Enchanted Jewels

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Summary

Adventure:Enchanted Jewels On Plane
GM:Bernard
Session: Spring 815
Night: Mondays
Location: 37 Horotutu Rd
Level: Medium/Chewy

Party:
Expressions of interest only at this point.
Mages of fairly standard colleges only, Non mages only if they are wanting to learn a specific college immediately, no-one with weird magic,

• WordSmith Fashionable dwarf namer, healer, master merchant, and military scientist. Party Leader and Military Scientist - Errol
• Grizelda Giantess, rune mage and master chef. Party Scribe. - Jacqui
• Ben Tall red-haired human in appearance occasionally does a bit of fire magic, healer (actually a shape-changer tiger). - Ian
• Anooke – Eskimo hobbit, short and round, fighting ice mage.
• Lathron – Elf enchanter (or water mage), who can shape-shift into a water elemental. - Simon
• Aaron – Armourer, weapon-smith and enchanter. - Helen
• 7
• 8

Employer:
New Alvurron.
Represented by a Merchant Captain acting as their factor.

Mission:
The High Lord of New Alvurron in Pasifika is looking for a party of mages to take some experimental potions and report back on the findings. In order for him to understand the effects of the potions he is only interested in hiring Mages who mainly employ standard magic. Warriors interested in learning a college immediately will also be considered though there may be some expense involved in the services of the Shriver who will assist.
He also has a small list of tasks to be done in Thonia he considers suitable to do while under the effects of the potion so that the results are 'natural'.

• Find what happened to an envoy sent to the region.
• Investigate rumours of a wing of Lesser Dragons roosting in the Ulanian massif, and determine colour and danger to the gem mines if so.
• Secure a shipment of gems from the mines of Sikassau.
• Secure a shipment of Hardwood from Gambay

Thonia is located about 2000 miles SSW of Seagate, on the NW Corner of the Southern Continent. Very little is known about it, though Guild parties have visited Azuria which is one of it's neighbours.

Pay:
40,000sp each (advanced to the guild). Expenses for each individual are expected to be paid from this.
30 Arcane Points
1 Quest Spell
Additional payments possible for solving of things above & beyond the initial brief.

Diary

Scribe will receive an EP bonus if the notes are up to date more than 24h before the next session, and the in game dates are correct.

Chapter One: In which a Cat becomes a Doggone Mage…

The Guild has received a request from the High Lord of New Elveron, a new town populated by gargoyles in Pasifika. They want volunteers, and have deposited 40,000 sp in the Guild Vaults. They require a party to partake of some experimental potions, and then perform a series of tasks (otherwise known as field tests). These tasks are to include:

Finding out what happened to their envoy.
Investigating a Ring of lesser dragons
Securing a shipment of gems
Securing a shipment of hard woods
Dropping a certain box into a suitable volcano…

We were given directions to a small camp in the Sea of Grass north of Brastor, together with a sealed letter of introduction. This was needed because Ben was not a mage. I bought a portable stove, and stowed it in Wordsmith’s chest. Plus lots of ingredients.

So, the afternoon of the Guild meeting we went shopping, I got to bake two batches of restorative cookies, while Lathron did the greaters and Kerry did so long duration enchant armours.

1 Thaw

After breakfast, Ben turned himself into a fiery hound and cast wildfires. We run 250 miles on fire to the Sea of Grass (making sure we didn’t get within bowshot of any towns). Finally we came to a cluster of huts. We were by a young girl human on watch. Ben showed her the letter. She led us inside, explained how they could give a College, how it would work, and how much it would cost. Lathron also discussed getting stronger, which proved to be very expensive. As were the spells he wanted. Ben decided that he’d like the Celestial college. They wanted his dog form in exchange. Lathron purchased all the remaining water mage generals for 50000 sp. He screamed a lot, as they were added. Then Ben was taken to another hut to get his college in exchange for the dog form. Which took a while. And was evidently very painful. With Ben still a big unconscious cat, we decided to camp for the night. I had to make healing salves to help him recover. He was badly drained.

