Pasifika in Peril

Scribe Notes

Summary

Adventure: Pasifika in Peril
GM: Keith Smith
Season: Winter 800 WK
Night: Someday
Level: Level

Party

• Flamis - I am a Fire Mage of some repute, most noted for blasting the enemy with DragonFlames. I am the party scribe. Oh, and I’m definitely a blonde. (Jacqui S)
• Sven - Male Human Water Mage. Comes from Svenway. Likes to bog down opponents, or failing that, hit them lots. He’s also bossy and rude! Party Leader. (William D)
• Silverfoam - Elven Namer. Really experienced. Party Military Scientist. (Michael P)
• Viola - Female Human Illusionist. Likes to flash the bad guys. (Bridget)
• Thorn - Female Human Fighter. Icky-thump! (Helen S)
• Grif - Male (I think) Dwarven Air Mage. Into lightning and hammering. (Zane)
• Caine - Male Monk and Martial Artist. Throws his weapons away and hits things with bare hands. (Scott R)

Time on adventure

tbc 826 WK to tbc 826 WK

Employer

someone rich

Mission

Hired to do a job

Pay

Lots

Original Scribe Notes

Media:Snwi0002.zip

Scribe Notes

Session One 1 Frost 800 There were any number of interesting adventures going out this time, though not many seemed to have much to do with this Dark Circle business. I decided that I might instead try for some midwinter sunshine, and chose an adventure out to Aqualina’s homeland, Pasifika. I did have some misgivings when they told us the meeting room would be in the Water College. There was something fishy about this, and it turned out to be our employers. They were themselves a team of adventurers, merfolk and aquatic elves, from the Pasifikan Guild. I didn’t even know they had a Guild. Aqualina never said anything. They were: Lethe - Male aquatic elf Mind Mage Urewa - Merman Namer Aquana - Mermaid Bard Kaoh - Female Aquatic Elf E&E Mizuno - Mermaid water mage/healer Urewa, their party leader, explained that the islands of Pasifika were in peril - the ancient city was threatening to rise from the depths, causing eruptions, earthquakes and tidal waves, which would surely drown the islands and destroy the mer city. They had found some legends which suggested methods of restricting the damage which had been used once before. We would need to find the Fire stones, now scattered and lost. They didn’t even know how many were needed. Just that one of them was said to be somewhere in the Seventh City, the Hidden City of Phila Delphia in Terranova. Another had been stolen and taken somewhere, possibly offplane. It had become apparent to the aquatic adventurers that this would involve some travel in places far from the ocean, places they couldn’t go. So they came to hire us. In return we would each receive an item from their vaults, something they couldn’t use, and we could. Sounded like a pretty good deal to me. Meanwhile they would go hunt down some special oils and rocks, which could be used in a ritual to prevent the earthquake and retrieve other firestones. We rapidly came to the conclusion that these guys didn’t know anywhere near enough about what we had to do, so we set about doing some astrology and such like. I did a flamesight ritual using the firestone they had brought, and performed a ritual of Conversing with Other Selves to find out if one of my alter-egos knew anything. We also got an astrology reading to find out the fastest way to get to Phila Delphia. Here’s what we got: 1) What is the quickest and fastest way to Philedelphia Take a mad dash across plains of peril Will you need a thing of beryl? Beware the creatures that sap your will Reach the gate where all is still Even though you have the key The first portal, the right one may not be Follow the thread to where it leads Until a connection can be made to succeed 2) Reading on a firestone It was there but now it's not To find it go south a lot Find the land of the long white cloud Where the Gate Keeper can be found Journey back to its current place Remove it carefully, leave no trace Destiny says this must be done So past and future can be one 3) Reading on another firestone My first is in ocean but is not in the sea page 1 My second is the sea that follows the bee My third is a drink that is made from a leaf My fourth appears twice in a Pasifikan drink My fifth is an old measurement useful for length My whole is the place where the object now lies octal? It can't be reached by conventional means Instead travel through the stuff of dreams Emerge in a land similar to this But do not assume or your target you'll miss Wait for the person who can weave The way that the tentacled ones can This person can send you but there is a price The name must be known to do this plan 4) Reading on the ritual Take two stones from each side of the fault Find the oil that'll make anything slip Coat each end and then sit and wait For the earth to move, shake and flip Go to the spot where the epicentre be With arcane words slide one on the other If all done right there should be sympathy And the fault will slide, not stick together 5) How should the firestones be arranged? Vision of geometric shape with epicentre in the middle. 6) What happened when they were used once before? Waves bouncing off a wall of fire getting slower and smaller with each bounce. The wall flared as each wave hit. 7) Where can the firestones be found? 