Delia (Hannah) HP: 115/115; AC 29/17/23; CMD 39 Sunday March 5th, 2023 4:51:56 PM
Delia will listen carefully to Hasan's description, mentally marking down any distinguishing items of Fabricia's family. If any other folk are missing, she will ensure she gets a description of them.
Once they are back at HQ she will join in the planning, "I can cast the same I did for Stock on two of us and Bart can turn into a water elemental again. That would only leave 3 more. And maybe we should track down some good slashing weapons as well since stabbing the plants didn't seem to be doing as much."
Stohp (Mitch) HP: 97/111 AC: 27/15/23 CMD: 26 (+4 vs grapple,+6 disarm, trip) Sunday March 5th, 2023 8:55:40 PM
Earlier in their adventuring career the shields were able to rent magical gear that let them move and breath underwater. Stohp will go try to find that gear once again.
Armalad (Hugh) HP 91/128 AC25 / Touch 19/ Flat 18 CMD 27 Sunday March 5th, 2023 9:23:37 PM
Armalad says, "I actually do know Water Breathing and can prepare up to four copies of it but it takes 3rd level slots and I usually put Fly and Lightning Bolt there."
Zanderallen (Zachary H) 159/159 AC: 15 T: 13 FF: 14 CMD: 31 Monday March 6th, 2023 3:10:39 PM
Zander walks among the acolytes of Domi, greeting most of them by name from his time around the temple. He gives them a brief summary of what happened on the lake to prepare them for the aid the fishermen will need. "We'll be happy to discuss what happened in more detail Belba, once these poor folk are taken care of." He walks back with a heavy heart at those lost.
Once inside he turns to Bart, "All right big fellow, what do you see down there that you didn't want to share with the general public?" He waits for the taur to fill in the group.
"I'm going to see if I can get an audience with the Overlord or someone in his office. They'll need to know if they is danger to the fishing industry. If the fishing boats stop going out the Float is in serious trouble."
Twilight KNOCKING... (DM Wayne) Monday March 6th, 2023 8:17:33 PM
Bartomus relaxes, once more at home in Shields HQ. He floats suggestions of what to do next, starting with a meal! He then steps out just a moment to look for a messenger. At the moment there isn’t one, but the day is young.
Stock once more dresses for battle, pleased to have his faithful tools with him once more. He announces his plans to head to the WLA for information, and suggests some magical routes the team might investigate for communications and for underwater action. Stock then leaves for the WLA. On the way, he hears the conversations on the street. It seems that in the time it took the Shields to return home, gear up, talk, and perhaps even begin eating, almost everyone walking on the street is talking about the attack on the fisherfolk. At first people weren’t looking down to pay attention to a random dwarf on the streets of the Float, but about halfway to the WLA, a group of teenagers point at Stock in full battle gear and say, “Hey, there’s one of the Shields, we can ask him! Mr. St--- St--- was it Stohp? Is that your name Mr. Shield? Tell us what happened in the attack – we want to know everything!” The speaker is a teenage human girl, dark hair, beige skin. With her are three teenage boys around the same age but two are human and half a head taller, and the third is a half-elf, and two teenage girls, one a gnome and the other a dwarf. All are looking expectantly at the mighty Shield, “Stohp” to tell them a thrilling tale of adventure!!!
