Farewell? (DM Greg) Tuesday June 17th, 2003 11:43:51 PM
The fey leader bows in thanks as K'Nara accepts the brooch and pins it on her cloak. He says, "Although I don't know your names, or if you have a name for your party, you are hereafter known as 'Protectors of the Ish'gara Tree'. Please keep that brooch close to your heart, since I can never know when it might be that I need your strong arms and powers."
He turns to face Figment, and answers his questions, "I realized, once I saw the powered sap and the enspelled red dragon's blood, that he planned to combine the two, and create a horrible potion that would turn the imbiber into a red dragon himself...likely of the highest power! If that had happened, I don't know if you could have stopped him. Thank goodness you were able to defeat him before he had a chance to complete his terrible task. As for the red dragon's blood now, it appears as if the spell cast upon it by the shifter has worn off. I wouldn't suggest drinking it, even so, but I don't think that it is a danger any more, bottled the way that it is. Perhaps an alchemist would find a use for it?"
"Now, unless there is anything more that we need to discuss, I would like to be on my way home with my daughter. My mate will be as happy and relieved to see her as I was. Our tribe will return shortly, and we will set up a home near to this clearing, to better let us keep watch over the tree. Please remember, you have promised to help protect the tree, if I need to call on you."
Unless one of of the Talons decide to carry on the conversation with the fey, they leave the clearing, the father and daughter flying hand-in-hand.
[OOC: Please describe any details that you plan to carry out as you make ready to leave the clearing for home. Part of the confusion around who is healed and who is not belongs to me. I remember a post stating that Bertram would use all his spells to heal the party, and I responded that I needed to see exactly how wounded all party members were, before I would allow the auto-healing to take place. But, for simplicity's sake, lets assume that Bertram can heal everyone up to full, and he can retain his full complement of 0-level spells, one 1st level spell and one 2nd level spell.]
Figment Wednesday June 18th, 2003 12:02:26 AM
As the mage carefully packs up the apparatus and staff he stops suddenly and becomes stiff as the sap he imbibed finally course through him. Those looking on see intense pain from him as if he's being hurt severely. He then appears to get a calm look of some kind as if he relaxes. Whatever has him finally turns him loose. He appears no different than before to everyone. Once his episode is concluded, he bows to the sprite. "I will cast my lot with K'Nara and support you in your protection of the tree. I am happy your daughter is safe.". He finishes up his efforts and prepares to depart.
Lian Wednesday June 18th, 2003 12:13:44 AM
Lian helps carry what he can of the appuratus and loot, however, doesn't exceed his capacity.
"Perhaps Tremaine planned on being a red dragon when he killed Parnoth(if they are enemies now), that is if that was his aspiration." He shrugs.
"Good bye fey, thank you." The monk bows.
Milo (endurance; hp 36) d8+3=7 Wednesday June 18th, 2003 12:51:45 PM
Milo steps up to Orson, and with a quick prayer to Pantheon touches the warrior, healing him a little. "I'm sorry K'nara, that is all I have left today." The halfling looks sincerely apologetic. (OOC: Healed 7 hps)
Milo then moves over to where Olana is standing, and looks up at the elf momentarily in appreciation before leveling his gaze and standing silently.
Figment Wednesday June 18th, 2003 10:13:34 PM
"I imagine that the Hands of Love had some plan to control Tremaine after he took dragon form. I imagine if this was indeed his own idea that he would have chosen a gold or silver dragon - not red. We can place Tremaine in the portable hole for a time - but we can't see what he's doing while in there. If he gets loose he'll be ready for us when we open it up. I'd say our best bet is to keep him unconscious until we get him to a temple or some place that can figure out what they did to him. Milo, Bertram, can you think of anything we can do to restore his mind?". He keeps a close eye on Tremaine for any sign of him waking up.
Packing to leave (DM Greg) d20+2=14 (Figment's healing check for Tremaine, failed) Wednesday June 18th, 2003 10:26:49 PM
Figment and Lian say farewell to the sprites, and pack the apparatus pieces and the magical staff, preparing to leave.
Then Figment moves over beside the downed shifter, and carefully looks him over. However, Figment is no healer, and can only tell that Tremaine remains unconscious.
Olana d20+13=31 Wednesday June 18th, 2003 11:25:26 PM
Olana bows to the fey. "We'll protect this tree, have no fear," she says, in full agreeance with K'Nara's acceptance of the brooch. "Fare well, and be safe."
She makes sure the dragon's blood potion is safe and will carry anything that needs carrying. "Er.... should we rig up a stretcher for Tremaine?" she asks, already looking around for suitable fallen branches. Perhaps those.... a couple of cloaks and some rope......
((Wilderness Lore DC 31))
K'Nara d20+1=16 Thursday June 19th, 2003 6:34:24 AM
(OOC: the DM has stated that Orson didn't get healed up when Bert was doing his rounds.)
For a long moment K'Nara's hazel eyes bored into the sulking figure of Brother Bertram.
"If I seemed to speak with undue authority, Brother," the tall female fighter said gravely, "It is because I feel that you are a member of the Emerald Talons as well as Orson is now. It is my honor and duty to lead the group, and so I will always order the healing of wounded members...even ones who don't have the sense to stop attacking when they are injured to the point of being almost dead..!" K'Nara turned a humorous eye to Orson, then addressed the dwarven cleric once more:
"I didn't mean for you to think that I thought you had shirked your clerical duties, Bertram...I just wanted to make sure that Orson got healed before he could find something else to fight."
K'Nara went on to help Olana in her search for materials with which to make a travois for the unconscious Tremaine. (OOC: Wilderness Lore check of 16.)
Milo (hp 38/63) 2d8(1+7)+3=11 d8+1=5 Thursday June 19th, 2003 11:32:36 AM
As the endurance of Pantheon leaves Milo, the halfling begins to move a bit slower, showing signs of grevious injury hidden by the holy enchantment. He stops to pray for a moment, and is relieved a small amount. From his satchel he produces the gem of healing and a potion. He drinks the potion, and expends the final charge on the gem. "Well, I'll have to get that recharged some time." Straightening, Milo replaces the gem, and looks to help with the travois. (OOC: Used up all four 0-level spells for cure minor wounds. Healed self for 4 hps; Gem of healing is a cure moderate wounds, and potion is of cure light wounds. Healed self for another 16 hps of damage).
Brother Bertram Thursday June 19th, 2003 2:29:58 PM
Bertram turns to K'nara and eyes her for a moment. "If you do not wish to me to think that I shirked my duties, then I suggest in the future you do not outright say that I did. I have no problem following orders and being a part of the Talons. In fact I have had no problem being a walking bottle of healing draughts for the group. But I will not have it suggested that I am not doing my job as I and Domi see fit. Now what are you going to do about Tremaine? Do you wish me to attempt to rouse him or do you want him left unconscious?"
(OOC I Have tried 3 separate times now to heal everyone in the group and tell them they are, Greg has also backed this and said no problem. We still have people saying they arent healed. From here on if you need healed please verbally let Bertram know in Post form. If you dont ask, you aren't healed. Sorry for causing all this confusion.)