'Beauty - in the night' We spent the rest of that day getting ourselves organised. Kaoh did Greater Enchantments on those of us who could afford it, and there were Lesser Enchantments all round. We choose our party leader, military scientist and scribe, and made plans for the following day. It was pretty obvious that the quickest way to Phila Delphia was to use the Beth Salem portals, but they’re on the Plain of Grass, which meant travelling through a fair chunk of the Dark Circle. We’d been given a portal key for Phila Delphia, but told that the Pasifika portals were misbehaving, fading in and out, which meant we had to find another Gate. I thought of the Pellucidar Gate, but that was away to the north. Too far. I figured that with an Enchanter to boost the duration on Wildfires, and a carefully chosen route, we could get to the Beth Salem portals in one run. And it would be a lot safer than flying. Flying over the Dark Circle is BAD. Walking is worse. Running at 40 miles an hour, we’d only be likely to come under attack at the Portals themselves. Session 2 2 Frost 800 - Seagate to Beth Salem to Pellucidar I was right. The undead couldn’t touch us as we ran like fire across the treetops. And the portal circle was easy to spot on a low grassy mound above the ruined city. The weird thing was the perfectly circular lake right in the centre of the ruins. We didn’t stop to investigate, but ran straight for the portals. Silverfoam checked the auras of the six trilithon portals. One was flickering intermittently - that had to be the Pasifika gate. Another, marked with a square, had a constantly bright aura, indicating a functionally portal. We tried our diamond key in the trilithon for Phila Delphia. No change in the aura. The key at the other end had to be out. And that wasn’t the only problem. Sven spotted movement in the ruins. And a black cloud headed our way. The Dark Circle had noticed us. The movement resolved itself into a small army of skeletons heading up the hill. I prepared Dragonflames, ready to blast them if they got close. Sven was ahead of me, and the ground below the undead turned to bog. “That should hold them...” he called. But still more came out of the ruins. He cast again, and the whole hillside started to give way. “Mudslide! Time we’re out of here!” Giff grabbed our portal key, as we ran for the active gate, the one with the square. Through the portal we stepped.... ....into sudden damp heat, and the noise of thousands of insects. We were standing in another square, trilithon portals on three sides, a great ruined city on the fourth side. Above us was not the sky but the distant roof of a tremendous cavern. I knew at once where we were. Pellucidar, the City Below. Behind the portals was jungle as far as the eye could see. A huge pyramid rose beyond the city, on its summit, tiny black winged shapes lifted into the air. ‘Pterries,” I called aloud and pointed, much to the consternation of the party. I explained where we were, and that the only thing to worry about here was the wildlife, no problem to experienced adventurers like us. There was good eating here too, I recalled from Phaeton’s stories. Down by the lake, there page 2 should be mud dwelling critters called “Lunchus Valliumus” after the adventurer who first found them - or trilobites for their three bite snackability. They made an excellent dinner, and we settled down for a relatively peaceful night, only interrupted by a visit from a snake, which became breakfast, and by the purring of a small cat which found its way into my sleeping bag. Session 3 3 Frost 800 - Pellucidar to Malacandra We purified, cast defence spells, had breakfast, packed up and headed for the portals. Our Phila Dephia key still wouldn’t work, leaving us with the choice of going back the way we came, or trying the other active gate, one marked with a triangle. We stepped through the portal.... ..... and shivered. It was cold, and the air was dry. We stood in on a vast barren plain, near a walled city. It was near sunrise, the first light of dawn touching the top of the pyramid which dominated the city. A gigantic volcano rose from the plain to the southwest of the city. But we had little time to study the landscape. This city was not uninhabited, and its portals were guarded. We were challenged by two humans in a language none of us understood. Then horns blared from the city walls. It didn’t take much to recognise the sound of an alarm. The guards turned to the east and drew their weapons. More guards came running from the city gates. We looked and saw a swarm of four-armed goblinoids approaching rapidly on six-legged riding beasts. “Thark,” said a guard, looking at us. We got the drift, and prepared our weapons. As we moved into fighting order, I prepared and cast Weapon of Flames on my staff and Thorn’s sword. By then one group of the foe were in bow and spell range. Viola let loose a flash of light. Caine shot arrow after arrow into the enemy spell-caster, while I sent him a bolt of fire. He still got his spell off and my guts told me what it was. “Necrosis! Get the damned Necromancer!” Thorn, Sven, Caine, and Grif formed a fighting V in front of me, with Silverfoam and Viola behind. They readied melee weapons while I blasted the oncoming foe with Dragonflames, flash-frying the Necromancer and scorching others of his company. One of the enemy charged, and I was grateful for Grif’s defence spell as he just missed me. Then it was all a melee. I think I slew two more Thark with my flaming staff, as Caine fought bravely at my side. Thorn accounted for another, as did Grif. Then the battle was over. The horns blared in victory. We found that some of our companions in arms spoke a form of Elvish. The Thark attacked here rarely, and there must be an encampment nearby. They would take the bodies for food, and captives to be eaten later. We spent the day healing our wounds, and planning a raid on the encampment. It was easy enough to see which when the Thark had fled. Then it was a matter of guessing the distance. Our hosts were impressed when I pulled a large Crystal of Vision out of my pack (along with a small cat, and several somewhat damaged ration bars). I was lucky and managed to sight on the Thark encampment first shot. They were roasting the corpses of brave human warriors for their feast! Others were being kept captive behind the camp in a shallow cave in the face of the escarpment rearing up there. We had to rescue them! Session 4 4 Frost 800 - Malacandra We formulated a plan (actually it was mostly Silverfoam’s plan). It got much easier when I told them