2 Thaw

We returned to the Guild around evening. Ben would need to rest for a few days, while I would make lots of restorative cookies.

Chapter Two: In which a Hobbit throws a Thing into a Volcano

The Guild diviners checked us over and said that we were basically unharmed. The astrologers had a message for us: “Beware the wild beasts.” Wordsmith decided to spend some time in researching the area we would be exploring, while Ben healed up and I baked – eight batches = 64 cookies = 4000 sp. I also assembled ingredients for another eight batches. We learned that Palestrina was known for wine, citrus, silver, and marble; and was culturally insular. “Don’t offend the natives, because they won’t talk to you,” we were told. The inhabitants spoke their own language, Palanino; most did not speak common, except the traders.

5 Thaw
On the morning of the fifth we imbibed the special potions our employers had made for us. Something about new ways to do magic. Too much information. Made head hurt. We discovered that we had new ways to cast our spells. Self-target spells became touch. We could make spells last longer by preparing together. I found I could ritually draw runes – which increased duration, but reduced other effects.

Grizelda: I believe they call this exploring virgin territory…
Aaron and Ben: Well, these virgins we must explore!

Then we boarded our ship, a Delphic vessel with a long name. We weren’t allowed on deck and it was very uncomfortable. We pulled into Newhaven and got to spend the night in an Inn, which was a relief.

6 Thaw

We got to Novadom, and spent the night there.

8 Thaw

We arrived at Toronto on the island of Palestrina. And this is where we were dropped off. We debated how to continue, and decided that we would like Latron to make a boat. But there was little wood here, it being desert. We decided to spend two thousand silvers on a pair of defunct fishing boats, and reshaped them into something bigger and more seaworthy. Latron summoned a water elemental to ask it to look for underwater volcanos. But there weren’t any nearby.

9 Thaw

We left Toronto, and sailed for Magidika. It took a week, and was a bit cramped, but was otherwise uneventful.

Latron: People who don’t build coastal cities to resist tidal waves get what they deserve.
Ben: Are you related to Lath?

16 Thaw

When we got to Magidika, first the mage current stopped, and then a pilot boat arrived and towed us into harbour. When we got in, the harbour master looked at us, determined that we were adventurers, (I realised that we really were an odd bunch, no two of us of the same race) and then asked for a 6000sp safety deposit. He also recommended an inn. Nobody here knew anything about the missing envoy. The people knew magic, but it was more hedge magic than actual colleges.
We flew up the local volcano. There were signs of magical beasts, but we avoided those. We got to the top, and Anook chucked the mysterious box into the crater and… missed. It didn’t make it to the lava, and was stuck part-way down. Ben went and got it, and then Anook tried again. This time it worked. The box vanished into the lava. Nothing else happened, to everyone’s relief. We then flew back to the city.

17 Thaw

We left Magidika. We sailed through the straits – and it seemed to take much longer than it should have. But it was ten days to our next destination. I found myself learning more than I wanted about boats – mainly they were cramped, uncomfortable, detestable things.