Orson Thursday June 19th, 2003 3:55:36 PM
Orson stands silently off to the side, watching Tremaine, should he awake, and scanning the area, remaining aware in case he had more allies guarding him than those that thy defeated.
OOC: Sorry If I didn't apply Bertram's healing to Orson. I saw you post he'd heal people (in general). Greg didn't say 'you healed everyone', just that people should post current HPs to see if you needed to roll. As nothing came of that (which I had been posting Orson's HPS all along), I figured Orson wasn't healed...as with the amount of damage we suffered, just saying 'everything healed' was a stretch. Orson was down 50, Olana 60, Milo around 40, Ingrge was wounded (not sure how much), Bertram himself was almost dead...thats alot of damage added up.
Sorry for my contribution to the confusion as well :(
OOC2: I will be in San Deigo on vaction from the 25th-2nd, so won't have ANY access at all to post. Then on the 2nd-4/5th?? I have to help my brother move to Tenn., so will most likely be unable to post.
Ingrge Thursday June 19th, 2003 4:11:36 PM
(OOC this was posted BY GREG in Tuesday's post... But, for simplicity's sake, lets assume that Bertram can heal everyone up to full, and he can retain his full complement of 0-level spells, one 1st level spell and one 2nd level spell...)
------------------
Looking around the clearing Ingrge picks up those things that he had identified as magical of Tremaine's and then turn at Figment's comments.
"I wonder if perhaps he is under some sort of curse. I suppose, in the morning I could try a removal and see if that helps any."
as K'nara and Betram have their "Lover's Spat" he stands off watching the two of them and then sighs.
"K'nara, if you are going to assign blame anywhere then perhaps you should blame me for not specifically handing my potions to Orson, though I did offer them to any who needed them. Or for that matter perhaps you should accept blame for yourself as well, as you too offered potions, but did not thrust any into anyone's hands. Or, prehaps you should blame those who needed to be healed but chose not to take advantage of our offers. Bertram himself just returned to the land of the living just moments ago after being laid low during combat."
"My point in all this is that we are not going to survive for long, if we can't keep from heaping blame upon one another. I truly believe we have been lucky up to this point. There have never been any truly assigned roles in our group. We have muddled through duplicating effort and often getting in each others way. That is why members go charging off as Figment and I cast our spells and unintentionally catch you all in the effects. It is why one of our own was suprised by the spell I cast to distract Tremaine before we entered this fray. It is why more than one of us, myself included went off on our own and nearly got ourselves killed.IF we are to continue adventuring as a group, WE all need to decide what role we each play within the group, and how that is to play out in any given situation."
This is by far the most any of you has ever heard Ingge speak at one time.
Olana (27/64) Thursday June 19th, 2003 4:36:59 PM
Wincing a bit, but probably thinking that Ingrge was right, Olana ponders his suggestions.
Also, at one point, she approaches Bertram, speaking quietly. "You know, K'Nara can be a little forthright sometimes." She smiles and shrugs. "It's her way, but her heart is in the right place. She'd put herself between any one of us and mortal danger if she had to - even Figment." She glances around for a moment and then smiles that innocent, all-is-well-with-the-Wold sunny smile of hers. "I mean she shouts at Figment all the time. I think she likes him."
"Oh," she adds, biting her lip, "would you mind healing me a little more? I'm still feeling a bit woozy."
Brother Bertram 4d8(6+3+7+7)+7=30 d8+5=6 Thursday June 19th, 2003 7:47:52 PM
Bertram shakes his head. "I appreciate what you are trying to do Olana. I also have no doubts of K'nara and her willingness to die for the group. However, she is not alone in her feelings for the group, and should realize this. I am very aware of my role in this group and do not need to be spoken to as one would a child." Bertram grins for a moment, "Although I certainly sound like one now do I not? Ingrge is right however. If we do not coordinate our abilities we will surely perish. We were lucky here today. If Tremaine had been just a bit more prepared for us, we would all have seen Gargul this day." Bertram lays his hands on Olana and murmurs a prayer to Domi, requesting healing for the Elven lass. ((OOC Cast Cure Crit and Cure Light-Healed 36 points))
DM Greg OOC - about the healing Thursday June 19th, 2003 10:39:28 PM
Matt is right, apparently there was over 200 hp of damage before Brother Bertram went on his healing spree. That is why I continually reminded you to post your total and present hit points! Some of you were very regular at doing this, but not all of you. That is why it was difficult for me to determine if Bertram could just say, "I heal everyone with my spells." I had no idea how bad everyone was hurt. In future please, PLEASE post your hit points in your posts, until you are resting in a safe place, or everyone is as healed as necessary, or until all the healing spells are used up. That way, if the party is down a total of 100hp or less, then I can just say, Bertram heals you all. But, for more than 200 hp damage, I don't think that Bertram had access to enough spells. A cure critical wounds spell from Bertram will do an average of 25 hp per spell, and a cure serious will do an average of 21 hp. So, once again, I ask you all to post your damage, so that everyone knows who still needs healing, and just how much healing is required to deal with the party damage.
Exit, stage left (DM Greg) Thursday June 19th, 2003 11:09:55 PM
The two ladies put together a stretcher to carry the unconscious Tine leader. It is easy enough to rig something up, using some fallen branches, a couple of cloaks, and some rope from one of their packs. Milo approaches them just as they finish, a little more healed then before.
Ingrge takes the magical items from Tremaine's body [OOC: I presume that is what you meant by "picks up"?], and folds up the cloth that contains the extradimensional space, putting all the items into his backpack.
Milo and the ladies roll the now-magickless body of the shifter onto the makeshift stretcher, and each of the ladies takes an end and lifts it off the ground.
The party looks over its collective shoulder as they leave the clearing, seeing the carnage that they have left behind. The wound from the apparatus in the trunk of the Ish'gara tree is already starting to close, and the blue-skinned beasts (what were they, anyway?) seem to be fading away, as if they were never there. Only the giant tiger corpse is left to remind you of all that has transpired in this clearing. You all realize that the scavengers will feed well for the next few weeks.
As you head back into the forest, and eventually back to Emerald City, you notice a small leather sack hanging on a branch directly on your route. On the side of the sack, in large gold writing, is written, "For Milo, to be opened right away." There is a stylized "C" at the bottom of the message.
[OOC: Unless one of you wants something else to happen, you can travel safely back to Emerald City, without any mishaps.]
Lian Friday June 20th, 2003 1:36:37 AM
The elven monk just shakes his head at Ingrges 'rant'. "Personally, I believe anyone who is ripped to shreds by a large tiger would be in serious need of healing... or a pine box. Not to mention those wierdo blue things." Lian pauses for a moment. "We were lucky Ingrge, we were. I think if we change up our techniques now, the luck will go away. The Talons work fine the way we are. If we plan to pause in combat for even a moment for you and Figment to cast, those of us who cannot cast spells may be left to our own devices, left holding the bag as it were; this may mean charging into the frey, defending the casters or anything else. As for casting into a frey where your friends may or may not be, is a chance we have to take; we take chances as heroes."
The monk smiles kindly at Ingrge. "If we each have to reevaluate our place in the Talons, no one is going to feel very welcome among us. How would you feel?
