West where the Heartwood is: Difference between revisions
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: Dripping blood and corruption, '''Cher''' glares while sculling healing potions | : Dripping blood and corruption, '''Cher''' glares while sculling healing potions | ||
=== | === Clearing Rooms === | ||
We move through a couple of rooms, trying to keep the pressure on. Sealing other doors with Stone Walls. | |||
Their Major-Domo steps out in the role of Herald, formally asking to parlay. We decline but invite them to unconditionally surrender. He also implies they might resort to releasing the lurker below. | |||
Some flying skins charge through and attach to us, extreme exfoliation until Cronose and I strip and burn them off. | |||
The bone pillars catch up to us, we engage and hold them while Cher encases one in a Bubble of Force, we leave the other behind a wall of stone as we move on. | |||
A room covered in rk20 darkness and several feet thick in death scarab beetles which burn in Tsayoi's immolation, then he burns the rest with smoking magma. Mortimer gradually works his way though overriding their Darkness with equivalent light. | |||
A library, bedroom and study, the first two have been rapidly looted by the owners. | |||
Cronose reports there is significant activity in the nearby room that leads down to the flooded level and the entity below 'Abby' has been talking to him, it's not happy about being bound below, it would like the sigils removed. | |||
Another large room also in darkness, a dining hall. | |||
We sense them lurking beyond waiting for us at choke points with flesh and bone constructs, then we use transparency to peer ahead. | |||
=== Session 7 === | |||
; Frysday 11th Frost | ; Frysday 11th Frost | ||
; Reapsday 12th Frost | ; Reapsday 12th Frost |
Revision as of 11:07, 21 July 2022
Summary
GM: Dean
Season: Winter 822 WK
Night: Thursdays
Location: St Johns
Level: High
- Party
- Cher Saurime(f), Binder
- Cronose Elf(m), Mind
- Mortimer Halfling(m), Wicca, Philosopher
- Rahne Human(f), E&E & Stars, Warrior, Astrologer Scribe Mil Sci PL
- Tari Elven(f), Earth
- Tsayoi Giant (m), Fire
- Employer (original)
- Maelstrom extending the invite on behalf of Lyria, funded by Syrianth
- Lyria of The Heartwood. Ref. The Order
- Payment
- 40,000sp ea in coin or services
- Mission
- Deal with Drow/Necromancer nest east of the Hills of Aldri
- Journey to the south-west of Northern Terranova to find what happened to The Heartwood.
Scribe Notes
Introductions
- Duesday 1st Frost
Maelstrom meets us at the guild to take us by enchanted carriage with undead horses to meet Lyria at The Ruby Waters (3-4 hours). Met there by Ruath The Warder who takes us in to meet Lyria (crippled and still healing) and Ehrendil (nurse/healer).
The Heartwood was several separate but connected groves, some near coast, others inland in a lush valley. Giant Sequoias. We get images of some of the sites and landmarks using Mind Speech/Telepathy - lakes, harbours, mountains. Settlements were tree dwellings, 'special' animal pets/familiars - giant bears etc.
Staff/block from Heartwood has GTN: Heartwood, Solar aspect.
Ruath loans us a 'wand' from his staff to help us track the Heartwood (his aspect is Pathfinder).
A few hours spent discussing, investigating and experimenting with various methods we might use to locate the Heartwood.
Ruath & Lyria are going to work on a Ruath Coin specific to tracking the Heartwood, it may take a few days.
We talk a bit about the Drow Necros troubling Valindra:
- They haven't crossed the Wandle Rithe yet, nor engaged the Brastor Borderers but their raids are increasingly bold. Presumably trying not to attract too much attention until they have built enough strength.
- They are hard to find and may be based below ground.
We agree to go thin their numbers a bit.
Summer & Autumn
Mortimer mentions that his mind library has an Elven wing from the Ancient Empire. I guide us to his library via dream so we can all help with the research. Mortimer balances between concern and curiosity as we romp through the dream of his mind library. We learn a little more of The Order, mostly just confirming what we've been told. We learn that the Temple of Xanadu in the area where the Drow/Undead are is very old by the standards of the the Old Empire, and there may be other temples in the area.
- W'nsday 2nd Frost
We spend the morning on rituals and Astrology then fly for a couple of hours to the Greenwood to see Ninleyn. Mind Speech makes the conversation viable as he hasn't talked to people much in the last few millennia. He happily gives us Summer Mead and we chat for a while over honey cakes and tea. He asks us to ask Valindra to hurry with the apprentice, he's running out of time.
- Summer Mead - lasts for a season
- Anti-undead (blood is fatal to vampires, all undead will try to keep 10-30' feet away).
