Altai Iscarni's page

Imagine my surprise when I discovered that! Glitterdust is a must-have. Still, I have some fun ideas.

Hmmm... Turns out that not only do I not have Gliterdust memorised, I don't even know that spell. That complicates things a bit.

"Stig! Behind you! Oh, and right, sorta... Um, invisible ass-face with a sword!"

did Elgan just move there?

He started the turn in G17; a 20' move gets him to HI 13-14. That was his move this turn, so he just got there.

"Son of a flumph! You won's stay hidden long, miscreant!" Altai sprints out on the ice while casting a divinatory spell...

Reflex 11+7=18, so I take half damage from the Iceball. Move to A13 before casting See invisible and activating Claw's Shield master function. Next round, invisible bastard...

And with that, it is Stig and then Beldan again.

The bolt blasts the mummy that is in i10, flanked by Stiggy and Beldan. It's still in the fight...

I got's no position on Elgan.

Elgan is now in HI 13-14. He also needs to save against the cold bomb, BTW.

Gah! my life goes to crap and a cool battle starts up and we even have a Kreully map! I throw that Haste when I see Hnoss charge. Assume I stay in a close but non-combative support area. Maybe near Beldan?

So - are we hasted? I assumed so with Claw and Gjetost. It didn't do much this turn, but with extra attacks next round, it will matter.

Stig waddles to i11, next to Beldan. Huffing from the 30 foot jog. Attacks i10.

What, no Cleave on bog-boy in H10? BTW, situations like this is when it really annoys me that Gjetost doesn't have Cleave or Awesome Blow.

Altai casts a now-familiar formula, and the frozen river erupts in flame.

Fireball! It is centered in the JK 6-7 intersection, and hits the urgrosh zombie and the three guys fighting Beldan. Damage 41 fire, Reflex 20 for half.

"Damn zombies took your brew, Stig. Go get 'em!"

"Oh well. When in Asgard, do as the Asgardians do or something like that."

"Wait! We sh.... Dammit!" Altai grimaces in disgust as Hnoss charges across the ice. "I have a uneasy feeling about how she'll deal with the dragon", he mutters to nobody in particular. "Looks like we'll need to go save her, folks."

Beldan gets a 23. So it is Beldan, Hnoss, the bog people and then the rest of us. You'll run Hnoss, right?

Altai is at D17, Claw at EF 16-17 and Stig at G16. I guess Hnoss is up front, as she's the guide, so put her in C16. Patrick's busy, so Pip starts in E19. Finally, Gjetost starts in GH 17-18.

Group base initiative 13. We need positions for Elgan and Beldan.

"Oh, absolutely. This place is... iffy."

"Indeed. We should be alert. Even the shades of deities can be potent and dangerous."

"No need to worry about the dead guys. However, we should be aware that someone or something around here is both fine with human sacrifice and old-fashioned enough to perform such ceremonies to please a god that not only no longer exists but is also, in his new incarnation, the strongest power in this plane of existence. It shows an astonishing level of spite and stubbornness, not to mention bloodlust. I mean, how dumb do you have to be to spill blood to a god that now rejects such offerings and has done so since prehistory? After all, Odin's hardly obscure here in Asgard."

"Ah." Altai nods sagely. "That clears it up. Through his own sacrifice to himself, Wotan became Odin, gaining new powers and assuming new portfolios while leaving some old ones behind. Whoever left these guys here are clinging to the old ways, then; very old ways indeed."

Heathy, have you read Tim Powers' Last Call? For some reason this scene reminds me of the plot there.

"So how is the condition of this land connected to the wisdom gained by Odin and the process through which he obtained it? You have me confused, I'm afraid."

"So... You hung yourself on Yggdrasil for nine days in order to curse this forest?"

Where the hell did my previous post go? You quoted it, so it's visible that way, but still...

"...and?" Altai looks quizzically at Hnoss.

The dead guys aren't zombies, magical scrying sensors or something like that? I'll fire off a Detect magic to find out.

"You know, they've been dead for a while."

"Dragons don't shoot people with arrows. I guess it has some smaller servants."

"Excellent. Let's get going then." Altai helps himself to a shot of schnapps from the barrel as the party marches into the snowy wilderness.

"Aw, come on , Stig. Here, let me help you up." Altai tries to pull Stig to his feet, but fails to even budge him; instead, he directs Claw to lift up and carry the dwarf. While the golem cradles Stig, Altai discreetly cleans the dwarf up with a Prestidigitation cantrip.

... tenser with the vodka on a sled...

Man's best friend!

...Owl's Wisdom (A higher Wis means more spells/day!) ...

Sadly, the spell doesn't work that way (it only increases spell DCs, skill checks, Will saves and that sorta thing). You'll need a Pearl of Wisdom to get more spells. However, buying one of those is probably a good idea!

Final pickup: Wand of Protection from evil. I'm ready to go.

"Well...", Altai answers Hnoss. "One is probably never ready to face a dragon. However, we are as well prepared as we can be, methinks. Stig certainly seems ready."

Out of Stiggy's earshot,

** spoiler omitted **

"Oh, most definitely. And, additionally, he keeps the brewers of the multiverse fat and happy."

Does anyone want to buy some Slaying arrows? Personally I think the Fort DC is too low for them to be particularly useful. Having said that, some Dragonbane arrow might make sense for Beldan.

