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Post by Ginger on Apr 7, 2008 8:39:07 GMT -5
After debate, we determined that rescuing the sages was the best bet. The party trudged back to the portal. We all held hands and went through the portal together. Unfortunately, it's apparently a 1D6 Dex check to do that successfully, and Solaris, our newest and least dexterous character failed. She was fourth in line, so Otto, Raven and Al got separated from the party. Of course, the three of us landed in a stampede of dinosaurs. Probably due to my 1 percent roll. Otto failed the surprise roll, and Raven and Al were trampled down to a few HP. Otto, with his killer AC, was unscathed. We won initiative, and Otto entangled 4 of the 6 beasts. Raven took one more hit and went to 0, but Al and Otto had no trouble cutting down all of the dinosaurs before Entangle's duration was up. We then got back into the portal and everyone everyone ended up back in New Sterich without incident.
Alissi was persuaded to recall the fishing boat to take us near the city and he gave us 11 fighting men to assist us.
While on the boat, we were attacked by a monstrously gigantic sea turtle. It's steam breath attack was devastating, hitting for 96 HP
(save for half). Team Otto was below decks, but the entire company was knocked unconscious save for Raven, Cedrus, and Al (and Adrienne). The sailors and soldiers who were above decks were knocked out also, but Chotal (the lieutenant) and the ship captain were still up. Cedrus healed people while the turtle waited below the ship.
Winthrop hit it with a massive lightning bolt (56 HP!!), but that apparently shocked people who were below decks, since the ship is leaky. Antonus polymorphed it into a dwarf to end the encounter.
We disembarked, and sent Dell to scout while we rested. The city is on a lagoon, with a huge temple in the back. The temple is a ziggurat with a 20 foot statue of Twilus on the top which sucks light. He flew by to see what path we should take and headed back.
The company headed out along the path and reached a small, derelict temple. Raven, Otto, Dell and Jasper went inside. There was an altar with a large sword and lots of coins and gemstones on top. A voice shouted "I am the oracle of the shrine. Place an item on the altar to have one question answered." We put a magic stone shield on the altar and asked how to get home. We got a long winded answer about walking the planes and were told that our feet would take us where we wanted to go. We offered another shield and asked another question and got another stupid answer. We then poked around the room a bit more and the doors slammed shut. The oracle was offended: "Ask one more question, for it shall be your last!!" Dell asked if he would open the door, and the oracle laughed and appeared before us. It was a huge coatl and is apparently the emissary of the old lizard gods. He hates Twilus. He offered us the magical bastard sword from the altar, because he didn't need it. Clift took it, since he is double specialized in bastard sword and doesn't have one.
Part II to come...
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Post by Ginger on Apr 7, 2008 9:29:22 GMT -5
We walked towards the city. The Sterich warriors split off from us at this point. They were heading to burn the boats at the dock and cause a distraction at dawn, leaving us enough time to travel through the uninhabited part of the city to get close to the temple. We were attacked by a few small dinosaurs, and the only thing of note to occur was Clift's bastard sword started shouting "BLOOD, BLOOD, I THIRST FOR THE BLOOD OF MY ENEMIES!!"
While traveling, Dell overheard two people speaking in common in an abandoned building near us. He moved closer to listen and heard them talking about rescuing people before they were sacrificed. He entered the building and said "Fear not, men of Sterich, we are here to help." They said "I'm looking forward to killing you" or something and one magic missiled Dell and the other fireballed the party. Dell shrugged off the 3 missiles, and the party was unfased by a 5d6 fireball which hit for a whopping 12 HP. Unfortunately, Jasssper's nose ring burned up. We then lost initiative and Dell was held and the party was fireballed again. Now Winthrop's ring of protection went up. What we thought would be a breeze lasted a while, since these two low level magic users were actually rakshashas. They had a lot more HP than Hanuman and his mate. They used a bunch of stinking clouds to immobilize the party. One used a lightning bolt to fry a bunch of people, but Jasssper was the first in line and his MR caused it to dissipate. He then shouted "Take that! You're not the only freakish beast to have weird powers to resist magic!" The rakshasha's eventually flew away, leaving us their treasure chest, which had about 5000 GP, a wooden staff, a scroll of protection from magical attacks, and a gold ring. The chest and the scroll had glyphs of warding, which Jasssper resisted. Winthrop decided it was a good idea to put the ring on.
We had to drag the chest away, because we could hear that the city guards were coming to investigate the ruckus caused by all of the flashy spell casting.
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Post by venger on Apr 7, 2008 10:11:29 GMT -5
Dell shrugged off the 3 missiles, and the party was unfased by a 5d6 fireball which hit for a whopping 12 HP. Unfortunately, Jasssper's nose ring burned up. We then lost initiative and Dell was held and the party was fireballed again. Now Winthrop's ring of protection went up. Antonus lost a standard spellbook (36 spell levels) as well. Ooh dibs on the staff! |
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Post by Dead Greyhawk on Apr 7, 2008 18:28:19 GMT -5
Winthrop also got the turtle with hold monster as it was coming up to capsize the Rogue Wind.
