and unbound state. Thus, Blenbury urged the characters assistance and led them into the ground level of the temple (the characters had come in on the second floor).
Once down, the characters discovered that the front door was solidly shut and trapped. Detect Evil revealed strong emenations from beyond the door (outside). The characters then met a steam mephit that offerred to help the characters to open whatever doors to the temple that they so desired, provided they would shut down an interdimensional anchor and kill the other two mephits who shared in the responsibility of controlling the steam system of the temple. The players refused and Blenbury offerred that he thought he could take manual control of the steam system provided he had time.
The players left him to his duty only to find out that Blenbury was actually going to perform the mephit's will without the characters. Deciding to chase down Blenbury, the characters fought their way through a large chamber where, high above, Grieg fought against rat men in an epic battle. Blenbury set up creatures to fight the characters and then made it to the dimensional anchor just as the characters arrived. He shut the anchor down and disapeared allowing the mephit free reign over the doors. The mephit opened the doors allowing a fog of wraithlike spirits into the temple.
The Grieg offered to help the players by leading through steam tunnels to their destination (the guardian whom the characters still assumed was a danger). As it turned out, the steam pipes stopped the fog so that the characters were safe from the wraith beasties that were filling the temple. The characters learned that under the temple was a menagerie of very bad things which the rat men were setting free. The Grieg forces were battling the rats so as to stop everything in the undertemple from being let loose. The Grieg called upon the character to rescue their princess by stopping the summoning of a monster. Putting 2 and 2 together, the players realized that the monster was being summoned to kill the princess and set off with the help of a Grieg guide to save the day.
Along the way, they ran into a giant rat monster, were attacked by a chain monster, killed a mephit, and watched the last remaining mephit attack the rats with the help of four demons it had bound into service.
The characters found the summoning chamber only to find out that the princess had been keeping her attacker at bay through Ottiluke's irresistable dance. Anyone entering the room had to face off against it. Meanwhile, the summoner, Blenbury, waited invisibly inside a zone of silence for the princess to run out of endurance. The room was guarded by three zombie ogres.
The characters managed to kill the ogres and to pull back the lid of the princess's well-like cell only to see the monster below waiting just at the edge of the ethereal plane. Sensing that he lost the day, Blenbury jumped down to be taken to the ethereal by the beast, but the characters killed the monster while Blenbury was half way between the planes. Trapped thusly, he made his escape, not wholly in one world or the other.
The princess was saved, the Grieg celebrated, the characters rested. The Grieg explained that the wraith fog were the spirits of ancient Grieg ancestors angered by the kidnapping of the fey royalty. Her release appeased them and they dissapated. Later that night, the characters discovered another Blenbury who claimed to have been unconscious throughout the whole ordeal. He had a gem on his forehead that registered some kind of telepathic magic. Thus, the characters are led to ask, is this the real Blenbury, the same Blenbury, some clone, some dream version, etc.?
The characters left the temple of Boccob with the wraithstorm having become not but a thunderstorm and off they headed back to Streckhorn...
CR Value
I'm sorry, but were the designers of Dungeons and Dragons 3.5 high when they came up with CR? How is one 5th level character a challenge at all for 5 5th level characters to fight? Pretty much, they lay waste to these encounters one after another.
I think I'm used to first edition where you had to wade through hundreds of encounters to level up. Now, you can fight fleas and after 12 or so such battles, you're up to the next level. That's ridiculous. I assumed that when looking at these new rules, the whole thing would boil down to a kind of Champions or Vampire situation--lots of low level grunts who you could demolish easilly with a real battle at the end of the adventure with someone who's a real challenge--but no. The modules designed for Dungeons and Dragons are the same format as the old. But of course, CR doesn't seem to have anything to do with those encounters. They'll list an EL rating for an encounter that's actually lower than the CR for the monsters in it. What the hell? This is the experience system they're screwing with here. It's sort of the backbone for the game.
As a DM, I'm findidng that the only way to make the combat interesting is to aim for a CR a point or two above the characters. This is working, but only because they're fighting one encounter a night. What are people doing who play through four or five battles a night. What? Is everyone supposed to be level 20 by the end of the month?
I don't know what they're doing for version 4.0, but my suggestion is that on the top of the list should be a fix for this.
I think I'm used to first edition where you had to wade through hundreds of encounters to level up. Now, you can fight fleas and after 12 or so such battles, you're up to the next level. That's ridiculous. I assumed that when looking at these new rules, the whole thing would boil down to a kind of Champions or Vampire situation--lots of low level grunts who you could demolish easilly with a real battle at the end of the adventure with someone who's a real challenge--but no. The modules designed for Dungeons and Dragons are the same format as the old. But of course, CR doesn't seem to have anything to do with those encounters. They'll list an EL rating for an encounter that's actually lower than the CR for the monsters in it. What the hell? This is the experience system they're screwing with here. It's sort of the backbone for the game.
As a DM, I'm findidng that the only way to make the combat interesting is to aim for a CR a point or two above the characters. This is working, but only because they're fighting one encounter a night. What are people doing who play through four or five battles a night. What? Is everyone supposed to be level 20 by the end of the month?
I don't know what they're doing for version 4.0, but my suggestion is that on the top of the list should be a fix for this.
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