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Post by venger on Feb 22, 2011 12:53:40 GMT -5
Pages 31-32 of the DMG provide, fascinating and comprehensive information about sages. Sure, I'll ask old Ben about holy swords and swords of power from ancient civilizations. If you will "an elegant weapon for a more civilized time." Weapons that were used by "the guardians of peace and justice" "before the dark times". |
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Post by venger on Feb 22, 2011 15:34:51 GMT -5
The sage Benesarion has general knowledge of weapons of antiquity- and he believes surely that there are weapons of unimaginable power, locked for untold aeons in the Vault of Ages, in the Citadel of Ixx at Ixx'taqa.
As far as swords go, he can only think of a couple (without cracking the books):
Shamshir-e Zomorrodnegar- (the emerald-studded sword) slayer of demons, grants it wielder protection from magic and the wounds it inflicts are only healable by magical means.
The sword Sacnoth, taken from the spine of the dragon-crocodile Tharrgavverug, sharper than any blade, and always keeps watch for its wielder.
The blade Melethling, said to be the magical embodiment of love and courageousness.
He can list a number of more contemporary, famed swords, throughout the Forest Kingdom's storied past-
The Sunblade, Solendel wielded by Ser Ambrose.
Caladfwlch (Caliburn): The Sword of Kings.
Galgonon and Greywand (mated blades): Ancient fey swords of legend, when coupled their wielder is nigh invincible.
Famed swords forged by the incomparable smith Weyland:
Durendal - "Indestructible"
Almace - "Defender"
Cortana - "Noble Blade"
Gram - "Wrath," used by Sigurd to slay the dragon Fafnir
The cursed swords of the Knights of the Crimson King: Oathbreaker, Riventruth, Blightsworn, Deceiver, Blackpromise, Brokenvow, Falsewitness,
Enilno, the Quickblade.
Most recently:
The black sword "Dödenben”, reputedly brought through the veils of Faerie from another world!
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Post by Ginger on Feb 22, 2011 16:29:53 GMT -5
It seems like the next step is to kill Cullen and take his +3 short sword.
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Post by Wolfgar on Feb 22, 2011 18:26:32 GMT -5
The list of swords is interesting but it doesn't provide details on where to find them. I guess the most useful thing would be any information about the whereabouts of swords associated with the current quest into the Black Peaks. If there is none then we will just concentrate on the quest. How long will it take to put together the required information? If there is a couple of days to kill then Trommer can get more bind wound treatments. Also Paavo, Dan and Marcus can head back to Cinderham and ask around for adventuring clerics.
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Post by venger on Feb 24, 2011 15:29:45 GMT -5
The list of swords is interesting but it doesn't provide details on where to find them. I guess the most useful thing would be any information about the whereabouts of swords associated with the current quest into the Black Peaks. If there is none then we will just concentrate on the quest. How long will it take to put together the required information? If there is a couple of days to kill then Trommer can get more bind wound treatments. Also Paavo, Dan and Marcus can head back to Cinderham and ask around for adventuring clerics. Benesarion is very excited about the prospect of your journey of discovery into the Black Peaks. He laments that his age and infirmity preclude him from following the path laid out in the sacred tapestries. <feeble cough> He's set to pull an all-nighter though, to scrape up every bit of information he can on your destination, the lost city of Ul'sha'maran (city-state, really, he digresses, dedicated to the god Usamigaras, whose symbol is a strangely familiar silver 5-pointed star). Provided of course you all agree that everything obtained on the mission be brought to him for cataloguing and identification ... as well as copies of any texts or hieroglyphs found... even if you have to make a rubbing.... Almost as an afterthought he mentions Lord Sherlane's interest in the recovery of all things related to the magical arts. He brandishes a parchment -- a letter of credit in the amount of 2000gp-- provided to him by Sherlane to outfit the expedition in Threshold for the long and dangerous journey. |
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Post by venger on Feb 24, 2011 15:34:47 GMT -5
He clarifies further that he is really only interested in the cataloguing and identification of the artifacts -- their eventual disposition (who keeps them) he is not especially concerned with. He mostly desires to further his knowledge and learn the whereabouts of more such locations.
Though if you brought him a nice souvenir he'd be most appreciative.
As for Sherlane, well, he wants copies of any new spells you find or at least something to help recoup some of his 2000gp investment.
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Post by Ginger on Feb 24, 2011 15:44:08 GMT -5
Is Threshold a town? How large? With 2000GP we could get a lot of hirelings, or buy the services of a cleric.
