Edmund Saturday August 2nd, 2008 3:48:35 AM
Edmund dozes fitfully. Dreams of tea and cakes flit through his mind; he smiles.
DM Donna Saturday August 2nd, 2008 4:12:54 AM
Painstakingly Thorough
Benjamin considers the question posed by Kadaz.
"Not that I'm an expert on the stuff, mind you," the handsome Undead Hunter says amiably, "But Woldsblood has only one property that I know of: the ability to take souls to the presence of Gargul. I find it disturbing that the Count and his vampire minions were all here, actually drinking Woldsblood, for that must have interfered dreadfully with the work of Gargul...of course, being undead, the vampires didn't have to worry about the soul-sucking effect of the Woldsblood upon them, as they didn't have souls left to draw out of their bodies." He shrugs eloquently.
"There is more than enough Woldsblood here to easily fill the containers in the box." Benjamin points out the obvious. "It stands to reason that there must be something specific about the Woldsblood in the three filled containers that made the Count wish to take the trouble and expense to contain them."
Meanwhile, Julian finds the handwriting less than stellar and hands the newly-discovered missive off to Arm, who gingerly takes the parchment and carefully peruses it...as nothing explodes, it becomes clear to the bard that (thankfully!) there were no runes or wards on it to injure the unwary.
There is, however, the following note (written in Common by a rather bad hand):
Count Darkar:
The Plan must be hastened in execution, as my sources reveal that the fool Rabbitsfoot has gotten suspicious and has taken to hiring on a group of adventurers called "the Mithril Order" to investigate his misgivings.
To this end, you must fill each and every one of these containers as quickly as possible! Only then will we have the ability to achieve our dreams. Once we have seized control of the City, then control of the Wold cannot be far behind.
Once you have filled the containers, deliver the box to the usual site in the Outcast Quarter.
Do as I command with allduespeed!!!
The note is unsigned.
Julian (small size) Sunday August 3rd, 2008 4:52:33 AM
"Sounds like we can find some more bad guys in the Outcast Quarter."
DM Donna Monday August 4th, 2008 12:46:58 AM
Raising the Stakes
So the box with the valuable little bottles in it is still in the possession of the party, awaiting the judgment of the Mithril Order.
Arm Monday August 4th, 2008 6:03:54 AM
After reading the letter, Arm relates it to the rest and agrees with Kadaz, "I think we need to dump the contents of these bottles here and now. Since there's no reason for us to lose out on our bounty, however, I think we should find someone back in the City that can make replicas of these bottles...glass, mind you, and fill them with a similarly-colored liquid. Then, we should head out to the OQ and continue what I thought would be finished with this encounter. For now, I need to get some rest, so if anyone is taking a watch, wake me in a few hours and I'll take over.".
He then takes a spot against a wall and hopefully gets some amount of rest.
Kadaz Monday August 4th, 2008 7:22:00 AM
"I think we're off to the Outcast Quarter to keep searching. But we have 3 options. Take the vials as they are, fill them all with Woldsblood, or empty them. I vote to empty them. Woldsblood seems too dangerous to take home with us.
"But Benjamin may be right. Since only 3 are filled how are they special? Could Podo's soul be in one of them?
"And when we get home we should show this note to Rabbitsfoot. Maybe he will recognize the handwriting."
Thar AC 23/24 Monday August 4th, 2008 8:17:53 AM
"I'm with Benjamin and Kadaz on this one. There's got to be something important about those individual vials and as long as we don't mess with those vials (the 3 w/ Woldsblood), then we should be OK," says Thar.
Pausing for a moment, he thinks about the letter and says "That seems to give us some headway here. Heading to the OQ seems a good start, but we're not done here yet.... Hopefully Ed's idea works out, but I'm still curious about what the hussies were protecting. Could it be these 3 vials? On the other hand, she was headed in another direction so there is likely another stash of materials..."
Shadow (AC 22/17 HP 47/47) Monday August 4th, 2008 8:42:25 AM
"Yes, lets get this done, so we can return to Plateau City with all haste. We must warn Rabbitsfoot and see if we can uncover the true power behind this evil plan." Shadow says as he follows Ed to the counts room where they can hopefully recover the body and then destroy him once and for all.