27 Thaw

We arrived at Nawardhimish, having avoided sea dangers. There were clouds above the city, and the walls were gleaming. We decide to sail in, and were met by what looked like knights on giant killer-whale squids. We explained we were looking for harbour, and they sent us in. Again the mage current dropped off and a pilot on a killer-whale squid led us in. There were mostly dusky-skinned humans at the docks, together with some dwarves and some elves.
We trawled the bars, and found an innkeeper who knew about the envoy from New Alveron – but didn’t know where he went. So we went to see several traders, beginning with one that dealt in wood golems. The envoy had shown interest in these. They were made in the wood foundry – and he pointed up at one of the clouds. Each was somehow bound to a control rod. They were really expensive (it was 100,000sp for a butler golem). Then we went to the gem merchant. He also remembered the envoy. He said the envoy was going inland with a trade caravan to a tribal gathering at Lake Kyne (it is in about a month, and it takes a month to get there). The trade caravan would have caliphants (camel elephants).
We learned that there were lost empires in the hinterlands where valleys had magically folded in on themselves. These should be avoided. Flying into one would be very unhealthy. It was old magic that did this, some of it godless, some of it going back before the War of Tears. The quickest route inland was not the straightest. There were wild creatures in the massif which fly down and attack caravans.
We went to see the beast seller. He had a caliphant. It looked like a hairy mammoth with two humps. A lion was acting as guard (with no handler). There was also an empty griffon nest. The creatures were very expensive.
We concluded that there was magic in this town, but much of it for show, rather than practicality.
We found there were two caravans leaving soon, and decided to go with the smaller one that had the caliphants. They agreed to waive the fee in return for our assistance. They talked of runes of transformation, and how they were using them to punish criminals, turning them into talking animals.

Chapter Three: In which there are Giant Worms and Far Too Many Goblins

The caliphants proved to be quite placid, and spit only rarely. The caravan masters worked out that with Aaron’s staff they could get to Lake Kyne in 15 days. For the first 600 miles there would be few folds, and far away. The dangers would be desert bandit tribes, human and goblin; and the odd desert-dwelling monster. Travelling around the Massif there was a high mana zone, many more folds, and using travel magic would be bad. After that we would be able to fast travel again. If there was trouble they would circle the caliphants with the non-combatants in the middle. There were about a hundred people in the caravan, half of whom were combatants. The twenty caliphants would form two circles. We would be at the rear of the caravan, and have three caliphants to watch over.

28 Thaw
We left the next morning. The day passed uneventfully – we set off at dawn, travelled for maybe four hours and then camped. It was indisputably hot. We broke camp around four in the afternoon, and set off again around dusk. We travelled another four hours, then dined and slept until it was time to rise and break camp, some time before dawn.

30 Thaw
We had covered 240 miles by this morning. There was a fork in the river where we camped. Some of the party reported feeling tremors in the ground.

1 Seedtime
Ben and Anook noted more tremors. Then as we were camped, about 1pm, there was a shout of “Wormsign!” from the other side of the camp. We readied ourselves for battle, and erected barriers of ice construction, and a rune wall around us. Then giant worms escorted by a swarm of goblins, among them wolf-riders, and a number of giant beetles appeared. I looked into the spirit realm and saw spirits of the earth and of life arising. Ben began casting cast meteor showers, while Latron attempted to turn the ground boggy. The goblins continued to approach, most wielding spears, but some riding dogs with lances. A wave of magic accompanied them. Then the fire balls started as the goblins came closer. Wordsmith said there were mages riding the worm, and he was putting counters under them. Latron loosed a grenade of much pain among the goblins. The rune wall went away, and when I tried to re-cast it, I discovered the goblins had Namers too! The ice-constructions were going away too, dammit. It was time to stop doing that magic stuff and to start thumping. And then they were on us. The goblins were squishy even though they wore ring mail, but the giant beetles behind them were truly nasty, having an acid bite that attacked our armour. One of the other groups of defenders was overrun. Wordsmith was kept busy countering magic. And they, just when we were getting on top, they started to withdraw, sending in some exploding goblins in an attempt to take us down. One exploded in front of me, and I fell unconscious. I might well have died had it not been for my trollskin amulet,but instead woke moments later to find the goblins retreating, the worms heading back into their burrows.