I have noticed, however, that battle brings the best out in us and in some cases even lets us realize our strengths. Geez, one moment I am pummling something, the next I am healing a fallen comrade like a professional medic! Hello, mighty cool if you ask me. I was beginning to believe that I was not pulling my wait here as of late, then I heal a friend. I felt good about it, my place here that is. Suddenly now, I am back doubting again, because you feel we/I need to rethink my role?! If I were to 'rethink' healing Orson, I would do it all over again.
Besides, I think perhaps K'nara needs to make that decision about our roles. The 'battle buddy ' system did not work well, but maybe it could be revised or reworked. What do you think K'nara?"
The monk, finishes his rant and several tangents, then walks off to calm his emotions.
On the road On the path back to Emerald City, when the sack for Milo appears, the monk laughs outloud reading the message. "Right! Like you will open this because it tells you to. Seems like a trap to me."
Milo d20+10=27 Friday June 20th, 2003 3:14:16 AM
"I agree Ingrge. You're making perfect sense to me. If we are going to discuss roles in the group, I'd like to put myself forward as the group scout when traveling. Mainly cause I'm good at moving about without being seen. As far as combat is concerned, I'd like a battle buddy assigned to me who is willing to flank opponents opposite me, so that I can get the most out of my abilities. In the past, Figment has been my battle buddy, but I always seem to be fairly far from him in combat, as our roles and tactics are so dissimilar. I'd think that K'nara, Orson, Lian, Olana, or Bertram, who all prefer close combat like myself, would be better suited. Anyhow those are just my thoughts, and at any rate, I'm readin' you loud and clear, and I agree."
When the sack shows up, and Lian calls it a trap, "I think its my order from that Catacombs store. My other healing stick ran outta juice, and I paid for another one. And some scrolls too." Milo smiles, though he checks the bag for traps before opening it up. (OOC: Made a Search check DC 27.)
Figment Friday June 20th, 2003 1:12:42 PM
The mage sighs as the others continue to argue a bit, knowing he was no better. As they retrace their steps he offers an olive branch to the warrior woman - making sure Milo is in earshot when he does. "I apologize for my behaviour. I will in the future try to do better to comply with your direction in combat. I am glad to be part of this group and wish very much to stay that way. I hope you can overlook my anger. I still do not agree with your decision, but it was your decision to make - not mine.". As they travel he speaks to the warrior mage as well. "Ingrge, if you would like I will be pleased to help you identify all this stuff - especially the staff from the apparatus. It should be a very interesting study...".
Olana (full HPs) d20+13=17 d20+9=11 Tuesday June 24th, 2003 1:08:29 AM
Feeling SOOOO much better, and after giving Bertram a hug for his efforts, Olana attempts to figure out a way to drag the stretcher behind one of the horses, while maintaining a level of comfort for Tremaine on the return journey. (Rope Use DC 17, Animal Empathy DC 11) "Will it be okay if we walk?" she whispers to Milo, suggesting it might have enough of a load dragging Tremaine.
"Well, my specialities are tracking, I have some rogue skills, and I have my bow and my swords," she says as some kind of organisation is discussed, not quite sure how they should go into the mix.
Ingrge Tuesday June 24th, 2003 7:45:12 AM
As they walk along Ingrge continues his discussion. No, friend Lian, you misunderstand what I am saying. I am not saying that we actually rethink our "roles" per se, but that we need to rethink how we approach situations and how we react to them. Too often, and I am at fault here as well, we delay doing things until after discussion, and by then sometimes it is too late. We need an action plan that we know by rote about how we go about approaching things. This does not mean that everything we run into is going to fit into this/these templates, but they at least give us something to work from as opposed to starting from scratch each time. In the past many of the challenges that we faced were, not as strong as we were and we were able to smash our way through them, but we are making a name for ourselves and that means there are going to be people asking us to help with more difficult things and those may well be over our heads as things stand right now. Not because of a lack of skills, but because of a lack of organization of those skills.
For instance Lian, Did you know that with my bow I am possibly the most effective of all of here, but rarely do you see me use it? Is that necessarily a smart thing? I dont know. But if we had stood off a bit and peppered Tremaine and the beasts with a few arrows things might have gone more smoothly in combat.
Lian Tuesday June 24th, 2003 4:39:00 PM
"I, perhaps, did misunderstand you friend Ingrge, I humbly apologize." The monk bows. "Perhaps your bow would make a great addition to our combats.
I purpose that we state our strong skills, I will start. My strengths are moving through combat and into combat quickly. Therefore, I will happily pause for the spell casters to prepare. I can also, if needed, backup Milo in scouting and surveilence. Not saying Milo is not very talented at those tasks, but sometimes things happen." The monk bows with a smile to the halfling Justicar.
K'Nara Wednesday June 25th, 2003 1:22:50 PM
"Well, I can tell you ONE thing for sure..." K'Nara said with a bit of a disappointed sigh, "...I know that I certainly didn't act as fast as I would have liked...re-evaluating my 'Battle Buddy' system would seem in order--especially if people are assuming that keeping tabs on your Battle Buddy means you HAVE to fight by their side all the time.
"My original thought was to simply make sure that each of us is definitely aware of one of the others--my 'Battle Buddy' idea was spawned by the fact that one of the Talons had come to the point of death in one particularly nasty battle, but practically nobody who could have helped him by either healing him or assisting with his specific foe even realized he was in trouble."
OOC: we can email each other with our PC's strengths and weaknesses, and discuss a few pre-planned battle tactics...it can only help.
ACDM Jan Wednesday June 25th, 2003 5:32:41 PM
((OOC - Sorry for the hold up folks, I'm trying to find out if our DM is okay. We'll get things rolling tomorrow, come what may. Thanks for being patient.))
Travel back to Emerald City (DM Greg) Wednesday June 25th, 2003 10:05:36 PM
[OOC: Sorry about the delay, all.]
The party gradually makes their way back to Emerald City, talking over their tactics as they travel. Regardless of their best efforts, they cannot wake Tremaine from his coma. Even magical healing from Brother Bertram seems to have no effect. The shifter continues to ride, unmoving, in the stretcher. Occasionally, a toubled look crosses his face, and once, the stretcher bearers hear him mumble, something like, "Stop him..." or "Stop it..."
The two weeks of travel go by quickly, and without incident, although hauling the unconscious Tremaine does slow the party down a bit. As near within 5 miles of Emerald City, they meet more and more travellers. They get a few odd looks from the other travellers, eyeing the figure on the stretcher. They are even approached by a travelling healer, a cleric of Alemi, who offers his services. However, they turn him down with thanks.
The party approaches the gates of the city...
Ingrge Thursday June 26th, 2003 5:05:04 PM
Duirng the trip back, Ingrge first casts a remove curse on Tremaine after the first two days of not waking and then sometime during the trip back he, along with Figment, identify both the items of Tremaine's and any pieces of the aparatus that were deemed magical.
Entering Emerald City (DM Greg) Thursday June 26th, 2003 10:47:29 PM
Milo searches the bag for traps, just to be safe. Finding no traps, he opens the bag, to find it is in fact the items that he had purchased at the Catacombs. Along with the wand and the two scrolls, there is a small note, saying, "Thank you for your business, Milo. We hope that you will be satisfied with your purchases, and that we see you soon."