Edmund Monday August 4th, 2008 11:56:36 AM
Edmund will continue to sleep until eight hours have passed and someone wakes him up, at which point he'll go over his spells for the day, substituting Mage Hand for Resistance.
((Note: You'll have to let me know when eight hours has passed.))
Kirsten (AC 23/22, HP 58/81) Monday August 4th, 2008 3:56:27 PM
The paladin nods. "Let's finish up here and head back. I don't know about those vials, whether we should keep them or not. I'll leave it up to the rest of you."
Kirsten shrugs.
Kadaz (2nd post) Monday August 4th, 2008 5:47:55 PM
"And remember, we have to return the way we came. I left Birdie back at the entrance to this place. I'm sure he's getting restless.
Julian (small size) Monday August 4th, 2008 6:26:54 PM
Julian is ready to go, but what about the sleeping Eddy, and who else could use an 8 hour rest. Julian wouldn't mind it.
DM Donna Tuesday August 5th, 2008 12:53:46 AM
There's NO Mistaking...
"Wait a minute..." Benjamin interrupts the discussion about what to do with the three filled bottles, "...we can at least check the contents of the box..." The handsome Undead Hunter clasps a medallion at the base of his throat and intones a spell. Those with the Spellcraft skill may roll vs. DC12 Highlight to display spoiler: { to recognize that Benjamin is casting Detect Evil.}
As soon as the magic is completed, the three filled bottle take on a malevolent glow that outstrips the crimson stuff within each one.
"That cuts it!" Benjamin says with a frown marring the usual cheerfulness of his expression. "These things are evil! There's no way we can bring them back to the Wold...we must empty them into the current!"
Edmund finds himself awakening as though he's thoroughly refreshed. He now knows the spell Mage Hand.
Arm d20+8=23 ; Tuesday August 5th, 2008 6:04:14 AM
Waking up, Arm clearly recognizes Benjamin's spell for what it is (Spellcraft=23). He agrees with Benjamin, "Aye. There is enough evil in the Wold without us adding to it. Just think of the consequences should these fall into the wrong hands and thereby make us responsible for killing people..I for one can't abide by it. The only problem is how to open the bottles safely..perhaps once Ed is done fishing the Count out of the blood he can use that spell to open the bottles and empty them?".
Once it is decided what to do, he follows the rest out to the main chamber to watch Ed's spell at work. He readies his sword once the count is on shore to cut his head off forthwith.
Shadow (AC 22/17 HP 47/47) Tuesday August 5th, 2008 8:32:55 AM
Shadow shakes his head not sure of what to think about the bottles, but will agree that the woldsblood does need to come out of them. He will make sure he is ready with his bow when Edmund brings the count out of the woldsblood.
OOC: Does the glow from the detect evil radiate from the empty bottles?
Thar Tuesday August 5th, 2008 9:31:54 AM
Voicing Shadow's thoughts, Thar says "Benjamin. Are the bottles themselves evil or is it just the woldsblood? Those bottles are quite valuable and I'd hate to throw them out if it is the contents or other magic that is bad."
He'll ensure that he's nowhere near the bottles or area of Ed's mage hand spell. He has no desire to experience the effects of Woldsblood.
Edmund Tuesday August 5th, 2008 12:40:54 PM
Edmund yawns, stretches, and immediately asks where the tea is. Then, he gets to work studying. Once done, he is ready to put his plan into action.
"First," he begins, "we're going to need to make a harness with a rope. A big one too--and it will need to tighten as pressure is applied. Probably a noose is best. I'll slip it around the count, under his arms. Won't be easy, not being able to see what I'm doing, but I think I can manage it with a little time. Then, we'll have to take up the rope and pull him out."
"I suggest everyone keep away," Edmund adds. "I'm the only one who has to be near it."
That said, he will wait for one of the others to provide him with some supple rope, and the expertise to tie an enormous noose at the end of it.
Kadaz d20+2=21 ; Tuesday August 5th, 2008 5:55:06 PM
"Ed, just before you start trolling for vampires, how about you use your spell to take take the stopper off of these 3 bottles and then empty them? That way no one needs touch them." Kadaz suggests.
