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Post by Dell on Jan 29, 2008 12:07:50 GMT -5
The humans came here a thousand years ago during the "Sueloise/Bakluni conflict" (I wonder if they've ever heard of Martek or Kay-Tarn.) Before that Lloth and dark elves came to the world and captured it in a black sphere and took it the Abyss. The original inhabitants of the blue stone city probably resisted, with the ruined city and anti-magicked castle as the result. Maybe the castle was only half pulled into the Abyss. The ruin of the city was a result of Iormad spiking the gate - it was abandoned when they arrived, but not damaged. There is supposedly an extensive portal system in place on this world. Perhaps the original inhabitants were able to muster some sort of exodus before their world was consumed by the black globe, leaving only the primitives and the Th_r_zd_n worshipers behind. My other hypothesis was that the blocking out of the sun made agriculture impossible, and the lizardfolk were unable to support a city of this size - but if that were the case, you would expect a small lizardman population to remain in the city, not the complete abandonment that the humans found when they arrived. If we have some time, we should definitely Commune with Ehlonna to figure things out. Should we come up with questions? Or just wing it like usual? We could assign Antonus to come up with the questions, but he's a duty-shirker.
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Post by Ginger on Jan 29, 2008 13:04:58 GMT -5
Should we come up with questions? Or just wing it like usual? We could assign Antonus to come up with the questions, but he's a duty-shirker. Don't worry, the leader will do all the thinking. Remember this?
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Post by Wolfgar on Jan 29, 2008 22:44:21 GMT -5
The Castle is a source of frustration for the Guild. Rising up over the city, it towers over them, occasionally domed. It has been in the city longer than the Humans have been, so its original inhabitant is a mystery. Eventually, Guild members dare each other to go and investigate it, and they do so rather than lose face. Without fail, none have returned. The Castle has a large courtyard, and occasionally the gate to it is covered by a strange purple curtain, but beyond that, it is a mystery. No scrying magics work on it, the courtyard appears dark from the air, and those that fly too close to the Castle never return. The Castle must be haunted with the ghosts of hundreds of Guild members! There must be a boat load of magic items in here. Even if each Guild member only had one item we should still have hit the mother lode. Any sign of the missing Guild members?
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Post by Wolfgar on Jan 29, 2008 22:45:18 GMT -5
We could assign Antonus to come up with the questions, but he's a duty-shirker. Don't worry, the leader will do all the thinking. 7. Is there a way out of the Castle?
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Post by Ginger on Jan 29, 2008 22:53:26 GMT -5
Any sign of the missing Guild members? Uh, yeah, the 20 ghouls we fought. The purple worm totally digests anyone who dies in the courtyard, leaving no corpses or items. I'd bet the majority of the guild members flew to the tower and died from falling damage or were killed by the worms because their spells didn't work.
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Post by Wolfgar on Jan 30, 2008 9:35:40 GMT -5
Any sign of the missing Guild members? Uh, yeah, the 20 ghouls we fought. The purple worm totally digests anyone who dies in the courtyard, leaving no corpses or items. I'd bet the majority of the guild members flew to the tower and died from falling damage or were killed by the worms because their spells didn't work. There is no telling how long the purple worm has been there. Guild members have been dieing here for hundreds of years. And ghouls aren't the result of being eaten by a purple worm. So where is there stuff?
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Post by venger on Jan 30, 2008 10:04:31 GMT -5
There is no telling how long the purple worm has been there. Guild members have been dieing here for hundreds of years. And ghouls aren't the result of being eaten by a purple worm. So where is there stuff? These people are primitives. They don't have decent magic items. And I'm sure whatever boss monster owns this castle has collected all the treasure into a big pile somewhere.
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Post by Wolfgar on Jan 30, 2008 10:51:49 GMT -5
These people are primitives. They don't have decent magic items. And I'm sure whatever boss monster owns this castle has collected all the treasure into a big pile somewhere. Great! Someone has done all of the hard work of collecting it for us. Some of us are feeling a little light in the magic department right now. We work so hard getting nice stuff and then someone lightning bolts us or we get eaten by a purple worm. Not cool. So I wouldn't mind a big score (along the way to saving the Great Druid).