As the party approaches the entry to the city, one of the watch hails them. "Halt, good ladies and sirs. Please state your business in our fair city. And please explain how that person came to be carried on that stretcher."
Olana d20=16 Thursday June 26th, 2003 11:56:53 PM
Olana glances toward the others then steps forward.
"Hello!" she says with a bright smile. "My name is Olana, we were traveling through Culverwood, and we found this poor man, and you know what Culverwood is like. We've healed him as much as we can, but now he needs his friends and family." ((CHA DC16))
Milo Friday June 27th, 2003 2:33:51 AM
Milo's gaze darts up toward Olana's face, and the halfling attempts to withhold a snort as he realizes that while Olana isn't technically lying, she isn't really telling the whole truth either. He eyes the guards to see if they go for it.
K'Nara Friday June 27th, 2003 7:15:04 AM
"He probably fell in with a bad crowd..." added K'Nara, also observing whether or not this explanation of events was acceptable to the guard.
Brother Bertram Friday June 27th, 2003 12:42:23 PM
Bertram allows the leaders to talk, intent upon watching Tremaine and contemplating where he may next be led.
Figment Saturday June 28th, 2003 5:24:11 PM
The mage helps Ingrge and uses his Identify spell on the trip, relying on the others to protect him while he is vulnerable from fatigue. By the time they get back to the city, he intends to have al the items he was carrying identified and examined for special properties or curses perhaps left by the HOL.
As Olana speaks he decides to simply be quiet as he is wondering why they weren't immediately recognized by the city guard and escorted with all haste to the city castle and the Green Wyrm. As always, things are never what they should be in this place...
Figment, cont. Sunday June 29th, 2003 12:09:42 PM
During the trip, the mage also pulls out 2 items from their snake god adventure - a ring and a wand. "One of the children in the city gave me these as we left and I had no time to identify them. I will now. One of these I'm pretty sure is a wand of lightning, the other, I'm not sure...". During the 2 week trip Figment idetifies these 2 items too. (OOC: Sorry, I forgot about these 2 things from the last adventure.).
To the Talon HQ (DM Greg) Tuesday July 1st, 2003 1:52:46 AM
Not having been specifically alerted to look for the PC's, the gate guard does not appear to recognize them. He approaches the strecher, to take a closer look at the unconscious form. he bends over Tremaine, and almost appears to recognize him ... then stands up, and shakes his head. He turns to Olana and says, "Well, he looks like he needs more than his friends and family. I reckon he needs a skilled healer. However, you may pass." Then he moves aside, and the party enters the gate into the city.
It is midafternoon, and the city is a very busy place. There are green streamers and flags strung from the balconies, and it appears that the people of the city are getting ready to celebrate some sort of festival. Everyone is hustling just a little faster than normal, as if frantic to be ready for the coming celebration. As the party makes its way to the Tine headquarters, anyone taking the time to look at the passersby notices that there are many more frowns and worried looks than smiles, however. This seems strange, given the festive, colourful air in which the city appears to be decorated.
The party winds their way through the streets to the Tine headquarters. There is a young man leaning up against the unmarked doorframe. One of the party memebers gives the proper sign, and the young man answers with the proper response. He opens the door to let the party in, and his eyes grow wide as he recognizes who is being carried in the stretcher. The PC's enter a smallish room with two doors exiting, one from the right and one from the far side. An older, portly gentleman is seated behind a simple desk, writing in a large ledger. He looks up as the party enters, and double-takes when he sees Tremaine on the stretcher. He stammers, "Pppplease wait hhhere." Then he turns and rushes through the far door. In about 30 seconds, he returns with two teenage boys, and a tall, elderly half-elf. The portly gentleman is talking as he enters the room, "...and then they just appear at the doorstep with Caiden in the stretcher. I hope you can help him, Lucius."
The tall half-elf steps forward, and says, "I see you have returned safely, with our leader. I am Lucius, the resident healer. It appears Caiden is the worse for wear. Please allow me to take him to our recovery room, so I can see what can be done for him."
Assuming the party allows it, Lucius signals the two teenagers to take the stretcher, and the half-elf leaves with the teenagers and Tremaine in tow.
The portly gentleman moves toward the party, and says, "Welcome back. I am Marton. Don't worry, I already know each of you, at least by reputation. Please, let me take you to our guest rooms, where you can freshen up. The city is making ready to celebrate Parnoth's birthday, and we plan to have our own 'celebration'. Why don't you freshen up, and I will send someone to get you for dinner?"
DM Greg OOC Tuesday July 1st, 2003 1:53:52 AM
Who was the DM when you picked up those other two items: the wand and the ring?
Brother Bertram Tuesday July 1st, 2003 3:36:02 AM
Bertram looks to the others to gauge thier reaction to this Marton fellow. Bertram looks about suspicously, his hand going to his axe unconsciously from time to time.
(OOC Matt was the DM at that time if I recall-Was given to FIgment by the little girl that Bertram raised from the dead.)
Figment Tuesday July 1st, 2003 9:06:42 PM
The mage graciously accepts the hospitality, once again falling comforatably into the amenities of the city. He takes note of the new name given Tremaine. "You may need to restrain him. He's been brainwashed or cursed in a way we have been unable unravel...".
(Matt was DM. One of the kids took Figment to a hiding place and gave them to him. I'm not sure which kid.).
Olana Tuesday July 1st, 2003 10:16:38 PM
The elf wrinkles her nose at the mention of Parnoth's birthday, and remains concerned about Tremaine's health. "I hope he'll be alright," she says with a sigh as he's carried off. "Oooooh, I could do with a nice hot bath, right now. Thank you," she says to Marton.
Milo Wednesday July 2nd, 2003 1:36:50 AM
Milo is lost in thought as he considers the news of the day. Then, as Olana mentions a bath Milo's ears perk up, and the halfling smiles, "I could use a scrub myself."
Ingrge Wednesday July 2nd, 2003 2:54:04 PM
"Freshen up? That sounds like a marvelous idea. A bath and a glass of wine would be just the thing to ease some of the tension from the road."
K'Nara Wednesday July 2nd, 2003 8:18:08 PM
The tall redhead nodded to Marton, her eyes narrowing when the man added something about "our own celebration"...but Marton's words swept her question aside for now.
"You mean...freshen up...as in taking a bath...in a REAL tub..? With hot water and everything...?" K'Nara said in a very uncharacteristically wistful voice. "I can count on one hand the opportunities we've had over the past year to take a real bath..."
A much needed bath, and a feast (DM Greg) Thursday July 3rd, 2003 12:41:19 AM
The ladies and gentlemen of the Talons are led down a flight of stairs, to two separate rooms, (ladies to one and gentlemen to another) and are told, "These are the change rooms, and the baths are through that door." Sure enough, anyone passing through the doors see two large tubs, each capable of holding 6-8 bathers. Anyone trying the water finds it to be warm, but not hot.
After a bath (or not), the party is escorted back upstairs to a large room, for dinner. The tables are set in a large 'U', with the, presently empty, head of the table at the bottom of the U, and the party members, along with other Talons, seated along the arms of the 'U'. All told, there are about 25-30 others already seated. As the party is led in, they notice the room is decorated with the same green banners and green cloth as in the streets, but the banners and cloth have all been splashed with blotches of red dye, looking as if blood has been spilled across the cloth.