Kadaz pulls out a rope and tries to follow Edmund's directions. He makes a decent loop and hands it over to the mage. (use rope 21)
Kirsten (AC 23/22, HP 58/81) Tuesday August 5th, 2008 7:08:53 PM
The paladin nods at Kadaz's suggestion.
"If you can manage, Edmund, it would make things easier. If what's in those bottles is as dangerous as it seems."
She winces, wishing she could be of more help with the rope.
Julian (small size) Tuesday August 5th, 2008 10:56:12 PM
"At least we're not trying to negotiate his body out of the stream. Make sure you're very careful with the blood dripping and splashing from the body once it is pulled out."
DM Donna Wednesday August 6th, 2008 1:50:13 AM
Benjamin concentrates on the contents of the box.
"The evil comes merely from those three bottles," he clarifies. "So it stands to reason that all we need do is return the Woldsblood within them, leaving only the bottles."
Edmund is pretty sure that opening and emptying the bottles will be a very easy thing for his Mage Hand spell to accomplish, and won't negatively impact his plan to fish out the body of the count from the moat of Woldsblood.
Arm Wednesday August 6th, 2008 5:59:38 AM
Arm asks, "While we're at it, can Ed's mage hand wield a sword to cut the counts head off from afar?".
OOC: I'm not familiar with the mage hand spell, but since the action wouldn't actually be combat I assume that this could be accomplished.
Shadow (AC 22/17 HP 47/47) Wednesday August 6th, 2008 7:32:34 AM
Shadow will wait patiently while the group discusses what to do with Edmunds Mage Hand spell. He will stay back with his bow ready.
Julian (small size) Wednesday August 6th, 2008 7:42:57 AM
"good idea, Arm. I don't wanna go near that red stuff"
Thar Wednesday August 6th, 2008 11:15:16 AM
Thar watches with a sense of uneasiness as the mage hand works with the bottles and body of count. When requested, he'll donate his rope to the enterprise and stays well back from the action.
Kadaz Wednesday August 6th, 2008 4:09:50 PM
Kadaz stands ready to lend a strong back as needed. If Edmund manages to hook anything in the moat it will be Kadaz who actually pulls it out.
Kirsten Wednesday August 6th, 2008 9:05:26 PM
Kirsten watches as Edmund performs his spells, waiting anxiously and at the ready to help should anything go wrong.
Edmund Wednesday August 6th, 2008 9:05:54 PM
"Alright then," Edmund says. Then, he casts the spell.
Edmund will use the Mage Hand spell to uncork and empty the bottles into the woldblood moat. Having done this, he uses the spell to grasp the rope and, once done, goes fishing for the Count's body, attempting to slip the rope under the arms, around the torso. Once this is accomplished, it is up to the others to pull on the end of the rope to drag the count out.
Then, Edmund can use the spell to wield a sword for to hack the head off, and even place wafers in the mouth. Even a stake through the heart might be possible, depending on how much force is required.
((Question for DM: What rolls, if any, would you like me to make?))
DM Donna Thursday August 7th, 2008 12:33:57 AM
1...2...3...
Ed's Mage Hand pulls out the stopper of the first bottle and pours the single drop of Woldsblood into the moat. As the intensely scarlet stuff falls back into the sluggishly moving current, the party hears a scream of frustration that seems to originate from the liberated Woldsblood:
"...no, no, nooooo..! More sweetlings I was promised...another chance to harvest innocence...and now I must face Gargul...this isn't faaaaaaaaaaaaaiiiiiirrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr...!"
Once the drop sinks into the moat, however, the voice is silenced.
The phenomenon repeats when the second bottle is opened and emptied, the voice heard moaning a protest:
"Wait...wait...don't return me to judgment! I'll pay you anything...anything! I've made tons of gold over the years..! nooooooooooo..."
The eerie and disturbing scene is enacted once more with bottle number three:
"This cannot be! I must return to the Wold...there are soooo many more of the indigent and unworthy that I may experiment on! My genius must live o-o-o-o-o-o-onnnnnn..."
All three of the bottles that had Woldsblood in them are now empty.
Edmund uses his Mage Hand to try to secure the rope around the unmoving body of Count Darkar. Edmund must roll a Use Rope check versus DC15 to do so.