Chapter 4: In which a Dwarf Trades a Golden Cloak to a Wyvern

Anook found a few surviving goblins. And there was loot... goblin leather and leather, and one set of dog barding. The goblin dog was still alive and was saved by Pierre. And about fifteen minutes later the life field dissipated. Then there were a series of thumping sounds as the worm tunnels collapsed. Shahed, our merchant, came over. He said that there had been more goblins than usual, and they wouldn’t normally attack a caravan of this size. There were three dead among the caravan guards, who would be preserved in case there was a shaman at the gathering. Said shaman would likely charge them a year and a day’s service, but they would be alive. Anyhow, we had more loot than most. We were offered and accepted slave manacles for the three goblin captives we had, and a cage for the goblin dog. These were, we were told, now our property – they would be worth perhaps 2500 sp each, and the dog 1000 sp. We sold them right away, along with the armour and such (which got us 20000 sp) for a total of 28500 sp. There were many injured in the caravan and we set about healing them. The goblins were all life-aspected – and this occurred, according to Wordsmith’s divination, at the same time as a Guild Party made a potion that had affected all goblins, all over Alusia. This appeared to have made goblin folk more powerful, and smarter, and able to generate that life field. Why do Guild members do these things; without thought for the consequences? What’s more, these were desert goblins could withstand the sun.

The caravan left on time, at 8pm, and stopped for a meal at midnight. Given we were making 30 miles per hour, we should soon be well ahead of those goblins.

2 Seedtime
Around dawn we came upon a canyon. We were told we should go around and when we looked down we could see mists. This was plainly one of the folds we had been told about. We would need to go up and around before coming back down. Soon after going to sleep, the watch alerted us to three winged shapes, flying inordinately high, something like 20000 feet. Even with crystals of vision we could not make out more than black silhouettes, but they did appear to be dragons of some sort.

Anook: What do dragons eat?
Aaron: Anything they want!

By midnight we had forded a river, and had reached a turning point in the trail. The massif rose up to the south, while the canyon stretched out to the south.
As we were taking lunch, six tribesman on horses approached the caravan. We spoke with our merchant who told us to find out what they wanted. So we approached – and they addressed us in sand-dweller. We found that we had a common language in elvish. They wanted to trade. They had gems, described as gifts of earth spirits. They wanted long-life gifts of water-spirits and tree spirits. They seemed to be interested in waters of healing. They would take 1100 sp per waters of healing at rank 6 (Grendel offered 5 of those; 1500 for rank 10 – Grendel offered 3; 1700 for rank 12 – Wordsmith sold 2).

3 Seedtime
At dawn we could make out a town with towers and walls on an outcrop in the desert, beyond a ravine. The merchant did not know what the place was called, since they do not normally stop here. But we did camp – and they wanted us to check it out. So we used a crystal. The town was full of gardens. There were four wells. We could not scry the towers or the gates. We revised our population estimate down to only 500-1000. Two figures stood outside the gate, eight foot tall and dressed in plate armour. The merchant wanted to know if they were friendly. So it was up to us to find out.

As we approached, we noticed that the tops of the towers were shrouded in mist. Even the path was magical. When we got close we were addressed by a dark-skinned human in desert robes, with what appeared to be chain mail under, and two scimitars belted at the waist. To trade we would need to enter village, and to do that we would need to undergo a ceremony that would bind the spirit of the village to us, so we could get through the gate. In the spirit realm I could see a powerful wyvern spirit around each of the guardians, and I could not see past the gates at all. It wasn’t a complicated ceremony – some swearing of oaths and a blood sacrifice. So we went and got our merchant and a couple of his friends. The villagers brought out a pig, a stone, and a shaman. The pig was sacrificed, its entrails read, and put on the stone. Which got hot as a fire spirit entered it, and that burnt up the entrails. We repeated some words in sand-dweller, which the merchant said amounted to swearing not to harm the village, then our blood was shed, and the sacrifice completed.

So we entered the village. We saw the shaman’s house with an iridescent green wyvern lying outside, and what appeared to be an armoury beside. The wyvern was a long-lived sentient, with a magical talent for finding treasure. It wore an armour harness with invested dragonflames… There were no children, or elderly persons. They brought out trade goods. The windows of the houses appeared be one-way runewalls of some sort. As we looked around, we concluded that this was a fort that looked like a town. The merchants traded as we wandered around. Then the wyvern landed beside us. It fancied Wordsmith’s golden cloak – and offered to connect him to its totem spirit in return. It said he would need to go up to the stone, and we should not worry about the screaming. Wordsmith did in fact acquire a wyvern spirit companion – with an appetite for gold. And there was indeed much screaming.

