Anarath Coldblood's page

Ah, this is the right one ... my character for the first pbp game run on these boards. Shiny will recognise him.

"Hmmm? I was just thinking ..."

Anarath Coldblood wrote:

Anarath chews at his lip and shrugs. “The mysteries here are beyond anything I have encountered. You’re guess is as good as mine … still … the chamber where we fought the Overseer … those door-like panels, I do not recall – this place seems to do odd things to my memory and sense of time – did we investigate them? They looked like doors … perhaps they are?”

"I think we, uh, checked 'em. Maybe our friend here can make 'em open."

Did we? I read back, couldn't find where we did that, though it seems likely we would have...

Anarath chews at his lip and shrugs. “The mysteries here are beyond anything I have encountered. You’re guess is as good as mine … still … the chamber where we fought the Overseer … those door-like panels, I do not recall – this place seems to do odd things to my memory and sense of time – did we investigate them? They looked like doors … perhaps they are?”

DM Arctaris wrote:

After a moment's hesitation, the young man follows you, trying to keep a safe distance between Anarath and Corvin. He remains silent, seeming a little dazed by the course of events and what he sees in the peculiar tower.

The tower is quite silent and still as you leave the out of place room and presumably, unless there's something else you'd like to do descend down the bony ladder.

Where does the ladder go again? Sorry, it's been a while.

Ditto, I'm kind of lost

“This keep – Grimmbold Manor I believe it is called – is a monster infested ruin that we have spent the last several days exploring. Through there,” he points to the door, “is a strange chamber whos purpose I cannot divine; it does not appear to be part of the original manor house. This room we are in should not even exist within the confines of the building, at least not within the normal three dimensions. I know little more than you as to what is happening, but there seems little reason for us to linger here any longer. We are going back through there, you are welcome to come with us if you wish. Or stay, I care not.”

Anarath prepares to head back through the door / tunnel.

Anarath shrugs. “Out there,” he says, pointing to the tunnel / door entrance. “Unless you know another way?”

I can’t remember, have we searched this room for other ways out yet?

"I'm at something a loss as what to do," admits Anarath, looking down at the strange corpses, flicking his teeth with his tongue. "I hoped we would find answers here, but there are only more questions. I tire of it somewhat..."

"Can I burn them? Yes. I've used my last fire spell, but I have oil, flint and steel, tinder ... we could burn them. But I suggest we do not do so until we are ready to leave this room, and our new friend here," he gestures to the cowering noble, "is ready to leave too."

Anarath recoils in fascinated horror as the vines emerge, taking a step back and investigating them from a safe distance.

Do the vines appear to be alive, or still living? Do they appear to be mobile apart from what was already described?
Knowledge, Arcana: 19+10 = 29

Anarath ignores the whimpering man. Brushing off the front of his black tunic, he kneels down to closely inspect one of the corpses.

Has the remaining guard been wounded as yet?

Hello?

Arctaris hasn't posted anywhere on the boards for about 5 or 6 weeks. Not sure what's going on. Hope he's ok.

Anarath, panicking slightly that the guard has wounded him, and does not seem to be exhibiting typical reactions to his spells, attempts to blast him with another spell.

Scorching Ray on the attacking guard. Casting Defensively – I think that is a Spellcraft check now under Beta? 14+10 = 24.
12+3 = 15 on ranged touch attack. 15 points of fire damage if that hits.

Hmmm .... Tzoltan and Dhorlok up.

Bugger, sorry, didn’t realise I was first up.

Anarath backs away (5 foot step) and fumbles in his pack, pulling forth and reading a scroll of sleep. Targeted on guard, effects living targets, up to 4 HD, DC 13 Will save negates, spell resistance applies.

Init: 17+2 = 19

Perception: 14+5 = 21

From where did they barge into the room? From the tunnel? I take it that doesn’t have a normal sized door on it?

“What are you?” Anarath asks the approaching soldier as he backs carefully away. “Illusion? Figment? Displaced from time? Something … else?”

Knowledge, Arcana: 19+10 = 29. Does my arcane knowledge shed any light on what might be going on here, or what these soldiers might really be?

Anarath shrugs, rapidly running out of ideas. “I had hoped you would be able to see out, see what was around,” he calls back. He turns back to Tallius. “Well, we are clearly dangerous intruders. Why don’t you call your butler to ask why he let us in, or your guards to throw us back out?”

“Well … don’t mind us then.” Anarath turns his back on the man and begins searching the room for anything interesting, while Midnight’s beady eyes also look about the room from the bird’s perch on the elf’s shoulder.