Edmund d20+2=4 ; d20+2=6 ; d20+2=3 ; d20+2=10 ; d20+2=8 ; d20+2=14 ; d20+2=11 ; d20+2=15 ; Thursday August 7th, 2008 12:53:56 AM
Edmund will try to loop the rope around the unmoving body. Initially, he fails. It is, after all, something he has never done before--a bit like trying to lasso a horse blindfolded.
((PH seems to imply I can try this over and over again, possibly indefinitely, using up only time. On account of the Wold's Worst Rolls, it will take Edmund eight tries, DM permitting. The following applies if Edmund is allowed to retry...))
After many abysmal failures and a considerable expenditure of time, Edmund finally gets a spot of luck and manages to loop the rope around the count.
"By jove, I've got him!" Edmund exclaims with delight. "Knew I could do it! Eventually! Even a blind hunter gets the occasional hit!"
"...er. Now we have to pull him out," Edmund says with far less excitement. "Bit of a downer that. Not exactly the sort of prize one really likes to fish out."
Arm d20+2=20 ; Thursday August 7th, 2008 6:02:38 AM
A bit surprised at the disembodied voices that manifested from the opened bottles, Arm decides that it was for the best that they did what they did. Taking a part of the rope, he attempts to help heave the count from the moat (strength=20).
Thar d20+2=17 ; Thursday August 7th, 2008 9:31:08 AM
Thar shudders as he hears the screams of a wicked soul finally destroyed. Once the screaming stop, he goes over and helps Arm pull the rope and pull out the Count's corpse.
Str = 17
Shadow (AC 22/17 HP 47/47) Thursday August 7th, 2008 7:53:07 PM
Shadow at first is worried about the disembodied voices, but then realizes they are coming from that very evil stuff that was in the vials. He shudders as he thinks what would have become of people exposed to that back in the Wold. He is very shaken by the voices and tries to shake himself out of the dread he felt. He will help get the Count out if there is a need after the others join.
Julian (small size) Thursday August 7th, 2008 8:16:41 PM
"Err, okay, that stuff is probably evil, voices and all that. Not so much that they speak, there's trees and mushrooms and stuff that can talk. But the evil that they were talking about..."
Kirsten Friday August 8th, 2008 12:53:00 AM
Kirsten prepares herself, one hand on her sword, just in case anything surprising should occur when the Count is dragged from the woldsblood.
"Do you need any help?" she asks the others quietly.
DM Donna Friday August 8th, 2008 2:45:19 AM
Staking a Claim
Benjamin's perfect teeth flash in a triumphant smile after the bottles are empty.
"Ah HA!" he exclaims. "I knew there was something fishy about having only three bottles with Woldsblood in them--obviously the reason the vampires were here was for them to successfully harvest evil souls!" His smile fades somewhat. "Of course...I have no idea why anyone would need evil souls in the first place..."
Edmund attempts to secure the rope around the corpse of Count Darkar, and one would think that an unmoving body would be easy enough to tie up, but between the uncooperative cadaver and the extreme caution needed around the presence of Woldsblood, even the accomplished mage finds that the task is harder than anyone thought.
However, he does eventually succeed, and the rope is firmly tied in place. Arm and Thar haul the body out of the crimson ooze.
"Let's wait a bit for any straggling drops of Woldsblood to drip off the Count's remains," the Undead Hunter suggests, "Then I'll be more than happy to stuff the wafers and chop off his head!" Indeed--the grin of anticipation on Benjamin's face leaves NO doubt at all that he looks forward to the task.
Arm Friday August 8th, 2008 5:55:25 AM
While they wait, Arm muses, "I wonder what their plans were for those particular souls..and who else they were planning on collecting? I fear even after we get back that our mission is FAR from over...".
Kadaz Friday August 8th, 2008 9:22:42 AM
As Edmund successfully lassos a body in the moat Kadaz gets his heavy crossbow ready. He won't have to get too close and will still be able to damage whatever it is that Ed finds.
"It's amazing how evil some folks can be" he replies to Arm. "I think you're right. Before this is done we'll be sending more souls to Gargul."
Thar Friday August 8th, 2008 10:03:40 AM
"It's sad that there are evil forces out there who dare to even harvest innocent souls. I hope your prediction is true, Shadow, that we send more evil souls to where they belong. The more evil we destroy, the better."