The party sits down, and is immediately served wine or beer (or water), as they choose. A few minutes later, a small gong is rung, and the Talons rise to their feet. Seven people enter the room from a side door, and seat themselves at the head of the table. At the far left of the head table, the party recognizes Marton, and sitting on the right side, the elder gentleman healer. At the center of the head table, a large bearded man in his early 30s is seated.
The bearded man has a brief discussion with the woman seated on his right, and then stands and says, "Talons, I propose a toast, to the ultimate defeat and complete destruction of the tyrant, Parnoth! May scavengers pick the rotting flesh from his bones, while his soul rots in whatever hell will accept him!" He, and all the others in the room, shout, "Death to Parnoth!" and then all drain their glasses.
He continues, "Today, we celebrate Parnoth's birthday. I propose it be his last! Let us eat and drink and celebrate the safe return of our leader Caden Tremaine. Although he yet lies in an unconscious state, I am sure it is only a matter of time until he regains his senses, and takes the reins of power again. Until then, I will be in charge. Now, let us celebrate, and when we have eaten our fill, discuss our next moves against the tyrant."
He claps his hands twice, and a number of youngsters enter by another side door, carrying the trays of food and drink. Everyone who wishes to can partake in the feast.
Identifying the items (DM Greg) Thursday July 3rd, 2003 1:17:14 AM
Ingrge's and Figment's identify spells turn up the following information on the magical items from Tremaine, and earlier:
Wand of lightning bolts (5th level) 20 charges remaining Ring of feather falling
From Caden Tremaine: Ring of Protection +3 Periapt of Wisdom +2 Cloak of Resistance +3 Staff casts lesser restoration and has 8 charges remaining (and has more abilities, but will take an analyze dweomer spell to get all the information on the staff)
Olana Thursday July 3rd, 2003 1:29:22 AM
The elf dives into the tub and has a nice warm bath. Ooooooh, that felt so good. After braiding her hair and putting on some clean clothes, Olana joins the others, and takes a seat next to Milo at the table.
As Tremaine's 'successor' gives his speech, her eyes find themselves drifting uneasily toward her fellow Talons. To her, he seemed just as mad as Tremaine did What the heck was going on?
Brother Bertram Thursday July 3rd, 2003 3:28:10 AM
After a much needed and long overdue bath, Bertram goes to eat with the others. At the people's words, he sees that Tremaine was not alone in his delusions. Excusing himself as soon as possible, Bertram will start looking for any servants of either Domi or Gargul, to get more information.
Figment Thursday July 3rd, 2003 6:41:21 AM
After hearing the toast the mage wonders how they will be accepted after Tremaine wakes up - since they very well may have preserved the life of the Green One. "So what has Parnoth been doing since we were here last?".
Milo Thursday July 3rd, 2003 12:13:35 PM
Milo enjoys the bath thoroughly, and once clothed again, joins his fellow Talons at the table.
As the toast is made, Milo is inwardly astonished to hear the sentiment, as his personal take on Parnoth has somewhat changed of late. His face however remains as calm as a placid lake.
Interested to discover more, Milo uses Figment's conversation as cover to excuse himself, claiming a need to visit the privy...
K'Nara Thursday July 3rd, 2003 3:48:13 PM
The only thing that kept K'Nara from diving into the tub herself was the fact that the delighted elven ranger had beat her to it. Nonetheless, the leader of the Talons hopped into the water with alacrity, taking the time and care to scrub every inch of her body, wash her hair and scrub all over again (just because she could!) By the time she reluctantly left the bath, K'Nara resembled a prune, but she was grinning from ear to ear.
She almost didn't go to the meal, because having taken a bath, K'Nara's only clean change of clothing was her rather formal green gown, last seen when the Gold Dragons had given that banquet and presented the Talons with magic items--including the now-intelligent Lucia. K'Nara opted to don only the basic green gown itself, leaving the silk and embroidered overgown and accessories in her backpack. She also made it a point to wash the normal clothing she had and put it out to dry.
Appearing at the meal in a gown felt a bit odd to her at first, but then K'Nara simply shrugged and brushed off her self-consciousness. She simply didn't have time for it.
The bearded man's speech made the warrior woman's eyebrows elevate, so she leaned towards the man and asked him in a pointblank way:
"Excuse me, sir, but we haven't formally met. I am K'Nara of the Emerald Talons, and a member in good standing of this chapter of the Tines...who are you and by what authority are you now the leader of the Tines...if I may be so bold as to question..?" K'Nara added that last bit as a half-remembered effort to be diplomatic.
Introductions all around (DM Greg) Tuesday July 8th, 2003 12:15:56 AM
The new head Talon smiles at K'Nara, and says, "Of course I know you, and your partners. I am Endrin Redthroat, and I will be leading the Tines until Caiden recovers from whatever is keeping him in a coma. The leadership here has selected me to fill in." He motions to the others at the head table. Then he stands, raises his glass, and addresses the other celebrants, "And so, I offer a toast to these fine adventurers, who recovered our lost leader, Caiden. It is only fitting that they receive just reward for their heroic actions, which I am sure that they will fill us in over our dinner tonight. I presume that you found the small magic items that Caiden was wearing, since our healers could find no signs of them. I propose that you keep the items that you found, as your reward. Don't worry, when Caiden regains his senses, we will be able to outfit him as befits our leader. Now, please fill us in: how did you find Caiden, and how did he come to be in a coma? What transpired in the Culverwood?"
[OOC: The response to Figment's question about what Parnoth has been up to will have to wait a bit, while I find out from the campaign DMs.]
[OOC: Seeing as how some of you wish to explore the Tine hideout, let me give you more information. The hideout is located in a huge warehouse, converted into many rooms. You have only been in about one-third of the building, in the section that holds the guest quarters, the baths, a few offices and guard chambers, and the large dining room and attached kitchen. The rear two-thirds of the building is unfamiliar to you all, yet. Does Bertram plan to wander the building, trying to find someone that obviously displays a sign of Domi or Gargul, or does he have a strategy in mind?]
Meanwhile, Milo slips out of the dining hall to try to find Tremaine's quarters and office. He steps out into the hallway, pressed up against the wall. The halls are lit by lanterns set regularily along the wall, providing some shadows. However, given the celebration taking place to mock Parnoth's birthday, there is much regular movement through the halls, and it will be very difficult to carry out an undetected search of the building, not knowing which direction to go. As Milo pauses in the hallway outside the dining hall, the passage left heads back to the guest chambers and entrance that the party used. The hallway to the right extends about 40' and turns right. There are two doors off the hall, almost opposite each other. The one on the left is open, and the one on the right is closed. It looks like this might be a much longer trip to the privy than Milo expected...
Milo (invisibility) d20+26=41 Tuesday July 8th, 2003 2:43:18 AM
Not discouraged in the least, Milo reaches into his satchel, and palms his potion of invisibility as he moves quickly to find a corner where he can have but a moment's peace. When he believes that he is unobserved, he consumes the potion fully intending to move down the hall away from the guest quarters and take the right turn, moving silently the whole way. (OOC: Assuming that Milo finds a moment's peace to drink his potion, even if in the privy itself, his Move Silently check is DC 41.)