about the extra-spicy fire elementals I was able to summon with the aid of my Rod of Fires. Then we waited until the height of the feast, and flew for the escarpment - aided by some of the city’s finest warriors, mages and healers. I spent the next hour hidden from view, summoning the fire elemental. It came and bent readily to my control. Then Viola cast an illusory wall to protect the captives, while Silverfoam rendered the elemental indetectable. Then I sent the elemental out to lay waste to the camp. Confusion reigned among the horrified Tharks, then death, as their tents burst into flame. They ran, only to find themselves confronted by Walls of Fire and Smoke. Some fell on their own spears, crying out to Ares, their heathen god. Their Shaman, whom we suspect might have been a Wiccan, tried to cast at the elemental, but collapsed, half a dozen arrows piercing his corpse. When all was still, I had the elemental extinguish the remaining fires, at then sent it back to its home with thanks. I got the vague impression that it had enjoyed itself. We rounded up the remaining terrified mounts - the natives called them Thoats. Then we released the captives, ensured ourselves that all the Tharks were truly dead, and rested until dawn, while the camp cooled. In the cruel light of sunrise, the Thark encampment page 3 was a less gruesome sight than many battlefields I have seen. The fire had seen to that. But it was still a depressing job, sifting through the remains for valuables, looking at the destruction I had wrought here. It was the pervasive stink of burned flesh that got me the most. Still, we found a number of amulets, most of Luck, but some others. I claimed an Amulet of Carbuncle for myself. We returned to the city, the once captives helping us to herd the Thoats. We sold them in the city, and then reported to the Generals, who were well pleased with us. We were gifted with native clothing, light but warm, and invited to bathe and rest before the feast that evening. There we were presented with tokens of honour and gratitude; silver armbands engraved with laurel leaves. Of course, all Sven wanted to know was how many silver pennies it was worth. Talk about mercenary! 5 Frost 800 Malacandra to Perelandra to Phila Delphia Next morning we woke refreshed and ready to continue our adventures. Taking our leave of the people of Malacandra, we returned to the portals, and Silverfoam tested the aura of each gate. We found that the Phila Delphia key was not working here either, but the gate marked with a cross was active. Silverfoam divinated that portal and concluded that it went to Perelandra - on the wet planet. Ugh! We prepared ourselves and stepped through the portal... ....onto warm sand under a bright white clouded sky. Waves washed up the beach not far away, almost touching the trilithons. A trench had been dug to one portal so that the water swirled around its base. This proved to be the gate to Pasifika. The city itself was underwater nearby. We experimented with our gate key, and were greatly pleased to find that it worked! The way to Phila Delphia was open at last. Silverfoam prepared to divinate the gate, while I got lunch and fed the cat. There were trilobites in the sand here - and spiral shaped shellfish which Silverfoam named ammonites, and tasted of squid. They made a rather tasty seafood chowder. After lunch, and after Silverfoam confirmed that the portal with the diamond key did indeed lead to Phila Delphia, we packed our gear, readied our weapons, and walked through the gate... ... onto a wide windswept circular stone plaza. A chest-high wall ran around its edge, and at its centre was a stone ziggurat, surmounted by a block-shaped temple. Grey clouds swept above us, and below as well, as we saw when we looked over the wall. It seemed that this city floated among the clouds. “Seemed” because the clouds below were purely illusory. The Air mage was ecstatic, saying that the whole place felt like a mountain top. That was until he spotted the two stationary tornados which appeared near the base of the pyramid. Air elementals, and really big ones. “Who are you?” said one. “What do you want?” said the other. We answered with our names, and then Sven said we’d come for the Fire Stone to save Pasifika. That seemed to satisfy them, because they went away. The only way in appeared to be the doors to the temple at the summit of the pyramid, so we climbed all the way up the steps, our dwarf friend becoming more and more excited. The golden doors were closed, but were not warded or trapped. Sven opened the doors, revealing the hall beyond, dominated by a giant-sized throne. The dwarf could barely be restrained from running forward into the room, so Caine cast slept on him, while we checked for more auras. The throne glowed intensely of air magic, the doorway of something else. Silverfoam and Caine checked the doorway, to see it passing it would kill or have any detrimental effect. Suddenly I realised that that was the wrong question, and read the aura myself, learning that the effect would be “cleansing”, and that the nature of the cleansing would be to remove all magics in effect. I most certainly did not want to go that way. Silverfoam divinated the doorway, guarded by Thorn, Viola and the sleeping Grif, while Sven, Caine and I explored the top of the pyramid. Around the back, we found another set of doors, this time of silver, and not inclined to cleansing people of their magic stuff. Not warded at all it appeared, so we woke Grif and let him through. He had only taken a step or two past the door when he vanished. Then reappeared some moments later. It proved to be a teleportation ward. We explored the top floor of the temple and found no more hazards. Hidden doors led into the back of the main hall. Finally we let Grif at the big chair. He looked so happy I began to wonder if we’d ever get him down again.

Session 5

6 Frost 800 - Phila Delphia