After a few moments, he comments "Do we think these vials were the things the hussies were chasing after? if not, our mission still is incomplete. Also, we haven't found the hussie's tombs yet... So there two more left... "
He'll cast "guidance" in the hope that he gets an inkling of which of his musings are correct
(OOC = OK, I'm stretching the spell here, but just trying to get an idea of we're on the correct and near completion, or if we still have a major portion to complete... ;-))
Edmund Friday August 8th, 2008 4:21:09 PM
Edmund looks over at the others.
"Finally done," he says with relief. "If someone wants to loan me a sword, I can probably hold it with Mage Hand and lop his head off with it, if you like. Also, I might be able to hold the stake if someone has a hammer, for that part of the job."
Julian (small size) Friday August 8th, 2008 8:51:17 PM
Julian keeps one eye on the entrance, one eye on the proceedings.
DM Donna Saturday August 9th, 2008 12:36:25 AM DM OOC: it was my understanding from the module that the Count's guards and the dancers (i.e. the "hussies") were supposed to be housed in the same chamber, with the lesser vamps in a different area. Is this not what the Mithril Order found..?
Kirsten Saturday August 9th, 2008 10:48:39 AM
Kirsten looks down at her warhammer as Ed makes his suggestions. She then proceeds to try and hide it behind her back, so as not to draw attention to herself. The paladin doesn't particularly like the idea of getting any closer to the count than she absolutely must.
"Great job, Edmund," she comments, shrugging. "Benjamin seems more than willing to... deal... with the count."
Thar Saturday August 9th, 2008 2:23:58 PM
(OOC = Ummmm, Ok... so we're not done... the lesser guys are in this area and we still have work to do.... I wasn't sure if this was the chamber housing the hussies + lessor guys OR only the lesser guys.... Thanks DM Donna....)
Kadaz Sunday August 10th, 2008 6:36:30 PM
Kadaz watches carefully as Edmund finishes his work. Once all of the bodies have been located and staked Kadaz is ready to leave. "Let's retrace our steps carefully, just in case this guy had any allies around."
DM Donna Monday August 11th, 2008 2:12:32 AM
Are We There Yet?
Benjamin gets right down to business, happily slicing off the head of the Count's body and then stuffing the mouth with wafers. All the rest of the Mithril Order double and triple checks the living quarters and adjacent areas, discovering a few more coffins (one of them houses the hussy that had fled the fight.) The hussy is easily dispatched as per the Undead Hunter's directions.
There is not a coffin in the entire complex that hasn't been discovered, searched and--where it warrants--had its undead contents finished off in the prescribed manner. Everything seems to be completely wrapped up...except returning to the Wold.
"I got that covered!" Benjamin says with a smile that hasn't dimmed from his staking-beheading-and-stuffing the Count's remains. The Undead Hunter removes a small silver bell from his belt pouch and rings it, saying as he does so: "Home, Chuckie!"
There is a feeling of severe vertigo and you all suddenly find yourselves outside Plateau City--in the Wold proper--once more! Standing in front of you are two figures--one of them looks a lot like Benjamin only he's dressed in even more somber clothing and armor than the Undead Hunter.
"Took you long enough, Chuckie!" Benjamin says humorously. The man snorts.
"Did you get them all?" he counters. Benjamin nods.
"Of course!"
"Took YOU long enough, brother!" the man says in a dour tone, but Benjamin only laughs.
"There were a couple of dozen to take care of, at least! Now...let me introduce the members of the Mithril Order to you...and then you can introduce your...friend to us."
"They can all introduce themselves." Chuckie says a bit petulantly. "I only picked up this noble centaur recently, so he can explain himself better than I could." Everyone turns to look at the second figure that had been there upon the Mithril Order's return...a centaur.
The players may have their individual PCs introduce themselves to the centaur and the centaur should do the same.
Shadow (AC 22/17 HP 47/47) Monday August 11th, 2008 6:05:28 AM
Shadow takes a step to regain his balance after the sudden return to the Wold. He tries to shake off the weird feeling from the transportation that just suddenly happened. He looks at wonder at the man named Chuckie and his companion.
Shadow will wait until a couple of his companions introduce themselves and then will step forward and say, "Well met, I am called Shadow, and that primarily comes from my former profession that kept me lurking in the shadows so to speak."