Figment Tuesday July 8th, 2003 10:06:57 PM
Having possession of Tremain's items for now, the mage decides to refrain from saying anything. He allows the warrior woman to explain what she sees fit about the adventure and especially the tree. Prior to the formal toasts and such, he decides to compliment K'Nara. "My dear, you look most beautiful tonight...".
Brother Bertram (Jan) Tuesday July 8th, 2003 11:58:15 PM
Bertram waits until after the toast and some polite conversation before having a wander off. "I always like to compliment the chef," he says. This isn't a covert search as such, just a general stroll around, perhaps to strike up a conversation here and there, get a general feel for whats going on.
The kitchen seems as good a place as any, so thats where he's headed, and if he spots a fellow cleric, so much the better.
Olana Wednesday July 9th, 2003 12:10:08 AM
Olana fidgets at the table, joins the toast with a polite smile, and silently wonders what Milo was up to. He looked to have that twinkle in his eye on his way out of the room. She hoped he wasn't up to anything dangerous.
She bites her lip as Redthroat asks about how Tremaine got to be in his current condition. That was going to be a difficult thing to answer. Technically it might have been because of trauma they'd dished out, but then again it could have been a reaction to his state before they found him.
She's also wondering other things - this Redthroat fellow - what if was he that had set Tremaine on his previous course? Wasn't it supposed to have been the Hands of Love that had done that? What if he was secretly something other than a Tine. Mind you - they'd been away from Emerald for a while - Figment's question was valid - if the dragon had imposed new rules, as bad as the old ones, then it would certainly have got everyone's blood up.
Oh well, time would tell. Truths and lies always showed themselves in the end.
K'Nara Wednesday July 9th, 2003 10:00:54 AM
"We went on that mission to stop Tremaine and get him back." K'Nara said with a shrug of her shoulders. "So we stopped him without killing him and brought him back. He was very much the able fighter and put up a lot of resistance. I believe the Talons were as lucky as we were determined." The human female fighter seemed to concentrate more on her food than on appeasing Endrin Redthroat's curiosity.
When Figment complimented her, however, K'Nara's initial reaction was to stare pointedly at the spellcaster with a raised eyebrow--but then she belatedly realized that she wasn't wearing her armor over traveling clothes...she was wearing a nice dress. Her face got almost as red as her hair, but she nodded at her colleague.
"Thank you for saying so, Figmentary," K'Nara said, her voice a bit flustered, "I'm...not used to compliments. You...uh...you look nice tonight, yourself." While her words weren't as elegant or flowing as a bard's, K'Nara's accompanying smile was, nonetheless, sincere. Then she seemed to recall something else and turned her attention to Redthroat once more.
"By the way...you never DID answer Figment's questions here." she said to the man. "What kind of 'surprise' are you planning for Parnoth's birthday..?"
Orson Wednesday July 9th, 2003 11:15:35 AM
Orson bathes along with everyone else, glad to have the chance to relax and cleean up a bit. He spends a fiar amount of time cleaning his weapons as well, and polishes up his armor a little when he is told of the feast. He attends in a clean set of travelers cloths and armor, having given up all his party atire long ago.
He acts a little out of place at the feast, passing on drinks (save sipping a glass of water), ignoring the Tines toasts, and silently listening to the conversations that occur.
Orson excuses himelf from the table (when not interrupting any discussion), "Have excerises to get done, and feel a lot more comfortable in a training circle than with these people," he says quietly to K'Nara, letting the Talons leader know where hes going. "Nice dress, by the way," he adds, patting her lightly on the shoulder, "Looks great on you." He quickly heads to the door, glad to be out of the enviornment he spent most of his teenage years in.
He asks a servant or lower looking member of the Tines for directions, hoping to get a good round of excerises in, or possibly someone to spare against.
Figment Wednesday July 9th, 2003 11:12:46 PM
The finely dressed mage smiles and nods at K'Nara's stilted but sincere compliment. He sits in his flowing finery (hand made of the finest fabrics course) and listens to the new Tine leader respond to K'Nara's points.
At the banquet, and outside the banquet (DM Greg) Thursday July 10th, 2003 12:52:16 AM
Endrin responds to K'Nara, "Well, the Tines want to thank you for returning our wayward leader to us. I am afraid that his plan was, shall we say, not very well thought out. Hopefully, when he recovers his senses, we can determine why he acted the way that he did, so very rashly. As for Parnoth himself, he has not made an appearance in the city for a good long while. There are rumors that he is caught up in something big, but just what that is, I am not sure. Even though he is away, his cronies and syncophants have made sure that the city still celebrates his birthday. Tonight, we celebrate as well, the safe return of our leader, the impending downfall of the scaled tyrant, and the new information that we have just discovered that will help us cause that downfall. But first, let us eat!" He claps his hands, and more food and drink is brought in. The centerpiece is a large roast pig, decorated to look like a green dragon: dyed green with a long fake neck and tail. The roast is set in front of Endrin, and then the servers proceed to carve large chunks from the pig and pass it around to the diners.
As he begins to eat, Endrin looks up and around at the tables, and says, "Hrrmph. I see that some of our guests have decided to leave before the feast. Their loss." He looks pointedly at the chairs vacated by the missing Talons.
Milo, standing in the hallway, downs his invisibility potion, and disappears from sight. He moves down the hallway, and turns right at the end. He looks down a much longer hallway, almost 100' long, with a side passage off to the left, and numerous doors leading to the right and left, some open and some closed. At the end of the long hallway is a staircase leading upstairs.
Bertram walks out of the dining hall, and turns towards the kitchen. He stands at the doorway, and watches as over 15 kitchen staff prepare the remainder of the Tine feast. No obvious clerics are present, unless big white hats have suddenly become a holy symbol (grin).
Orson heads for the main doors leaving the dining hall, and asks one of the serving boys where he can find a training room, and perhaps some sparring partners. The boy answers, "Out of the dining hall, turn right, and right again. Along both sides of the long hallway are the general quarters for the regular Tines, and the staff. Partway along the hallway, there is another hallway to the left, that leads to the open part of the warehouse at the back. There is a gym and training facilities set up back there. At the end of the long hallway, just before the stairs, there are a couple of common rooms. I expect that some of the Tines are 'celebrating' in those rooms, and you can likely find someone itching for a scrap, or a 'practice'."
Milo (invisibility) d20+21=32 Thursday July 10th, 2003 1:16:05 AM
Thinking back to his younger days as a burglar with the Guild, Milo seemed to recall the important stuff always being upstairs, further out of reach, and generally more work. So, quietly he creeps, up the stairs, away from the party, and hopefully toward some useful information regarding the tines' current plans. (OOC: Milo moves silently at normal speed. The -5 modifier for doing so is already figured into his skill check, which is DC 32).