Perception: 13+3 = 16

"I don't think there is any great danger in here ... just oddnes," he comments, to no-one in particular, although his attention is focused towards the crawl-space. "I wonder if one of us could climb up to that skylight and look out..."

What year is it for us?

"How do your butler and such get to you? Through that crawl-tunnel we arrived through?"

“Grells, and worse,” Anarath answers Corvin. “And no, best not to hit him.” He turns to the man. “Well, the fact is we are here,” he says, his voice tinged with annoyance. He looks about the room, searching for other exits, windows and such. “What year is it, out of interest?” he asks absently.

“Then something very odd is going on,” says Anarath, “for we have been exploring the place for the past several days – and the house we have been exploring is a decrepit near-ruin, infested by kobolds and worse. Suffice to say the butler did not meet us at the door.” He looks thoughtful.

Anyone in the group skilled in History or Local knowledge? Wondering if the name Tallius would ring any bells.

“Yeees,” says Anarath slowly. He crawls into the tunnel, squeezes awkwardly past Tzoltan, cursing under his breath, and emerges ungracefully into the room.

Straightening his clothes and standing, the elf looks at the young man, then looks about the room. “I am Anarath,” he says, addressing the man, “and my companion is Corvin. Who are you? It was our belief that this manor house had been abandoned for decades … when was the last time you saw the butler, or the doctor?”

Anarath tries to peer past Tzoltan to figure out what is going on.

Anarath nods, and stands back. “That sounds like a fine plan.”

"Well ... shall we see who it is?" Anarath makes to crawl into the tunnel.

Anarath bends down and peers into the passageway, trying to see what Tzoltan has found.

Perception: 8+5 = 13

“Hmmm…”

Anarath sighs, squints his eyes almost closed, and once again mouths the words to his Detect Magic cantrip, peering around the chamber.

Anarath shakes his head. “No. Given the power that chair emanates, it was not made for torture … or at least that is not its primary function. It does something. We need to find out what, either to make use of it, or prevent others from doing so as the case may be.”

The elf turns to Corvin. “If you are feeling confident, you might want to go in there and look at the spikes that Tzoltan found. See if they can be manipulated in some way.”

“The entire chamber is intensely magical,” Anarath answers, “with the focus being that chair. It is probably the most powerful artifact I have encountered. I believe perhaps my former master would have an idea of what it might be for, exactly … but he is not here, and alas, my knowledge is not as great,” the elf shakes his head.

“Beyond that, I saw something … else. Something I have never encountered before, I do not know what to make of it. It appeared to be a figure, humanoid, but not quite. It too radiated intense magic, very strong, enough to be visible above the high background power of the chamber. I can only guess what it was … some sort of energy signature caused by Tzoltan entering the chamber? An invisible entity wreathed in extremely powerful enchantments – visible under my arcane sight, while the creature itself was not? Or more disturbing … an entity composed of pure magic?”

The wizard shakes his head again. “Whatever, this chamber could be extremely dangerous … but also valuable beyond belief, if we can determine what it is for. The secrets of this Manor culminate here I believe. We have come this far … can we turn back without trying to discover more, even if there is danger, and we may be entering a trap?”

The wizard staggers back, shielding his eyes as the strength of the auras in the room threaten to overwhelm him.

He takes a moment to catch his breath, then calls out. “Unless that patch of wall you are looking at is extremely interesting, I suggest you come out of there Tzoltan. The chamber fairly reeks of necromancy.”

When (if) Tzoltan comes back out, Anarath leans close and asks, “Did you sense anything? I saw … something, I’m not certain what, close behind you.”

“Hmmm,” muses Anarath, having climbed the stair and looked into the revealed room. He stands, tapping a finger against his chin as he examines the room with scientific detachment. Midnight rustles his feathers from his perch on the elf’s shoulder. Percpetion: 6+5 = 11

“It would appear that the function of this chamber is to collect blood from someone strapped into that chair. Probably they are killed in a ritualistic or torturous manner. Although to what end the blood is collected…”

The wizard gathers together a minor amount of magical energy, and allows his eyes to see any magical auras that might permeate the room, as he thinks what the purpose of this chamber might be.

Cast Detect Magic. Spellcraft 12+10 =22 if needed to determine school of auras. Knowledge, Arcana: 20+10 = 30, Knowledge, Religion: 4+10 = 14 to determine purpose of chamber.

"Let him do his job Corvin," Anarath murmurs, looking intently at the door.

“Well done Corvin,” says Anarath dryly, then turns to Tzoltan expectantly.