Arm Monday August 11th, 2008 6:06:16 AM
Arm bows deeply from the waist to the centaur and introduces himself, "I am Armathen Ebano, but my friends call me Arm. We are honored to make your acquaintance, noble sir."
OOC: OK, I'm taking a bit out of Harry Potter here, but I seem to remember that Centaurs are VERY big on honor.. :)
Kadaz Monday August 11th, 2008 6:29:19 AM
"NNNNNNOOOOOOOO!!!!" yells Kadaz as they reappear in Plateau City. "THIS CAN"T BE!!!"
The dwarf is extremely agitated as the others belatedly remember that Kadaz left his one true friend, Birdie, back at the portal. They were expecting a hard time and left the dog behind.
Kadaz turns on the undead hunter. "Send me to the portal, now!" If this isn't possible, Kadaz grabs the map with the X on it and leaves Plateau City as quickly as possible, heading out to save his companion.
Thar Monday August 11th, 2008 9:16:51 AM
Thar is a little shocked at their rapid change in scenery and tries to regain his wits. After a clarity returns to his mind, he moves forward and says "Hello, kind sir. I am Thar ail Baerer and I am honored to meet you. Might I ask your name?"
However, while waiting for the response, he sees Kadaz panic and quickly explains what's happened with Birdie, before running after Kadaz. As he runs, he turns his head and yells "We can't let him go alone back to that dangerous place!!! Sorry for saying hello and running, but we'll be back in a moment."
Wynum Monday August 11th, 2008 5:48:21 PM
"Oh, well met Armathen, and to you Thar, it is an ho..."
Startled at Kadaz' lament, the athletic Centaur litteraly jumps back a couple feet. Frowning in wonderment, he glances at the party's member in turn to try and ascertain the situation, his tail waving nervously, forgetting all about the presentation.
He seems quite impressed by the members and barely manages to voice his opinion, in a surprisingly gentle voice, despite his size: "Chuckie, should we go along? I would be glad to help - and no less sorry to mingle in others' business."
Julian (small size) Monday August 11th, 2008 9:31:27 PM
"Hi. I'm Julian, my badger Shark, his girlfriend Heath, my riding dog Sallie. Pleased to meet you."
The halfling offers his hand up to the centaur, though this may be a futile gesture. He is dressing breastplate armour, and carries a two-handed falchion and quiver.
DM Donna Tuesday August 12th, 2008 1:17:53 AM
Dwarf's Best Friend
Before Kadaz (and anyone joining him) can take more than two steps, Chuckie puts out a hand.
"In spite of the fact that my impulsive little brother didn't explain anything to me before invoking the 'return home' command," the Grim explains, "I was able to attune the spell to retrieve all living beings in your party--which seems to have included a dog..." Here the cleric points behind the group, and there sits Birdie, utterly relaxed and tongue lolling to one side as his bright eyes take in his master. Birdie's head tilts to one side and it's almost as if the dog is amused that nobody had noticed he was there with the party.
Edmund Tuesday August 12th, 2008 2:21:11 AM
Edmund sighs with relief when Birdie is accounted for. The half-elf wizard had no intention of returning to the shadowlands. He is exhausted, hungry, in need of a bath, and looking more agitated than usual. All in all, he is somewhat the worse for wear and very short with everyone on account of it.
"A bit more warning, methinks, is in order before you catapault us all through time and space. Luckily, all's well that ends well."
Turning to 'Chuckie', Edmund gives a terse explanation. "Mithril Order, I'm Edmund, pleased to meet you and what, now let's get ourselves a bite to eat. I'm famished. A bath would be nice, too."
Arm Tuesday August 12th, 2008 5:09:51 AM
Arm can't help but smile at Kadaz' sudden outburst, yet at the same time admires his loyalty to Birdie. Turning back to Wynum, he says, "Please excuse our friend, kind sir. Birdie is, as far as I know, the closest thing to family that he has, and our canine friend has proved invaluable to us in the past. As you can see, we are a very close-knit group, and we ALWAYS watch out for each other (he flinches a bit when he thinks of how annoying Edmund can be). So, praytell, what is next on the agenda?".