Exploring the Tine shop (DM Greg) Thursday July 10th, 2003 11:12:21 PM
Milo makes his way invisibly down the long hallway. For the 30 seconds or so it takes to travel the 80'-100', he does not bump into anyone. The open doors on either side lead into 2- and 4-person barracks, and the occasional storage room. Two of the barracks have occupants; sleeping figures snore softly in a couple of the beds. Along the left side, a short hallway leads at right angles, into a large room. As Milo moves down the hall, he can hear voices coming from the doorways at the end of the hall. When he comes parallel to the far doorways, he can see they are both occupied with a number lower-level Tines, celebrating, playing cards, and drinking in larger common rooms. As he reaches the bottom of the stairs, he sees a sign posted at the side: SENIOR TINES ONLY BEYOND THIS POINT.
Does he continue up the stairs?
K'Nara Friday July 11th, 2003 10:31:56 AM
K'Nara looked around, only just noticing that not all the Talons were at this meal.
"Probably practicing." she said out loud, shrugging and seemingly returning her attention to her meal. "What time do I report to whatever meeting it is you're having about this newest effort against Parnoth?" The tall redhead looked almost bored as she broke open a roll and used it to mop up some juices on her plate before taking a bite.
Milo (invisibility) Friday July 11th, 2003 1:13:17 PM
Milo stops at the door with the sign, and searches it for possible traps, magical or mechanical. He takes his time at this, wanting to do a thorough job of it. (OOC: Milo takes 20 searching the door. This gives him a Search DC of 30, but takes 2 minutes to complete.)
Figment Friday July 11th, 2003 3:15:07 PM
The mage digs in with the others. He decides to simply enjoy the moment and the food as he seldom gets to see K'Nara in this light. "Your meal is delicious, sir. Being an acomplished chef myself I rarely get to enjoy a truly well-prepared meal as we are on the road so often. My compliments to your cooking staff.".
Olana Friday July 11th, 2003 9:38:16 PM
Olana tries not to fidget, or look in horror at the pig-dressed-up-as-a-dragon course. Just the thought of eating that.... All her life she had been at the mercy of Parnoth's whims, and it was well known that he didn't like elves, or merely thought of them as tools to be used. He was a green - that made him evil, but then after the great war he'd released her kind from slavery. Did she feel thankful? Or should she still bear the same resentment, like Redthroat here. Giving a sigh, she picks at some of the veggies. It was all very confusing, and the bottom line was - she didn't think destroying Parnoth would have quite the cathartic effect that it was supposed to. It was too late - damage had been done. Of course if the green brute was slipping back into his old ways....
She listens to the conversation at the table, making eye contact and nodding occasionally.
"I'm a bit confused about all of this," she whispers to Ingrge at one point with a rueful smile.
Bertram (Jan) d20=16 d20+6=26 Saturday July 12th, 2003 12:22:53 AM
(Charisma check DC 16, Diplomacy DC 26 nat 20) Bertram will attempt to establish whether some of the kitchen staff have time to talk or not. If not - he thanks the kitchen staff for their hard work and will head back to the banquet.
If they do - along with the thanks, he'll attempt some small talk, being as diplomatic as possible, and try to get the general mood of Emerald City folk if he can - how they feel about Parnoth, and this new leader chappie.
Ingrge Monday July 14th, 2003 12:55:11 PM
Watching and listening, Ingrge nibbles a bit on select items being served and shakes his head as the abense of several of the Talons is noted. As Olanna whipers to him, he smiles and responds.
"I would think that Parnoth promotes and creates confusion. That is after all a powerful tool for control. I expect that our green leopard has not changed his spots. I think that he has, perhaps, just temporarily covered them up. I am sure that we will se far more of hi evil than we want to in the future."
Kent Monday July 14th, 2003 7:32:53 PM
(OOC Greg, is there goign to be any PC down time in between adventures? not necessarily for RP purposes but for say scroll making etc.....)
Greg DM OOC Monday July 14th, 2003 11:19:20 PM
Kent, there will be no real down-time between adventures, as will become clear over the next couple of days. There will be an opportunity to replenish supplies in a little while. OK?
More information, a proposed course of action, and...an alarm! (DM Greg) Monday July 14th, 2003 11:56:42 PM
Bertram engages one of the kitchen staff in a brief conversation about the situation in Emerald City, and the Tine headquarters. During the discussion, the sous-sous-sous-chef has this to say, "Emerald City and Parnoth? We haven't seen the Great Green One for a fair long time. The city celebrates his birthday today, as it always does on this day, even though he hasn't made his usual appearance. As for this new Tine leader, well, he is ice to Caden Tremaine's fire. I didn't think that I would ever meet anyone who hated Parnoth as much as Caden, but Endrin seems to have the same attitude towards Parnoth, only he plans and schemes more. If anyone has the chance to remove the Green Tyrant from the throne, it just might be Endrin Redthroat. He sure did rise through the ranks of the Tines in a hurry."
At the banquet, once everyone has eaten their fill and has a refilled goblet, Endrin waves the kitchen staff and waiters out of the room. He looks around at the gathered Tines, and then looks more closely over at the PCs. He says, "The time of celebrating is over, and the time for planning has come." He pushes his chair back and rises to his feet.
"Through our research, we have developed a plan that we feel sure will seriously hurt, if not cripple, the Green Tyrant's power. However, to put this plan into action, a powerful item will first need to be recovered. The item is a small rod, 18" long, carved and magically shaped out of solid emerald. Parnoth is desperately searching for this rod, but if we can gain possession of it first, we think that we can turn its power back against him."
"Our research has divined the location of the rod. We are certain it can be found in one of the most magical places in the Woldian universe. This place is said to contain the riches of a thousand dragon hoardes, but it also contains the creatures that protect and battle over these hoardes. Many powerful Woldians have travelled to this place, but few have returned. A wise bard once wrote about the place, 'Welcome to the richest treasure chest in or out of the Wold! And welcome to your deaths.' The name of this fantastic place is..."
Suddenly, a series of loud bells ring from outside the doorway of the dining room, and down the hall. Endrin shouts, "Intruders, on the stairs! Quickly, move to capture them!" Upon saying this, two of the diners at the head table say a quick magical phrase, almost in unison, and disappear from their seats.
...Meanwhile, Milo has been carefully ascending the stairs, searching for traps, mechanical and magical, as he moves from stair to stair. [OOC: There is no door at the bottom of the stairs, only an opening to the stairs themselves, with the sign posted at the bottom of the stairs.] As he reaches the middle stair, the magical alarm spell is triggered, and bells ring at the top and bottom of the stairway. [OOC: I took a little license, since there is no door to search, and Milo had already expressed the desire to climb the stairs. I presume since Milo is taking 20 in the search, he is moving very slowly up the stairs. Also, an alarm spell cannot be detected by a search skill.]
Olana Tuesday July 15th, 2003 12:16:47 AM
Olana thinks over what Redthroat is saying. An item? An artifact? And where was this place? It sounded dangerous.
Leaping to her feet as the alarm sounds, the startled elf moves toward the doorway.
Hang on a minute though - where was Milo? And Bertram? And Orson?