Nice. Let's make the Endure elements and Resist energy wands divine (Elgan carries those) and the Protection from energy wand arcane (I'll carry that. I'll also buy myself a wand of False life to beef me up a little.

I like the idea of getting a wand of Endure elements. How about getting two more - Resist energy and [7]Protection from energy[/i]? Total cost of those two is 15750 gold - or 3150 for each of us.

One obvious thing would be to get a better Cloak of resistance. Maybe he could get upgrade for Tenser as well?

....the mountain fastness of said dragon is 5 days trek from a city on the Jotunheim side of the Iving, through a wilderness called "Deadman's Forest" which I translated on Google to give a Norwegian name.

WARNING: tedious pedantry coming up.

A 'bøddel' is an executioner; if it s the "forest of dead men" rather than the "forest of men who make other men dead", it should probably be named "Dauingskogen", "De Dødes Skog", "Dødmannsskogen" or something like that. Google translations can be tricky like that - I went to a Scandinavian festival in Oregon that advertised, among other things, that they sold "ribben"; while that technically means "ribs", it refers to the ribcage rather than a food item.

Having said that, I like Bøddelskogen. It sounds like a rather unpleasant place.

That's what I was looking for. Are we selling this crap?

Jah. Your share is 18000 gold.

I can't find the dumb spell, so it doesn't matter. Instead, I'll just buy and scribe Dust of twilight, Firefall and Sirocco from the APG and Animal growth, Cone of cold, Feeblemind and Wall of iron from the PHB.

I think I'm just going to buy and scribe some new spells. Wasn't there a spell in one of those dragon supplements that lowered the target's SR? Anyone remember what it was called (and, as importantly, would Heathy allow anything from those cheese-fests?)?

I think I'm just going to buy and scribe some new spells. Wasn't there a spell in one of those dragon supplements that lowered the target's SR? Anyone remember what it was called (and, as importantly, would Heathy allow anything from those cheese-fests?)?

Yeah - but as it casts spells, we prolly need protection from fire, cold and electricity as well. Prepping for dragon showdowns is hard work...

"Heh. I think I've read about old Svipdag somewhere. We can prepare against his acid belches; more importantly, he's known to look for something. He should be amenable to at least some conversation."

Everyone should buy some potions to soak up some acid damage. Beyond that - who knows? I'll probably buy something here, but I'm not sure of what quite yet.

Altai's pretty good on Knowledge (planes). Skill check 13+23=36.

Loot distribution:

"What do you think, Gjetost? Your contract exempts you from having to fight the dragon or even come with us to Bøddelskogen if you wish; I will certainly not hold it against you if you would rather wait for us back at this fellow Vuddgarm's steading. Having said that, do you know anything about the wyrm Svipdag?"

"No wonder why the dragon keeps dear old dad around. Dragons love gold. I take back what I just said about petty cruelties; if the great beast needs your old man to cry, I'm sure it treats him abominably." Either that, or it cuts up a lot of onions.

"Dragons are individuals. Some are cruel, some aren't. Mostly they think all other creatures are lesser beings that should show the dragon proper respect and veneration. Or, to put it differently, I doubt the dragon, no matter how evil it may be, could actually be bothered with being cruel to your dad; it has better things to do, like admire its reflection or make plans for godhood and world domination. What's the dragon's name? Our pal Gjetost may know of it."

"If you don't know your father... Who are you? Where are you from? What talents and gifts did your dad leave you?"

"I see."

"Dragons live... well, for all intents and purposes they live forever. It's not going to jeopardise its amazing lifespan and long-term plans without good reason. If it can wring some concessions out of us, it will probably consider parlaying. However, it all comes down to one thing - your father. Who is he, and why does the dragon keep him captive? He's obviously worth more alive than dead to the dragon - why?"

"Oh, there are an almost infinite number of different types of dragons. There are elemental dragons, gem dragons, chrom... um, ah... Let's just say that it is useful to know whether it spits fire or lightning or something else, as this knowledge will enable us to take appropriate precautions. Usually this will also indicate the weaknesses of the dragon, if it has any."

"Is your impression that we must fight and defeat the dragon to free your father, or can it be bargained with?"

"What kind of dragon? Um, and why?"

"That's actually a good question. Riese hasn't been around for ages, so are we still Riese's Revenuers? Anyway, we are Oerthian adventurers. I'm Altai, our resident tinkerer. Beldan's our leader, he can introduce the others."

Altai rolls his eyes in disgust. "So you have a magical sword. That's great. What other skills could you possibly need here in Asgard?"

it's nothing bad...

Maybe. I try not to fail Will saves; it tends to come back to haunt you later.

"Jeez. I cut short a very interesting chat with the giant to listen to this yammering?", Altai mutters to nobody in particular. He clears his throat. "So, ma'am... Since you don't think you need any help, perhaps you can elaborate a little on your no doubt very considerable skillset?"

Will save 12+9=21. Huzzah!

"Now we're talking!" Altai leans in, clearly excited. "Clearly the Norns do have power over fate - however, one can refuse to resign oneself to this and rather strive to create one's own destiny despite the heavy chains it lays upon you. Little could be more heroic than that. Good stuff, this." He leans back with a satisfied grin before seeing Beldan and the Harmoniacs wrapping up their talk. "Looks like my companions are moving on. This was a most fascinating talk, but I'm afraid it has to end. A quick question as I make my leave - are there anyone in the Jotunheim we should avoid at all costs? Ornery giant chiefs, surly dragons, that sort of thing?"