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Post by venger on Jan 30, 2008 11:45:30 GMT -5
Some of us are feeling a little light in the magic department right now. We work so hard getting nice stuff and then someone lightning bolts us or we get eaten by a purple worm. Not cool. So I wouldn't mind a big score (along the way to saving the Great Druid). Your guy is decked out in awesome magical gear.. all +3 or +4... with a ring of vampiric regeneration. Between my two characters (9th level magic-user, 5th level fighter) I have: 1 magic ewer couple spells on a scroll that we made 1 potion of healing 1 potion of super-heroism 1 encumbering chainmail +2 and a shield +1 C'mon. That's no magic weapons in a castle with non-corporeal undead. Antonus has a base AC of 6 and can't cast any spells. All he can do is get killed...
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Post by Ginger on Jan 30, 2008 12:31:11 GMT -5
We've definitely been in a lull since G2. We need to start up with the magic item heavy published modules ASAP.
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Post by Mr. Trommer on Jan 30, 2008 13:08:09 GMT -5
That is true. Pickings have been slim since we decided not to go after the fire giants in order to get our new members up in levels. If we ever find this great druid he owes us big. We also haven't fought much in the way of mages that that would have useful items. Drow stuff is well and dandy only if we stay underground of do a lot of fighting at night or in dungeons.
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Post by Wolfgar on Feb 4, 2008 11:22:56 GMT -5
Here is a quick review of last week. Otto and Pfiffwin are still absent. We picked up by killing the two turned ghouls on the first floor. We did some searching in the debris and for secret doors. More coins were found. No secret doors. We headed back up the stairs. The remaining ghouls and sheets attacked from both directions again. They were fairly easily killed. Winthrop used the wand of steam to cook the ghouls and "take the wrinkles of the sheets." The second floor was one large room with more debris. We went up to the next level where the last sheet had fled. It was killed and we found the bodies of 3 dead adventures. Dell was able to diffuse the trapped chest that had killed them and found a false bottom that held nothing though it appeared an amulet at one point was in it (depression in felt). On the third floor we found another large room which had 4 "statues" that turned out to be gargoyles. Florin bravely took on three of them before everyone else could come forward and destroy them. We rested here long enough for Cedrus to return Hugh from death's door and the other clerics get a 3rd level spell. While resting a shimmering light was seen by one of the doors. It went away. We decided to continue upward without resting further. The fourth floor was one wide open room. At one end is a gate and in the right hand corner was a statue of a dinosaur. Hugh, Cedrus and Raven looked for tracks. When Cedrus got close to the gate the statue breathed a cloud of something. Everyone saved so we had no idea what the cloud does. We ignored the gate and headed up to the fifth floor. The room at the top of the steps was filled with spikes and caltrops covered in what looked like poison. Dell started to use his rope to reach the interior door when the shimmering light returned and materialized into a vampire. Raven was charmed (of course) and struck Dell. Cedrus attempted to dispel magic which only ended up destroying several potions. Adrienne came forward and successfully turned the vampire. Al and Jasper grappled Raven and then Adrienne cast PfE 10' on Raven. Team Winthrop had gone back to the 2 floor to retrieve some wood to use as a bridge over the poison to the door. That is where we left off.
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Post by Ginger on Feb 4, 2008 11:28:59 GMT -5
Vampire!! Cool. Did the adventurers have any loot? Was the gate active? Any writings on it? Was the vampire a human vampire?
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Post by Dell on Feb 4, 2008 11:51:17 GMT -5
Did the adventurers have any loot? Was the gate active? Any writings on it? Was the vampire a human vampire? They had broadswords and chainmail, but no treasure. The gate appeared purple, and there were tracks going to and from it, so it is probably active in some way. And the vampire appeared to be a human female.
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Post by Mr. Trommer on Feb 4, 2008 13:14:52 GMT -5
So the obvious plan for the vampire would be for Hugh to cast Trithereons Mark on himself then try and turn it. Then everyone could attack it while it drains him.
So how long will the vampire stay turned? Shouldn't we go after it right away so that we hve the opportunity to get attacks on it before the turning wears out? That's not to say that there aren't more undead behind the door.
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Post by Ginger on Feb 4, 2008 13:32:09 GMT -5
Turning lasts 3d4 rounds. Did the vampire flee on foot or dematerialize? Can an arrow shaft without a metal tip be a stake through the heart?
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Post by Mr. Trommer on Feb 4, 2008 13:44:45 GMT -5
As I remember on foot She open the door walked through and then closed the door. I would assume that a wooden arrow would count. How about arrows dipped in holy water?
Winthrop & Co. have returned with the wood boards to lay across the broken glass and caltrops so we can get to the door.
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Post by Ginger on Feb 4, 2008 13:57:20 GMT -5
Maybe one of the boards can be whittled into a stake? Do Jasper's troglodyte javelins have metal/stone tips or wood? Is Antonus still holding his broken quarterstaff parts?