People

Shahed; Merchant owning 3 Calephants that the party is protecting.

Mil Sci

Mil Sci will receive an EP bonus for ensuring Combats run smoothly and quickly

Daily Pattern

• Sleep/Camp 11 Hours (4/3/4hr)
• Travel 10 Hours
• Meals 2 Hours
• Rituals 1 Hours

Travel Magics

Anok Iceberg + Lathron Mage Current.

• Total speed: ~20 miles/hour.
• Duration: 10.5 hours.
• Ft cost per duration: 3-5 Ft.
• Effective travel distance: 200 Miles

Ben Fire-running

• Total speed: 50 miles/hour.
• Duration: 5 hours 20 mins.
• Ft cost per duration: 14/28 Ft.
• Effective travel distance:260 Miles

Ben Wings (rk9)

• Total speed: 39 miles/hour.
• Duration: 5/9 hours.
• Ft cost per duration: 14-30 Ft.
• Effective travel distance: 180/330 Miles

Aaron Marching stick

• Total speed: 30 miles/hour.
• Duration: Once each day.
• Ft cost per duration: Std travel Ft.
• Effective travel distance: Until we stop or drop.

Watch Order

1st B + An
2nd W + Aa
3rd G + L

Marching Order

Scout: B
Main body front: W Aa
Main body rear: An L
Tail Guard: G

Buffs

Buffs listed in the table don't need to be detailed, other buffs not on the table must be mentioned at the time they are cast.
Y means always on, N/- means never on, 'Sit.' means when the party has time for buffs before a fight.
Weapon Spells which weapon/s it is going on normally should be noted also.

Grizelda makes restorative cookies (-8EN +16FT)
Lathron makes Waters of Healing
Grizelda does Rank 8 Willow Healing

Long Duration Buffs

Magic	Rk	Effects	Dur	Ws	Gr	Be	An	La	Aa
Enchant Armour	12	+26% def +1 FtProt (target entity)	16 days or 6&1/2hrs	-	-	Y	-	-	Y
Rune shield	??	+17% Def, +3 FtProt, +3 EnProt	x hrs x min	-	-	-	-	-	-
Elemental Armour	11	60 Ablative vs Elem Dam.	12 hrs x min	-	-	-	-	-	-
Greater Enchantment	16	+17% to appropriate areas	13 days	-	-	N	-	-	Y
Water Breathing	8	Breath water, Water college Fog see through.	9 hrs	-	-	Y	-	-	-
Enchant Weapon	9	10sc 3dam (target weapon)	16 days or 14 min	-	-	H1/2	-	-	Y
xxxx	xx	xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx	x hrs x min	-	-	-	-	-	-

Short Duration Buffs

Magic	Rk	Effects	Dur	Ws	Gr	Be	An	La	Aa
Branch Counterspells (Gen)	8/8/9	Area+54% Ent+28% El/Ent/Tha (One)	13/14 min	-	-	-	-	-	-
Branch Counterspells (Spl)	9/9/9	Area+57% Ent+29% El/Ent/Tha (One)	14 min	-	-	-	-	-	-
Mana Sense	8	mana flows 90', 62% extra info	45 min	S	-	-	-	-	-
Weapon of Flames	17	18%sc 9dam / 17undead	22min/ 30min enh	-	-	S	-	-	-
Scales	10	40pt ablative Magic & mundane dam. (before armour)	14min/ 22min enh	-	-	S	-	-	S
Enhance Enchantment	8	+8 ranks to aspect of spell	50sec	-	-	-	-	-	-
xxxx	xx	xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx	x hrs x min	-	-	-	-	-	-

Daily FT Costs.

Loot

Gifts

Shrivers

• Lathron some general college ranks. -50,000sp
• Ben + Celestial college, - Gammon form, - Enhance Enchant.