Kadaz Tuesday August 12th, 2008 6:49:22 AM
Kadaz drops his weapons as he rushes over to Birdie to scoop him up in his arms. "Did you miss me? I missed you." He then carefully places the dog on the ground and pulls a doggie treat out of a belt pouch. Kadaz, faces away from the party as he wipes his eyes, then turns back. "Thank you very much" he says to Chuckie. That is a very great relief."
The crisis over, Kadaz takes his turn for introductions. "I am Kadaz Guardson. When we find an enemy I hit him with my axe." As he speaks Kadaz picks up his weapons. He wears full plate with heavy metal shield, has a war axe in hand, several knives and a flail on his belt, and a cross bow strapped to his full backpack. As he walks he clanks and jingles like a knife-store in a windstorm.
He holds out his hand. "Pleased to meet you, Wynum. What brings you to town?"
As Kadaz waits for an answer he looks over to make sure Birdie is ok. The dog is happily gnawing the doggie treat, glad to be back in the city.
Thar Tuesday August 12th, 2008 9:34:29 AM
Thar laughs at the situation and is glad to have Birdie back. He says to Chuckie "Thanks for returning our friend's dog. Birdie is a "special" member of our group. Now, what can we do to help you all today?"
Shadow (AC 22/17 HP 47/47) Tuesday August 12th, 2008 9:52:14 AM
Shadow relaxes as his friends calm down after finding Birdie is in fact with the party. He watches both Benjamin and Chuckie as his friends finish up explanations and introductions. He is curious as to the connection between the two and the centaur here. He also tries to determine where outside Plateau City the group has been broght back to.
Wynum Tuesday August 12th, 2008 11:32:03 AM
Relaxing, the Centaur takes the time to salute the party. As shaking hands doesn't seem customary or practical to him, he instead flexes his legs slightly and bows. He does so, turning to each and every member, including those who didn't presented themselves, and to each animal, of which there is a few.
Now that the rush is over, he presents himself at once: "Wynum Wordwind. From them Taur islands", he adds rather needlessly, and it now becomes obvious that his Common has been learned in books, for his accent is even worse than his grammar, "I am very glad that Chuckie has met me to you. I also am tired as you are, and a bath would do great good indeed."
Kirsten Tuesday August 12th, 2008 12:52:43 PM
Kirsten smiles at the idea of a bath once the introductions are completed.
"Then let's not linger here any longer than we have to," the paladin comments.
She stands to the side somewhat, waiting for the others to decide upon a course of action.
Julian (small size) Tuesday August 12th, 2008 6:15:16 PM
"Bath and food," the halfling adds.
DM Donna Wednesday August 13th, 2008 1:44:06 AM
Parting Company
"Wynum was a traveler...bound for Plateau City, by my guess," Chuckie explaiins. "My brother and myself are not formally allied with the centaur, really--it was more of a case of we were all going in the same direction, more or less. From what I've been able to observe while waiting for Benjie to give me the signal--"
"Benjamin!" the Undead Hunter interrupts the Grim. "It's Benjamin!" The handsome Hunter snorts inelegantly, obviously put out. In spite of the fact that Chuckie retains an unsmiling visage, there's a slightly-sadistic twinkle in his eyes that makes the party instantly realize that Chuckie loves to bait his brother.
"Anyway," continues the priest, "I have been able to observe Wynum and he's about as honest and trustworthy an adventurer that one could hope for. My brother and I--now that he has finally dispatched this latest group of vampires that my superior intelligence was able to pinpoint--"
"Superior intelligence..?" Benjamin echoes mockingly. "I didn't see YOU risking life and limb in the Shadowlands, brother of mine!" With the experience of an older sibling, Chuckie ignores the outburst.
"--we are due to go southwest...there seems to be an upsurge in ghouls in a village near a misty valley, and we simply must see what we can do to alleviate the problem!" Even as Chuckie explains, Benjamin's eyes lose their focus.
"Oooooh, ghouls, eh?" he murmurs, a beatific smile crossing his face. "Think there may be a chance that they've a number of ghasts there, too..?"
"No doubt." Chuckie answers drily, then turns to Wynum and salutes the centaur. "Thank you for your company, and good travels to you!" The Grim turns and bows to the Mithril Order. "Thank you, as well, for helping my brother finish his mission--"
"But..but...I helped them, Chuckie..!" splutters Benjamin. "Not the other way around!"