- Protects from heat and cold (equivalent to rk 12 resist cold/heat, stacks).
- Disease resistance.
We fly about 100 miles north-east to The Hills of Aldri, landing and declaring ourselves at the eastern end of the escarpment near the Wandle Rithe. The Elves reluctantly accept our credentials and warmly welcome Sir Mortimer. They guide us and we walk 25 miles in half an hour to their settlement.
We dine and talk with Valindra. The Drow/Necro group is getting bolder, the Elves no longer cross the river. Dominate and control the various goblinoid tribes that were scattered through the area. They may have corrupted some of the forest. At least one Drow. Some necromantic abilities, presumably they have a Necromancer.
- They show us a spiky bone sphere, Formerly Living, made by the Bone Shaper, Ilixalim Druphimondrenm. Drops from trees to attack, feeds on blood from the living to maintain itself. Bone as strong as iron. Repelled by our Summer-enhanced blood, contact causes it damage.
- Human head on a bone spike. Formerly living, made by the Flesh Crafter, Yeljeon Quundrohiant, studied with the masters of the Ssu (flensers). All of the skin of a human bundled inside the scalp. Tendrils (about 20' range) inflict Ghoul paralysis. Limited speech. Triggers on living presence.
- 'Ilix' also makes the Bone Spikes of Necromantic Binding Will.
- Valindra gives us Autumn Draughts (last for a season)
- Provides immunity from physical or magical effects that cause rot, decay, disease or infection.
- No undead will willingly approach closer than 30 feet to the wearer in most cases.
- Subtract 2 off any drain damage caused
- 1 extra point of FT recovery is gained from any meal or broth
Scrying with Crystals of Vision:
- Temple excavation is in south-east corner of high mana triangle.
- Dead area about 1 mile across, near centre of high mana zone.
- Buried or underground building. Kitchens, goblins and orcs cooking for and serving others and Ogre bosses in dining hall which has balconies.
Scry and Ambush
- Th'rsday 3rd Frost - Duesday 8th Frost
We gather supplies and make 20 more Crystals of vision then use them to scry the complex thoroughly.
- Kitchens and dining hall are in the central area of this complex, 4 wings spread from there.
- Barricaded stairs that lead down to an lower level that appears flooded.
- North: 70 ish Goblins
- West: 20-30 Orcs. Empty rooms indicating their numbers are reduced, presumably from fight with Valindra last year.
- East: A dozen Ogres, about 8 rooms, 3 of them used.
- South: Bottleneck corridor, two pillars of bone, round door ringed by lateral rib bones, scrying is fuzzed beyond that for a few rooms.
- Door opens in (southwards), bones hinge up to open door, dark brown (flesh?) tendrils in corridor beyond.
- A couple of clear rooms, nicely furnished, spiked humans, bone lab, flesh lab, ...
- A couple of fires we could potentially portal into.
- The southern area seems slightly off, a little out of phase.
- Spiked humans prepare food in the kitchens and carry south to serve the Drow.
- Someone, probably one of the Drow have anti-scrying that goes with them and cuts out the crystals when they intersect. And someone not visible to the scrying.
- 3 spiked Humans, 1 spiked Dwarf
- Elf/Drow (not spiked) who issues orders to Ogres.
Two portable crystals made for each party member. We leave two 2' diameter and 6 portable ones rank 20 Crystals with Valindra's people. Cher and Mortimer sculpt appropriately grandiose stands for the big crystals.
A patrol heads out, 1 spiked human, a few ogres, orcs, several goblins. We track them east towards the Sea of Grass.
- W'ansday 9th Frost
We ambush them on the plains. A one-sided fight results in all of them dead and us uninjured. Life seeking poisoned arrows from the goblin archers. The bone armour on the Orcs and Ogres pulls together to form a fortification and then potentially something bigger until we slay it.
Getting In
Looting the bodies:
- Bone Shortbows (non-magical) - destroyed with bodies
- Bone Heart Spike of controlling - destroyed with bodies
- 50 x Life-Seeking Arrows - D+5, rank 4+ in bow required, ignore most defence, barbed.
- 50 x Poison Arrows - Necrotic Poison, barbed, 1 poison damage, doubling each pulse.
- 15 x Powder Vials - bone dust, snort for 'Strength of Bone'
- 3 x Ogre Bone Weapons - Transforms into Bow, Shield, or Weapon. +10% SC
- 4 x Healing Flesh Crawling Dead Slugs - Autonomously apply healing until they run out (about 20 pts).