The chest seems to have more like 10,000 GP in it.
The staff has a fine pattern of snakescales carved on it.
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Post by Wolfgar on Apr 7, 2008 21:47:44 GMT -5
Anyone remember the command word to the staff of the serpent that Cedrus had?
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Post by Ginger on Apr 8, 2008 8:27:26 GMT -5
Dan and Nate rush towards the raised platform where a petite elven woman clad in studded leather stands, chanting arcane syllables. As Raven begins shooting arrows at one of the bear creatures, Cedrus casts down the magical staff loaned to him by Winthrop, intoning the magical word, “Shaskar!” The staff thickens and elongates, turning into a giant snake. The snake lunges towards the other bear creature and entwines itself about the creature. |
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Post by Ginger on Apr 9, 2008 9:12:11 GMT -5
Does anyone want to talk about plans for proceeding into the temple? Are we going to rest and recover a few spells or head straight for the temple? We've been told that the sacrifices all take place on the roof. We might want to attack the temple from the top, then.
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Post by Wolfgar on Apr 9, 2008 11:10:25 GMT -5
How long do we think it is before they sacrifice the captives?
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Post by venger on Apr 9, 2008 11:42:56 GMT -5
Night has fallen on either day 4 or day 5.
If it's day 5 we don't have time to rest or stop because they could be sacrificing these folk at any moment.
If it's day 4 we have a little time to rest but our diversion (Chodle and Co.) will be lighting the docks afire at first light.
We are somewhat damaged from our encounter with the rakshashas (Florin is down like 26 out of 39 and Antonus is down 16 of 31) - but we didn't waste any area of effect damage spells. Wintrop and Dell are out a couple polymorph selfs, Antonus is out an invisibility or two. Nothing that should prevent us from raining apocalypse down on an evil lizard city.
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Post by Ginger on Apr 9, 2008 13:49:01 GMT -5
How long do we think it is before they sacrifice the captives? We were told 5 days by the lizard men we captured. When we reached Sterich Island, there were 4 days to go. When we left Sterich island there were three days to go. At dawn, there will be two days left to go. Did I miss a day somewhere? We were a day away from the portal, and then we only spent one night on the island, right? |
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Post by Dead Greyhawk on Apr 9, 2008 18:08:31 GMT -5
Missing a day. You spent two days on the island. One day when you arrived, lit the smoke/fire, and convinced Alessi. This time period also included the multi-hour delays as you routed back to the same portals. One day for boat to arrive. One day to embark, sail to mainland, fight turtle, sleep, memorize, heal, sleep, memorize, hike inland, meet Coatl, enter city, fight beasties. According to Raven, you should be hitting the city on the night of the eve of the sacrifice (the night of day 4, morning of day 5).
Unless, of course, I'm missing a day.
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Post by Ginger on Apr 10, 2008 8:10:09 GMT -5
Chotal will start the disturbance at the docks the morning the people will be sacrificed. Do we want to enter the city at dawn when he starts? Wait an hour or two for confusion to fully set in? Should we all be invisible? When we get to the temple, I think we should start at the top and work down.
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Post by Wolfgar on Apr 10, 2008 8:43:27 GMT -5
The mages should do more reconnaissance beforehand. No need to go in "guns a blazing" if we can find and rescue the prisoners with a small group. Did know how many prisoners we are trying to rescue? Do we have an exit plan?
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Post by venger on Apr 10, 2008 13:38:01 GMT -5
Chotal will start the disturbance at the docks the morning the people will be sacrificed. Do we want to enter the city at dawn when he starts? Wait an hour or two for confusion to fully set in? Should we all be invisible? When we get to the temple, I think we should start at the top and work down. We can rest, heal and rememorize until the disturbance at the docks begins. Wait for them to commit forces away from the temple and then attack. Antonus is planning on toppling that big Twilus statue off the ziggurat. Possibly with a polymorphed brontosaurus. The mages should do more reconnaissance beforehand. No need to go in "guns a blazing" if we can find and rescue the prisoners with a small group. Did know how many prisoners we are trying to rescue? Do we have an exit plan? We should capture a lizard and interrogate it. There's at least one lizard sage and possibly a human sage, and then an indeterminate number of expendables. I vote Teleport for the exit strategy. Get 'em Winthrop! |
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Post by Ginger on Apr 10, 2008 15:09:26 GMT -5
That reminds me. I've been reading on Dragonsfoot and came across what will certainly become Antonus's favorite new battle strategy.
Step 1. Polymorph dinosaurs into mice.
Step 2. Collect mice into a container with air holes.
Step 3. Throw the containers into the middle of a concentrated group of enemies.
Step 4. Cast dispel magic, which automatically dispels your own magic.
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Post by Wolfgar on Apr 10, 2008 16:11:50 GMT -5
You could also use this in combination with Feather Fall or Levitate to drop the dinosaurs onto the concentrated group from say 20". You would get the experience points for killing the dinosaurs and the enemies. Better yet hit the mice with Sepia Snake Sigil and then you can carry them around with you until you need them.
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