While still among the Turtle Fleet, Delia made sure to focus on the valuable information Hasan gave them. It was thought one or two others were missing, but after Delia speaks with the fisherfolk and with Stohp, she finds that there are four missing: Edvards, Nuria, and the Lads, Triggan and Jerma. Back at Shields HQ, Delia contributes to the mission planning, counting what resources they do have (two freedom of movement spells, Bart’s waterform) and considering what weapons to focus on… perhaps swords, as although the water can slow an un-freedom arm significantly, slashing weapons seem to work better…
Stohp listens to the others strategize, and recalls that the Shields had previously rented some magical gear to function underwater… She thinks she recalls where to go to check on it, and heads out after Stock, soon splitting off from his path to the WLA. Just as she thinks she’s getting close, the way ahead is blocked by two Minotaurs carrying a large stained-glass window pane out of a glassmaker’s shop and into the street. Stohp is no novice and quickly slows to a walk, looking this way and that for an opportunity to get past the laborers carrying the pane. As the laborers are orienting the pane, the closer one to Stohp, in looking around to make sure he doesn’t bump into anyone, happens to see Stohp and makes eye contact with her, saying “Oh, excuse us ma’am, the Temple of Domi wanted their new piece right away. We’ll just be a minute getting this balanced to go forward and then you can go around us.” While the ‘taurs are jostling the large pane first one way, and then another, Stohp catches a view of the art in the stained glass pane. Some sort of Champion of Domi fighting a… demon(?)… coming out of a gate, with a lot of refuse around the gate. The Champion has a flaming red sword, and some sort of hash lines, perhaps indicating the sword is moving with great speed. A spark of familiarity ignites inside Stohp. Perhaps it will grow into a flame of recognition…
Armalad offers to prepare some Water Breathing spells, but warns of the cost in lost offensive spells among her usual repertoire… She is concerned about losing access to Fly, but then recalls that the Fly spell is useless underwater unless an air pocket can be found… the possibility of losing Lightning Bolt leads to her recalling that many of the elemental spells function differently underwater, among other spells… she’ll have to plan carefully which of her usual spells should be kept and which should be swapped out for something more useful where the Shields are going…
As the Shields begin gathering on the Float to head towards Shields HQ, Zanderallen’s heart is touched by the acolytes of Domi counseling the tormented fisherfolk… He greets many by name and helps them to better understand what the fisherfolk have come through. A brief farewell to Belba and turning towards the road to Shields HQ, Zanderallen walks seriously, thinking deeply about the tragedy and threat that befell the fisherfolk, and how to prevent it from ever happening again. At Shields HQ, Zanderallen listens to Bartomus, and then asks him to share the deep lore of his underwater journey. After Bartomus fills in the group, (minus Stock and Stohp who both have left to follow their own plans to aid the expedition) Zanderallen tells the Shields of his plans to seek an audience with the Overlord’s office, if not the Overlord himself, due to the threat to the Float’s fishing industry, food supply, and possibly all trade on Turtle Lake!
SHIELDS – What do you do?
Armalad (Hugh) HP 91/128 AC25 / Touch 19/ Flat 18 CMD 27 Monday March 6th, 2023 8:29:28 PM
Armalad says, "Well if Fly and Lightning Bolt are bad choices for underwater I can do Dispel Magic, Invisibility Sphere, Haste, Slow, Water Breathing, Arcane Sight, or Major Image. Do you think I should do some combination of Water Breathing and something else or just stock the 4 water breathing and we can be sure to not run out of air. Each casting of my spell lasts for 20 hours and I can divide the time evenly amongst us."
Stock (JonM) HP: 203/203; AC: 28/25/16; DR 3/-; CMD: 35; Rage: 7/38 used Tuesday March 7th, 2023 8:35:50 AM "I'm Stock. Not Stohp. Stohp is a taur, I'm a dwarf. She's also a better carpenter and wrestler. As for what happened...let's just say you should stay out of the water." He pushes past the kids and heads to the WLA. Once there he asks for a docent and will ask how he could find information about past attacks in the lake that have come from the deep.
Bartomus(Rod) HP: 123/123 AC 21; Glv +16 2d8+2 Slng +14 CMD 11 Melee 11/6/1;Perc+16;Heal+11 Tuesday March 7th, 2023 10:30:48 AM "So," Bartomus said looking at Zander and then realized that a few of the Shields weren't there. "I followed the blood and stuff."
He paused and sighed.
"There was a kelp forest and I worked my way through that and after following the faint trail, I spied what looked like a reeds community, not sure if I would call it a town, but a collection of the reeds in a rather organized fashion."
He again sighed and looked about.
"So, you can see why I was trying to control the story, right?" Bartomus looked straight at Zander and then continued. "If there are a group of these creatures in the lake, and if they have a sense of community, I think we need to figure out what they are and what happened."
"As to breathing underwater, I think there is a way I can do that as was suggested. Use that gift on a few of you and then I can change into a creature of water as I did. I also wonder if I could tree walk from the grove here into that forest? It's one of the things I want to ask the druids. But, we need to know what the merfolk might know about the reeds. If nothing, then could they be a new inhabitant to the lake?"