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Post by Wolfgar on Feb 24, 2011 16:37:32 GMT -5
2000GP. Awesome! We can hire a caravan. I am thinking we get a large group of guys that will help us carry things and set up a base camp. Once we have explored the ruins then we can have them come in and take things back. We will want to take as much healing water as possible back.
Off the top of my head, we will need:
(cost per month)
-2 teamsters (10 gp)
-6 pack handlers (9 gp)
-6 bearers (6 gp)
-a couple of scribes (30 gp)
-carpenter (2 gp)
-10 footman/guards (10 gp)
-1 serjeant (10 gp)
That is less than 100 gp. Of course we will need wagons, crate, barrels, food stuffs, etc. But there should be plenty remaining to hire some clerics.
Or are you thinking something smaller?
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Post by venger on Feb 24, 2011 18:05:26 GMT -5
Pasting this from the other thread: |
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Post by venger on Feb 24, 2011 18:34:25 GMT -5
Is Threshold a town? How large? With 2000GP we could get a lot of hirelings, or buy the services of a cleric. Threshold is a lawless free town on the edge of the savage lands, population: 6,000+. "You will never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy," states Benesarion. (cost per month) -2 teamsters (10 gp) -6 pack handlers (9 gp) -6 bearers (6 gp) -a couple of scribes (30 gp) -carpenter (2 gp) -10 footman/guards (10 gp) -1 serjeant (10 gp) That is less than 100 gp. Of course we will need wagons, crate, barrels, food stuffs, etc. But there should be plenty remaining to hire some clerics.
-- Monthly rate assumes that quarters are provided for the hireling and that these quarters contain a bed and like necessities.
Re: Carpenters -- additional cost is 10% of the normal price of items fashioned by the hireling.
-- Expert hirelings are generally not availble for periods of less than one month. Soldiers can be hired but not captains, lieutenants or serjeants. They recognize hazardous duty and the cost per day is the same as per month.The above would apply to any hireling going into unknown danger. With this hypothetical hireling configuration it comes out to 77gp/day (25 days w/ 2000gp), which will include provisions (food, water) and equipment for the hirelings, but not tents, wagons, pack animals, etc. Benesarion reminds you that you will be entering rugged mountainous terrain, unsuitable for wheeled transport. |
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Post by Wolfgar on Feb 24, 2011 20:41:19 GMT -5
Harrumph. So maybe just some bearers and/or pack handlers. Does Benesarion know any junior sages and/or scribes he would like to send with us to help record/collect the information he would like? If only we had a bag of holding or portable hole, think of everything we could bring back. He doesn't happen to have one of those he isn't using?
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Post by venger on Feb 24, 2011 22:20:48 GMT -5
Harrumph. So maybe just some bearers and/or pack handlers. Does Benesarion know any junior sages and/or scribes he would like to send with us to help record/collect the information he would like? If only we had a bag of holding or portable hole, think of everything we could bring back. He doesn't happen to have one of those he isn't using? Nope, he's kind of a strange old hermit.. The Ancients were quite proficient in the dimensional folding magicks you describe -- if they are to be found anywhere, it is in the hoary ruins of that civilization. |
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Post by Ginger on Feb 25, 2011 10:29:49 GMT -5
Pasting this from the other thread: We can't detect anything about the ring. It's no big deal. Nothing to see here. No Servants of the Shadowlord around here, not at all. |
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Post by Wolfgar on Feb 28, 2011 12:23:08 GMT -5
It still might make sense to hire a small company of men to join us. If we can't get healers to keep our fighters standing then we will need to spread out the pain and balance the numbers we will undoubtedly face. We could offer then the standard rate with additional incentives based on the gold/gems we find. Hopefully that would keep them motivated and loyal. Also what are we going to do with our horses once we enter the mountains/ruins? I am sure Shokki can keep himself safe but will the other horses follow his lead or do we need to have men watch them? I have started a shopping list for Threshold (updated): | Item | Number | Cost/item | Encumberance/item | Total Cost | Total Encumberance | Notes | | iron rations/week | 28 | 5 | 75 | 140 | 2100 | Assuming current party and 4 weeks of travel. | | waterskins, for drinking water | 7 | 0.75 | 50 | 5.25 | 350 | | | waterskins, for healing waters | 20 | 0.75 | 5 | 15 | 100 | Estimating that a waterskin holds 3 potions. Empty on the way there. | | large sack | 15 | 0.08 | 20 | 1.2 | 300 | 400 gp carrying capacity. | | small sack | 20 | 0.05 | 5 | 1 | 100 | 100 gp carrying capacity. | | 10' pole | 4 | 0.015 | 100 | 0.06 | 400 | | | iron spikes | 20 | 0.005 | 10 | 0.1 | 200 | | | mallet | 2 | | 10 | | 20 | | | oil | 20 | 1 | 20 | 20 | 400 | | | bone scroll tube | 5 | 5 | 50 | 25 | 250 | | | 50' rope | 5 | 0.2 | 75 | 1 | 375 | | | 10' cord | 10 | | 2 | | 20 | | | paper | 1 | | 5 | | 5 | maps, rubbings, notes | | ink, vial | | | 10 | | | | | charcoal | | | 2 | | | for rubbings | | quills | | | 1 | | | | | grapnel | 1 | | 100 | | 100 | for scaling mountains | | crowbar | | | 60 | | | or we can use Durendal | | shovel | | | 50 | | | | | horse feed/week | | 0.35 | 75 | | | grazing? | | small wooden shield | 8 | 1 | 3 | 8 | 24 | | | long bow | 1 | 60 | 100 | 60 | 100 | | | throwing axe | 8 | 1 | 50 | 8 | 400 | | | dagger | 4 | 2 | 10 | 8 | 40 | | | arrow, silver | 20 | 1 | 2 | 20 | 40 | | | arrow | 20 | 0.1 | 2 | 2 | 40 | | | quiver, score | 2 | 0.6 | 30 | 1.2 | 60 | | | Totals | | | | 315.81 | 5424 | |
These numbers will need to be adjusted depending on the size of the company and the expected activities. I don't have costs and/or encumbrance for some items. Please suggest other items we might need. We have pretty much reached carrying capacity for 5 horses carrying 7 riders, adventure load and the above gear. Hopefully we can cut down on food by either hunting or finding villages to trade. |
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Post by Wolfgar on Feb 28, 2011 12:40:39 GMT -5
Also need to add to the shopping list: throwing axes for Friedrich; small wooden shields; quivers of arrows (silver and regular) and an extra bow for Trommer; and daggers for Colby. Any other expendable arms and armor characters use?
Does Colby have a Mend spell? If not I would recommend asking Sherlane for a copy before we go. Can we start a thread that has our current spell books and scrolls?
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Post by venger on Feb 28, 2011 13:07:28 GMT -5
Wow, you've outdone yourself.
Re: horses- yes, the Paladin's warhorse will fend for itself just fine, but the other horses will undoubtedly be eaten by gryphons if left unattended.
Paper: encumbrance 5/any amount, stacked, folded
Ink: encumbrance 10/unit (vials)
Charcoal: encumbrance 2/unit
Quills: encumbrance 1/unit (must be kept unbroken)
Crowbar: encumbrance 60 (as rod)
Shovel: encumbrance 50 (horseman's mace)
Feed: encumbrance 75/1 week (iron rations)
I'll sort the spellbooks and post a list of all spells & scrolls tonight.
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Post by Wolfgar on Feb 28, 2011 15:47:25 GMT -5
Best to think about this stuff while we have the out-of-game time. If we wait until Sunday we are likely to forget something or waste a lot of time instead of adventuring. Of course, I'll still have to remember to print out the list.
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Post by Wolfgar on Mar 1, 2011 14:38:37 GMT -5
Updated shopping list.
Can you put a copy of all the stuff Benesarion told us at the end of last session on the board?
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Post by Wolfgar on Mar 3, 2011 16:45:11 GMT -5
I still think we should go back to Sherlane and trade some spells before we head off in to the wild. At first level I would like us to get Mend and Unseen Servant for Nahal's Reckless Dweomer. At second level I would like us to get Mirror Image and Rope Trick for Alacrity and Stony Grasp. We can hold on to Word of Ioun until Colby has trained for 5th level. Also we should clarify with Sherlane what he means by Almost as an afterthought he mentions Lord Sherlane's interest in the recovery of all things related to the magical arts. |
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Post by Ginger on Mar 4, 2011 11:17:55 GMT -5
I'm slightly concerned about trading spells with Sherlane after he warned us about the church confiscating spellbooks. Even before the heat was on, he required us to travel outside of town to talk about spell trading.
That said, it's worth a shot. Threshold is a larger town, and will probably have more shady characters to trade with.
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Post by Wolfgar on Mar 4, 2011 11:32:01 GMT -5
Better to trade spells with someone who we are on friendly terms with. Starting up a new relationship with a magic user in a strange town could be long and costly. I am sure you can discuss the spells in his study away from prying ears.
I was thinking maybe Colby, Ingrid and Trommer could head back to Devonshire to talk to Sherlane while the rest of the party could wait in Cinderham. Paavo could use the time to look for non-Church clerics looking to adventure.
We should ask Sherlane if he has any contacts in Threshold (especially magic users). And we need to know the name of the bank (?) to draw the funds from.
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