Perception: 9+5 = 14
Dungeoneering: 20+8 = 28

Anarath watches Corvin with furrowed brow, then his eyebrows slowly rise. “Ah …” he breathes. “Our large friend may be on to something …”

Anarath waits patiently at the bottom of the stair, for the proverbial to happen.

“Do you think you can remove, or bypass that?” Anarath asks Tzoltan, once the blade is pointed out. “As far as I can tell, both the door and the moss is mundane. Nonmagical. That may not mean non dangerous.”

“Interesting,” murmurs Anarath, peering up the staircase. “Non-terrestrial geometry.” His gaze focuses on the door. “That moss looks ominous,” he comments, “and Corvin, it appears that we may need our locksmith again, and shortly.”

The elf focuses his arcane attention on the door, using his detect magic cantrip.

Anarath looks about with mild distaste, then nods. “Indeed. Ready to climb again Corvin?”

We’ll go up the same way as before, taking it slow and steady, wary for danger or ambushes as we near the top.

Duh, yeah, that’s right. I’d forgotten, but I presume Anarath hasn’t.

Suddenly recalling how they got through last time, Anarath pulls the twist of dried skin from his beltpouch, redistributes them to those that don’t have any, and tries again to step through the wall.

"What keys?" Anarath asks, before attempting to push through the wall as before.

“Unless anyone has a different suggestion, let us head straight for the tower again,” suggests Anarath, heading towards the illusionary wall that gains access to the structure.

Belatedly, Anarath glances at Tsiilmas. “Best tell us if you feel … strange again,” he comments, before turning back and waiting patiently to see what the new locksmith can do with the door.

Anarath nods, and gestures the group to head towards one such collapsed section of wall bordering the tower courtyard.

“It seems that whatever presence creates this … atmosphere at the manor is still present,” muses Anarath as he looks up at the manor, and the tower in particular, the rain washing his face. “I hoped perhaps we had defeated it.”

He looks to Corvin. “Do you think between us we can find the way back to the tower?” The journey to the tower had been confusing and disrupted, through kobold tunnels and secret ways. The way out had been something of a blur.

Can we find the way back to the courtyard and the tower? What is the best point to start?

In the afternoon, Anarath emerges from his rooms, the dark rings under his eyes looking heavier than normal. “These,” he says, indicating the twisted rod and the scroll, “might be useful to a priest, but not to I. This,” indicating the book, “I will need to study further. It is … disturbing. But we should make ready to return to the Manor. Who is coming?”

Can we get some confirmation on who is along for the ride? Anarath, Corvin and Tzoltan I know. How about Tsiilmas, Dohrlok and Arodwumm?

The wizard suggests that everyone purchase any equipment or rations they may need before heading out in the morning. Also, if Corvin wants Anarath to appraise the armour he found in the Manor, he can try to do that too. For his part, he buys some additional rations and prepares his spells for the journey.

---

Out on the road, the necromancer is grim and silent through most of the day. As the day draws to an end, he looks around for a sheltered spot to make camp, and suggests they set a fire against the cold. He also suggests they stand watches through the night – he will take the first watch unless there are objections.

“Well, see what you can do with the box. I will be in my rooms. Shall we agree to return to the Manor in the morning?”

Anarath returns to his room and casts some Identify spells: One on the tome, one on the scroll of arcane diagrams, and one on the twisted rod.

Under Beta rules, an Appraise check is used to discover the properties and command words of magical items, the DC is 15 + the item’s caster level. Anarath has a +15 to Appraise checks for magical items. Casting Identify (which no longer has an expensive material component) adds +10 to the check.

Tome: Appraise check result: 14+15+10 = 39
Scroll: Appraise check result: 9+15+10 = 34
Rod: Appraise check result: 13+15+10 = 38

Torvus calms down slightly. "Perhaps I overreacted."

He pauses, considering for a long time before saying "Maybe we can do business. Give me a four days to see if I can find a buyer, and then come back here with your sword."

Anarath nods. "That will be fine," he says, before taking his leave.

Back at the inn he raises an eyebrow when he sees that Tsilmass seems to be back with it, but otherwise does not comment.

"What now?" he asks instead. "I could do with some time to scribe spells and try to decipher the writings we found in the tower before we head back..."

Anarath blinks in surprise.

"Perhaps you misunderstood me. I meant that we," indicating himself and Corvin, "were the middle men, not you. The unfortunate wretch we aquired the sword from being on one side, you on the other, and us in the middle. What happens to this sword once it is in your possession is not of our concern."