- Scroll (Human skin vellum): Flying rk 13
- Scroll (Human skin vellum): Shadow Walk rk 13
- Scroll (Human skin vellum): Summon Flesh Monster (like a flesh Elemental)
- 6 x Ogre Arrows - Heart Seeker - Any potential Spec Grev becomes Heart. Archer controls victim, Necro Bind Will. Barbed, -20% MR to Control.
- Pouches of Finger Bones - Invested: Bone Melt (like Hellfire), Enhanced Stream of Corruption, Slough Flesh (like Necrosis), Animate Dead, Fire spells...
- Remnants of Bone Armour - Bound bone, shaped and crafted construct. Unholy. Multiple contingent actions.
Burn and bury bodies, fly back to the Elven escarpment, divine, rest.
Fly to Kilroy's and back to bind ourselves to his plate.
- Th'rsday 10th Frost
Fly to a discrete landing west of the corrupted zone; Earth Elemental tunnel in from 3 miles out which takes about 6 hours. Mid-afternoon when the mostly nocturnal complex is quiet, we go Invisible then Brazier portal into their kitchen while it's quiet. Sneak into a store room, tunnel through to another store room adjacent to the Flesh & Bone labs. Transparency scrying into the rooms, Bone lab is empty, Flesh lab has 3 occupants: a spiked human and 2 Drow, one of whom we assume is the master crafter himself.
Their portion of the complex seems to be out of phase/time with us, we tunnel into a wall to partially intersect and experiment with it. Anyone or anything entering it seems to be significantly slowed, E&E special alleviates this a little, the trapped and protected door and tunnel they use to enter and exit seems to bypass the slowing effect.
Tunnelling under we find the flooded (& occupied) floor 15' below, something stirs to investigate our intrusion through their roof so we close it.
Plan to take out the Flesh crafter & co.: (Plan F) wall them into the room, indirect spells cast through the wall targeted via transparency. (Plan S) Careful tunnelling between the floors then drop them through the floor into smoking magma. If S works it gets them out into normal time and away from their lab of nasty stuff. Or Plan A just takes them out.
Assault on the Labs
Mental Attack is resisted. Sleep affects the spiked human. The Flesh Crafter 'dodges' the Petrifaction. Wall of Stone to block the exit starts forming from the centre. Tsayoi's Tunnel starts irising open under the Flesh Crafter. The contents of the cauldron leap out and engulf the Flesh Crafter in a blob of flesh then it grabs the edge of the pit gradually oozing the FC away from the pit. Hellfire is fairly effective on the flesh blob, spiked human (who dies after volley 2 or 3), other Drow, various animate skins. Hands of earth, many spells resisted, Drow flees into the Bone Lab where Cronose targets him through the transparency we prepared earlier and drops him with Mental Attack. Tsayoi finishes off the flesh blob with a fusillade of fire but it bought enough time for the Flesh Crafter to flee (he slithered over the wall then legged it through the door). Cronose sends a damage enhanced phantasm after him but it is blocked by an enchanted door where it lurks and waits.
- After several pulses of grinding away while the Necromancer escapes, Tsayoi hits the flesh blob with his fusillade of fire inflicting over 200 damage and finishing it off
- Cher: "You couldn't have opened with that?!"
Cher itemises the dead spiked human, Mortimer turns the Elf/Drow into a stylish hat (until it is worn by an Elf). Tari tunnels the wall into the Bone Lab, I open a portal into the out-of-phase zone, we step through without being slowed.
The sphincter/anuus guardians come in behind us, we close the tunnel on the two slower bone columns and take a lot of damage (bite, trample, enhanced stream of corruption breath weapon) fighting the door Eog & bone serpent until Mortimer dismantles it in the blink of an eye.
- Mortimer sheepishly looking on his handiwork while cradling the extracted breath weapon device "You seemed to be having fun, I didn't want to spoil it"
- Dripping blood and corruption, Cher glares while sculling healing potions
Clearing Rooms
We move through a couple of rooms, trying to keep the pressure on. Sealing other doors with Stone Walls. Their Major-Domo steps out in the role of Herald, formally asking to parlay. We decline but invite them to unconditionally surrender. He also implies they might resort to releasing the lurker below.
Some flying skins charge through and attach to us, extreme exfoliation until Cronose and I strip and burn them off. The bone pillars catch up to us, we engage and hold them while Cher encases one in a Bubble of Force, we leave the other behind a wall of stone as we move on. A room covered in rk20 darkness and several feet thick in death scarab beetles which burn in Tsayoi's immolation, then he burns the rest with smoking magma. Mortimer gradually works his way though overriding their Darkness with equivalent light.
A library, bedroom and study, the first two have been rapidly looted by the owners.