"Yes, yes," Chuckie agrees rather dismissively, "I'm sure you'll tell me the thrilling details...but there's a village that needs our help now. Let's get going..!" The Grim hustles his younger brother in the direction the pair have to go, reducing Benjamin to simply waving at the Mithril Order and the centaur on the outskirts of the City as they go off to their next adventure.
The Mithril Order (and their new arrival) have to decide on what they're going to do next.
Arm Wednesday August 13th, 2008 6:07:23 AM
Arm grips Benjamin's hand warmly and wishes him and Chuckie the best of luck and safe travel, wishing that he would stick around and join their party, as they most definitely need someone with his talents.
After they leave, Arm says, "Well, let us get baths and some good food in us..we know of an excellent place called Samson's...they know us there. Afterwards, Wynum, you're welcome to stay with us at Mithril Manor if you wish..we have plenty of room.".
Thar Wednesday August 13th, 2008 9:34:23 AM
"Good idea Arm. I think a good warm bath and nice meal is what we all need. After that, I'm curious how much we can get for the 5 diamond bottles at the Catacombs. I've had my eyes on an upgrade for my elven chain .... I also need to check in with my temple and let them know what was discovered about the Count."
After a moment, he adds "I'm curious about the individual who wrote that letter and it might be worth investigating him some more."
To Wynum, he says "Yes, we'd welcome an addition to our group, especially one with an honorable heritage as yourself. Just make sure you watch out for Ed's experimental and test room" he adds with a wink and a smile.
Wynum Wednesday August 13th, 2008 11:03:22 AM
Wynum pays close attention to Chuckie's speech and appears very much concerned. "Ah yes I see. What a plague for a village it is. These things they are terrible. They get stuck in the hooves, terrible pains, and you can't trot very well. But fear not, with a good shovel this might be over soon. Else we will need lots of sand or, or loose dirt. Do we have sand? I do have a shovel, he gingerly points to the gear strapped to his back... What? Did not he say goolies?"
To Thar's invitation he brightens: "Your invitation is very welcome, eventhough my heritage, well, I don't know. I have little to do for now so I am available to help out someone."
Edmund Wednesday August 13th, 2008 12:30:19 PM
Edmund insists on shaking Benjamin's hand repeatedly, and waves vigorously when the fellow departs with his brother.
"Capital fellow, that," Edmund declares. "Very good of him to go along with us. Without his assistance, my marvelous plan might well have been on the rocks."
Looking about, Edmund hears Arm mention something of baths. "What? Baths? Yes," Edmund says. "And the sooner, the better."
Shadow (AC 22/17 HP 47/47) Wednesday August 13th, 2008 5:00:44 PM
Shadow is ready for a bath, since they entered the Shadowlands he has not felt clean. Especially having to spend a night in the Count's domain. He shakes his head at first the departure of the brothers, and then at Edmund of course taking credit for the plan. 'Next you will be taking credit for the whole mission.' Shadow mumbles a little louder than he wanted to, but just keeps on walking towards the long awaited bath and hot meal.
Kadaz Wednesday August 13th, 2008 7:32:33 PM
Kadaz gratefully says goodby to Chuckie and Benmamine. "Good hunting!" he says as they part.
"We have 3 major to do. First is to get celaned up and then head over to Sampson's. First drink is on me, and we toast Podo. Then home and a rest."
"Next, we have this letter. I think Rabbitsfoot might be interested in seeing it and may have some suggestions for us on how to follow up on it."
"And last, of course, is visit the Catacombs to see about turning these funny glass vials into more useful items."
"Anything else I missed?"
Kirsten Wednesday August 13th, 2008 9:06:55 PM
"I think that just about covers it, Kadaz," the paladin replies as they make their way back home.
She, like her companions, is more than ready for a bath and a hot meal. Indeed her steps are a bit lighter now that they have departed the Shadowlands and are in familiar territory.
"I'd rather not have to do anything like that again," she says to her companions. "Vampires and woldsblood and strange worlds. Gives me the chills."
Kirsten shudders as if to emphasize this point.
Julian (small size) Wednesday August 13th, 2008 10:04:23 PM
"okay already. Enough talking, more drinking - I mean: more doing."
LOG ON