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Post by Mr. Trommer on Feb 4, 2008 15:29:44 GMT -5
Since the vampiress knows that Raven is charmed we can send him in yelling "I have slayed them mistress!" that way he can get close enough to strike. She'd never suspect that right?
Otherwise we could go back downstairs and try to get some more 3rd level clerical spells. Knowing of course that she will (might) attack us while we do. That way the other undead she may have upstairs will be left behind and we don't have to fight on a floor of broken glass. For all we know the room she went into will be the same. If she doesn't attack us while we rest all the better since we will have some high level spells to help out.
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Post by Dell on Feb 4, 2008 15:31:35 GMT -5
Maybe one of the boards can be whittled into a stake? Maybe we can hit it with swords until it stops moving, and then set it on fire? Since the vampiress knows that Raven is charmed we can send him in yelling "I have slayed them mistress!" that way he can get close enough to strike. She'd never suspect that right? Otherwise we could go back downstairs and try to get some more 3rd level clerical spells. I think the plan with using Hugh to turn her (thereby driving her insane with rage) is better. She will run up to Hugh, and then we surround her and defeat her utterly. The PFE on Raven won't last long enough for us to memorize new spells.
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Post by Ginger on Feb 4, 2008 15:37:34 GMT -5
I'd be happy to whack her with my +3 two-handed sword. If only I still had my love potion!!
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Post by Mr. Trommer on Feb 4, 2008 15:43:45 GMT -5
You don't need it you already love(d) her (were it not for the Protection form evil.) Too bad you don't have your poition of climbing or giant strength.
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Post by Mr. Trommer on Feb 4, 2008 15:49:39 GMT -5
Winthrop is willing to let you borrow his Ioun stone when you fight the big dinosaur near the gate with your +3 sword. That way the gas won't affect you.
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Post by Ginger on Feb 4, 2008 16:02:45 GMT -5
Winthrop is willing to let you borrow his Ioun stone when you fight the big dinosaur near the gate with your +3 sword. That way the gas won't affect you. Unless it's acidic gas.
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Post by venger on Feb 4, 2008 16:38:20 GMT -5
As I predicted: Florin couldn't harm the gargoyles because they required a +1 weapon to hit. Same way he won't be able to hurt the vampire. Which is why people like Perrin should be up front with their +4 chainmail and +4 maces, instead of Florin. The vampire floated over the poisoned caltrops and broken glass. It didn't touch the floor, even when retreating. Winthrop is willing to let you borrow his Ioun stone when you fight the big dinosaur near the gate with your +3 sword. That way the gas won't affect you. Didn't we establish that the big dinosaur doesn't come to life? At least not when we walk across the room or Hugh hits it with non-magical broadswords.
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Post by Mr. Trommer on Feb 4, 2008 16:39:09 GMT -5
True, but you nver know untill you try. Though it probably is since there isn't any debris in the room other than the dust that settle. The acid eventually took care of any unfortunates. But nother that hugh was able to run under the T-Rex and was not affected by the gas. So you could get real close and chop a leg off.
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Post by Dead Greyhawk on Feb 4, 2008 21:41:57 GMT -5
Was it Protection from evil or Protection from evil 10' rad. that was cast? I thought it was the former. I only ask because the durations are so different.
The shimmering you saw was more like the vapors you would see rising off of heated sand or concrete, the classic mirage shimmering. It didn't have any internal light to it. Raven initially spotted it near one of the doors during the cleric memorizing time down in the lizard man statue room.
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Post by Dead Greyhawk on Feb 4, 2008 21:46:53 GMT -5
The gas spewed out by the dinosaur statue quickly became a powdery film and settled to the ground within a couple of rounds. It didn't seem to stir up much when Cedrus walked across the floor to rejoin the Company. Cedrus thought that the powder might be one of the sources for the grime on the floor that seems to be everywhere. He noted it was slowly filling the footprint traces in the room.
Cedrus also noted what looked like larger lizard-like footprints on some of the stairs and to and from the gate. He wasn't able to identify the creature.
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Post by venger on Feb 4, 2008 23:26:50 GMT -5
Was it Protection from evil or Protection from evil 10' rad. that was cast? I thought it was the former. I only ask because the durations are so different. Definitely not 10' radius.
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Post by Wolfgar on Feb 5, 2008 9:19:06 GMT -5
I thought Adrienne memorized PfE 10' while Cedrus was memorizing Death's Door. I don't know if she still had an individual PfE memorized.
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