Cronose reports there is significant activity in the nearby room that leads down to the flooded level and the entity below 'Abby' has been talking to him, it's not happy about being bound below, it would like the sigils removed.
Another large room also in darkness, a dining hall.
We sense them lurking beyond waiting for us at choke points with flesh and bone constructs, then we use transparency to peer ahead.
Session 7
- Frysday 11th Frost
- Reapsday 12th Frost
- Sunday 13th Frost
- Moonday 14th Frost
- Duesday 15th Frost
- W'ansday 16th Frost
Buffs & Mil Sci
Long Term (assumed always on)
Magic (caster) | Rk | Effects | Duration | Ch | Cr | Mo | Rn | Ta | Ts | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Greater Ench. (Rn) | 20 | +21% to Res, Mag, Com, and S&S. | 6 days | P | Y | P | Y | P | Y | |
Witchsight (Rn) | 22 | See Invis | 12.5 hrs | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | |
Ench Armour (Rn) | 19 | +40% Def +1 AP 14 DR vs Phnt/Nmare. | 10 hrs | Y | Y | |||||
Earth Armour (Ta) | 20 | +42% Def +1 DR | 21 hrs | Y | Y | |||||
Str of Stone (Ta) | 20 | +20 EN | 42 hrs | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | ||
Fire Armour (Ts) | 12 | 52 Ablative vs magical fire damage | 13 hrs | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | ||
Fire Proofing (Ts) | 6 | Protection from non-magical fire | 7 hrs | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | |
Ice Traversal (Ch) | 20 | Travel over ice and/or snow without slipping or sinking in. (+7 TMR on flat ice) | 7 hrs | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | |
Self Only | ||||||||||
Mind Shield | +10+2/rk% vs M.Att. Tsayoi Disguised Mind | 1+2/rk hrs | 6 | 8 | 12 | P | ||||
Sense Danger | 49% | 71% | ||||||||
Navigation | Extra Navigator ranks as listed and safer travel | 1+rk Hrs | 4 |
Short Term
Magic (caster) | Rk | Effects | Dur | Ch | Cr | Mo | Rn | Ta | Ts |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Weapon of Flames (Ts) | 16 | +17 BC%, +8 Dam. +16 vs Undead/Cold | 21 min | 1 | |||||
Enchant Weapon (Ra) | 15 | +16 BC%, +5 Dam. +7 vs Phn/Nm | 20 min | Y | |||||
Mind Speech (Cr) | 10 | Range 240ft | 80 mins | ||||||
Instil Flight (Ch) | 20 | 60 mph, 1,000 lbs limit | 10 hrs | Y |
Misc
- Enhance Enchantment
- (Ra) rank 12-13: 70-80 seconds
- Herbalist Lunch/Broth
- Tsayoi rk 7, Meal 4 FT or Broth 4 FT
- Rahne Ranger ring
- +6% Def, +6 IV in Melee and Ranged
- Dance (Cher)
- 5 mins dancing every morning for Reroll 1 failed MR or ignore 1 stun
- Snail Shell (Cher)
- 1 each, crush to undo one terrible consequence
- Tsayoi's Fire Elemental Pasty Chef
- Rk 7, 8 in pastries
Watch Order
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Cher | Tari | Cronose | Mortimer | ||||||||
Tsayoi | Rahne |
Marching Order
Skirmish Formations (Front) | ||
---|---|---|
Default
Cher Rahne |
Double File
Cher Rahne |
Single File
Rahne |
Astrology
Cher | Cronose | Mortimer | Rahne | Tari | Tsayoi |
39 | 96 | 82 | 57 | 26 | 94 |
Calendar
Winter: Frost 822 (7) | ||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Moonday | Duesday | W'ansday | Th'rsday | Frysday | Reapsday | Sunday | ||||||||
Samhain | 1 | Guild Meeting Seagate | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | |||||||
7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | ||||||||
14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 10 | ||||||||
21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | ||||||||
28 | 29 | 30 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | ||||||||
Winter: Snow 822 (8) | ||||||||||||||
5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | ||||||||
12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | Solstice | 16 | 17 | The Duke of Carzala's Winter Ball | 18 | Yuletide | |||||
19 | Days of Chaos | 20 | DoC2 | 21 | DoC3 | 22 | DoC4 | 23 | DoC5 | 24 | DoC6 | 25 | DoC7 | |
26 | DoC8 | 27 | DoC9 | 28 | DoC10 | 29 | DoC11 | 30 | Twelfth Night | 1 | 2 | |||
Winter: Ice 822 (9) | ||||||||||||||
3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | First Plough | 7 | 8 | 9 | |||||||
10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | ||||||||
17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | ||||||||
24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 |