The Taur lifted his morning tea to his lips and let the others respond to what he had shared.
Zanderallen (Zachary H) 159/159 AC: 15 T: 13 FF: 14 CMD: 31 Tuesday March 7th, 2023 2:28:47 PM "A community of reeds. That is even more worrisome. I watched those reeds, there was no intelligence to them, just a primal need to feed. If there is an organized community then something sent those reeds. Unleashed those horrors on innocent people. We need to find out what is going on down there and put an end to it." Zander unconsciously touches his sword hilt as he finishes his statement. Armed with that info he departs to the palace level to seek an audience with the Overlord. He might also be able to help in providing the ability to breathe underwater.
Underwater Plan-Weaving (DM Wayne) Tuesday March 7th, 2023 9:19:12 PM
Armalad considers what she knows about magic and the underwater environs, musing aloud what spells might be better choices on this journey than her usual selections, and which of her usual selections she should keep.
Stock, to the point as always, quickly corrects the Shields fanteens as to who he is while also using his arms to form a kind of flying wedge and gently but brusquely make his way past the teencrowd. Stock’s stern face radiates “important business” and after the gasps of the teencrowd and their comments about how serious and heroic Stock is, Stock metaphorically leaves them in his dust and soon arrives at the WLA. After waiting in line for about five minutes behind apparently yet another group of fresh new adventuring faces asking all the usual new-to-the-Float questions like “where’s the jobs board?” and “can we meet the Shields?” it’s finally Stock’s turn. The clerk at the desk is new, but there is a sparkle in the middle-aged half-elf woman’s eyes, and after briefly looking Stock up and down, she says, “Hmm… I may be new here, but there’s only one group of adventurers that could possibly afford a suit of mithral full plate armor, and that’s the Shields! How may I assist you, and which Shield are you anyways… wait, let me guess… Bartomus?”
Meanwhile, the real Bartomus sighs briefly realizing that Stock and Stohp aren’t around to hear his tale, but begins it anyways in the hearing of Zanderallen, Armalad, and Delia, expressing his concern that, at a distance, there appeared to be some form of “town” of weedy/reedy “buildings” – not that he could tell how many were occupied, but the evident organization was made for troubling possibilities… Bartomus goes on to discuss strategy for underwater travel and preparing appropriate spells. Bartomus once more brings up meeting with the merfolk to see what they know about these… newcomers? Bartomus drinks his tea while waiting for the others to react.
Zanderallen is also troubled by this news… the “town” doesn’t fit with the HUNGRY motivation the Tangle/Reeds displayed with the fisherfolk and the Turtle. Zanderallen is determined to find a way to end this new threat, and saying his farewells, heads for the palace level and an audience with the Overlord. Zanderallen, armed and armored fully, with each buckle now in its proper position, heads out of Shields HQ and as he turns onto the road towards the path to the palace level, he sees before him a teenage human girl, dark hair, beige skin. With her are three teenage boys around the same age but two are human and half a head taller, and the third is a half-elf, and two teenage girls, one a gnome and the other a dwarf. The girl is just finishing saying, “It’s too bad Stock was too busy to do more than tell us to stay out of the water. Good thing our families aren’t fisherfolk and – hey, that’s Shields HQ and there’s a Shield! Hey you, you’re a Shield, right? Uh, Salamander, Zallenander… something like that? Can you please tell us the real story of what happened to the fisherfolk? We’re… like… dying to know!” The six teenagers watch Zanderallen with smiles and bated breath.
Delia muses about spell strategy with Armalad and Bartomus.
Stohp appears transfixed by the stained-glass Champion of Domi… just then one of the two minotaurs carrying the stained-glass, the one nearest Stohp, notices her frozen stare and stops his friend and then says to Stohp, “Ma’am, are you ok? I know this stained-glass is a real work of art… hey, is that armor steelgrass? Wow, such fine craftspersonship! Not a mark on it… wait, are you one of the Shields? I know your name! It’s on the tip of my tongue… it’s… Stock?” the minotaur smiles hopefully. “By the way, my name’s Pravin. Pravin Shalmaneser.”
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