Milo (invisibility) d20+26=44 d20+28=44 Tuesday July 15th, 2003 2:44:34 AM
Seeing that he has set off an alarm, Milo descends to the bottom of the stairs quickly and quietly, before trouble arrives. Finding a corner to hide in, despite the fact that he is already invisible, he waits for trouble to show up, hopes that it will pass him by in their search for an 'interloper.' (OOC: Made a move silently and hide check, both at DC 44. Even if they can see invisible, they still have to make a Spot check greater than DC 44 to see Milo. Do not forget that his Hide ability is magically enhanced by the elven cloak he wears, so his ability to blend in, is not entirely mundane.)
K'Nara d20=4 Tuesday July 15th, 2003 8:27:30 AM
She'd heard that phrase somewhere before, K'Nara was just sure of it...
...Welcome to the richest treasure chest in or out of The Wold! And welcome to your deaths...
The alarums interrupted just then, though...and K'Nara's half-formed recollection flew from her thoughts (OOC: voluntary Intelligence/Knowledge check was only 4, anyway!) as she leaped to her feet.
"Find the rest of the Talons." she ordered the rest of her own group who were present. "I don't get a good feeling from this...Endrin fellow. Something about him..." The human bladesinger let her sentence trail off. "...just let's get our group back together. I'm going to get my sword...look for the others and then come back here when you've found them..!" K'Nara started to move, but her gown was not conducive to speed, so she bent over, grabbed fistfuls of fine emerald green material, hitched most of the skirt above her knees and then sprinted off towards her room, intending to snag Lucia and start looking for her missing Talons.
Orson Tuesday July 15th, 2003 12:19:11 PM
Orson breathed heavily as he stared across the room, the 5 men were really giving him a good workout. Alone he could have taken any of them in a matter of moments, but unarmored and with wooden practice weapons, they teamed up to be quite formitable.
He spent about 45 minutes practicing against the Tines members, honing the finesse side of his fighting, rather than the pure strength he had wielded against the beasts in Culverwood. Panting heavily, Orson took a slight breather as two scrambled to stand after being triped, and two others look dumb-founded at their shattered wooden swords, quickly hurrying to the weapons rack to grab two more. Orson was slicked with sweat, and could already make out a few angry red welts on his bare chest and arms where their weapons had slipped through his attempts at parrying.
He braced himself as they all stood and prepared for another round, but then a distant (or not so distant, not quite sure about the layout of the place here) alarm was heard ringing. All glanced towards the door in unison, then towards one another.
"Well, guess that calls it a night gentlemen?" he questions his opponents, already on his way towards the door. Tossing the wooden practice swords aside, he tosses his slinged longswords over his shoulder, and scoops up his shirt and chain armor. Exiting the training room, he quickly jogs down the hall, turning left and heading back towards the dining area. He wasn't sure what was happening, and thought best to find the others instead of exploring on his own.
Brother Bertram Tuesday July 15th, 2003 1:28:22 PM
The alarm sounds and Bertram immediately reaches for his axe. He begins moving towards the sound immediately looking for signs of trouble as he moves.
Ingrge d20+15=34 Tuesday July 15th, 2003 3:49:16 PM
Listening, Ingrge gets an antsy feeling about what Endrin is discussing and a picutre of an ancient Elven magical place comes forward in his mind (Knowledge Arcana DC 35). Hoping beyond hope, that he is wrong Hthey are interupted by the sounding of alarms. Standing quickly, Ingrge mutters under his breath to Olanna, "If this is because of that nosey little Halfling friend of ours, I might just turn him into something.
The alarm is raised (DM Greg) Wednesday July 16th, 2003 12:01:05 AM
Milo manages to hurry to the bottom of the stairs, and pushes tight against one wall between the bottom of the stairs, and one of the side doors in the hallway. Just in time, too, as two loud pops sound: one at the top of the stairs, and one at the bottom (about 10' from Milo), heralding the arrival of the two robed figures from the head table in the dining room. Milo can see the one at the bottom of the stairs clearly, and notices that the figure is shaking his head, as if to clear cobwebs from his brain. The figure is facing up the stairs. At the same time, Tines are racing out of the two doorways at the stairway end of the hall, from their celebrations. One of them calls out, "What set off the alarm? We have seen nothing pass by our door."
The rest of the party hurries out to the hallway, and around the corner to the long hallway leading to the stairs, mixed in with the other Tines from the dining room (except for K'Nara, who is hurrying to her room to collect her sword).
Endrin rounds the corner and calls out down the long hallway, "Seal the building! Nothing and no-one gets in or out! Plankett and Landrum, find the intruder, or whatever set of that alarm!" The Tines hustle to do his bidding. Then he turns and looks at the members of the party that are out in the hall, and asks, "Did any of you have anything to do with this? I was led to believe that you could be trusted! I certainly hope for all our sakes that I have not misplaced my trust!"
Milo (invisibility) d20+21=36 Wednesday July 16th, 2003 1:50:04 AM
Realizing that he can get no further with this course of action today, Milo moves as silently as possible down the hallway away from the stairs, and turns the corner, heading toward the privy. (OOC: Made a move silently check DC 36, to move silently at full speed. The -5 penalty for doing so is already figured into the check.)
Olana Wednesday July 16th, 2003 12:09:02 PM
Olana's eyebrows raise in shock, realising what Ingrge has just said and that Milo might be in trouble.
"Maybe it was the cat?" she exclaims toward Redthroat, along with a shrug.
Well maybe it was, she thought. And maybe it was Milo, and maybe it was something worse. What was being discussed here wasn't for everyone's ears. If the dragon knew...
She moves to help with the search.
K'Nara d20=17 Wednesday July 16th, 2003 7:10:16 PM
K'Nara immediately siezed Lucia and ran back to where she'd come from, drawing the weapon out along the way.
"Sorry for the rude awakening, Lucia," she said out loud, pushing past a few other Tines as the traffic milled about the place, "But we may be under attack...although it may also be something--not so sinister, too. I won't know until I get there..."
(OOC: made a voluntary Intelligence check for K'Nara to deduce where the major players of the Tines have gone to [and, thus, get to the hallway where everyone else is now.] The result is 17.)
Figment Wednesday July 16th, 2003 8:03:19 PM
The mage listens to the commentary and gets a cold chill as he realizes the place they are going...
After moving into the hall with the others, the mage begins looking around for evidence. He casts detect magic and begins scanning the area. "I can't say who was responsible but I can look around for you...". He looks up and down the stairs for magical residue but keeps his discoveries - if any - to himself.
The culprit is found? (DM Greg) Thursday July 17th, 2003 7:16:48 PM
The two robed Tines at the top and the bottom of the stairs cast a spell, and scan the stairs, then call out, "No-one on the stairs!" The one at the top of the stairs moves out of sight, and the one at the bottom of the stairs moves back along the long hallway, looking left and right.
The party joins in the search. Figment casts detect magic and moves along the hallway, scanning. Many people and things detect as magic (all the Tines carry magic, party members have magic, the hall is lit by magical torches, etc.), but Figment figures out that they are all as they should be. By chance, Figment and the Tine wizard arrive at the door to the privy at the same time. Both can detect magic on the other side of the door, many magical auras overlaid. The magician pushes open the door, and moves into the privy, which is made up of a long shallow trough with running water (for washing hands) on the left side, and four stalls behind simple wooden doors on the right side. He begins to scan the room, detecting for the source of the magic.
LOG ON