Evil DM's page

Hi all. One system I will be using is a centralized place we can see the list of PCs, a link to the current battle grid, and also a initiative chart (which I will update constantly). It will be on the profile of this alias (which I will use in the actual game thread as my posting alias).

EDIT: Oh, and I've been playing around with Google Docs for the spreadsheets. It should work out pretty well aside from the fact that I can't seem to find a way to get the cells to all be squares without manually resizing them... It might also require all of you to have a (free) account with google...

As the entire camp of blackscale and poison dusk lizard folk begin jumping up and grabbing their weapons, ready to meet their perceived threat, Mender places his hand on Aldren's armor and releases a flow of magic into the metal, infusing it with bear's endurance. "You will need this added stamina in the fight to come."

Aldren gains a +4 enhancement bonus to Constitution for 5 minutes.

Roll initiative, so after everyone in the party takes an action in the surprise round, we can start the actual battle! :)

Mender nods. "If we could use the furred creature for that purpose, it would lessen the danger we ourselves would face..."

For Shinus (forgot to give this bit of knowledge earlier):

Hathir's knowledge:

Shinus's knowledge:

The vegetation is about 30 feet away from the walls of temple save the front side, where a large clearing accompanies the portico that juts out towards the lizardfolk camp. The largest huts are nearest to the portico, only about 40 feet to the south-southwest of the tip of the 55 foot long covered portico. The small huts are further away, about 100 feet to the southeast of the portico.

For Shinus:

There seems to be two different sorts of creatures down in the camp: the smaller poison dusk lizardfolk and a blackscaled, ogre-sized variety. Right now, they seem to be oblivious to your presence... though they might spot you at any moment. The shrubbery Kaezen has hidden in would be a good place to plan your assault.

Everyone travels down the road a bit, and a signal from Kaezen clues you in on his location. You all can see the edge of a cliff up ahead. A small trail winds down it towards a large clearing where the jungle gives way to an open space dominated by a huge stone structure. The Temple of Kha'shazul is a mass of vine-choked granite walls and columns. Two stone domes mark either end of its oblong shape, and a columned portico juts out from the temple's entrance. Steam billows from somewhere within the temple, venting through high open windows 20 feet above the ground.

Situated in front of the temple are two clusters of about 4 thatched huts each, one group composed of much larger huts than the other. Movement and lines of campfire smoke can be seen among the huts, and a large metal cage is visible near the group of large huts.

For Hathir:

for Mender:

for Kaezen:

Yep, you have the map.

For Mender:

For now, you seem to be alone in the jungle aside from the constant hum of insects and calls of animals.

As you walk out of Sevvin's office, you catch sight of of red-haired, stodgily-dressed man in his late thirties leaning nonchalantly against the wall opposite of gnome's door. The Mark of Passage is displayed prominently on left forearm, and numerous wands dangle from his leather belt. He holds an envelope in his hands.

For those that have met him before, this is Jasser d'Orien, one of the more senior explorers in the Acquisitions Directorate.

The Orien heir nods, then holds out the envelope. "Lightning rail tickets. I've secured you passage on the Royal Karrnath Express to Vedykar. It leaves tomorrow morning, 6:00 AM. From Vedykar, you'll need to take the land route to Vulyar - a gnome artificer by the name of Kerrin Wainrell will give you a ride on his elemental cart - and then you'll take the Eastern Lightning Rail line to Gatherhold on the Talenta Plains. You'll need to seek out a guide to get you across the Plains and then the Blade Desert to the Ravencull Pass through the Endworld Mountains. From there, you should be able to follow the map to Adderport and then to your destination."

Sevvin nods. "You're to search the temple for any ancient relics, preferably magic ones. Don't go and activate anything that looks dangerous, though. We'd prefer to have the artifacts... and you... and the world... back in one piece. We have reason to believe - from the previous owner of the map and from the draconic inscriptions on the map itself - that the ruin dates back to what's known as the Age of Demons. So, you'll be dealing with ancient, and possible quite powerful, items. Our organization is very interested in ancient magic, as you probably well know. So, it is imperative that you search this temple and report back with your findings. To that end..."

The gnome opens a drawer in his desk and pulls out a rectangular box and a small, green pouch. "Inside this pouch are two sending stones. Use one of them once you find any relics, or if you are turning back empty handed." He slides the bag across the table toward you all. "The box contains a few vials of antitoxin, in case you run afoul of the local inhabitants." He pushes the box over by the pouch.

He looks around at the party, and throws a wry grin at Hathir. "Is your mission clear, or must I explain it some more?"

Knowledge (Local): Hathir knows that in the region of Q'barra called New Galifar, laws are typical of those in the Five Nations: in the region known as Hope, laws are for the most part non-existent, the social situations changing from place to place.

Knowledge (History): 70 years ago, settlers from across Khorvaire, sick of the war and the greed and ambition rampant in the Five Nations, gathered to form an immense flotilla of ships. They traveled along the east coast of Khorvaire seeking to create a new land where the spirit of old Galifar could be recreated in peace. This land became Q'barra.

A Knowledge(geography) or Knowledge(nobility and royalty) check could also be made.

The gnome looks over at Shinus. "The Twelve have no recorded sightings of half-dragons, but they've been rumored to exist for as long as anyone can remember. I'm sure many of our number would be highly interested in solid proof that such creatures are not just the stuff of legends... and I'm sure your order would be interested in such things as well."

Sevvin's begins to gaze around at the group and he scratches his wispy-haired head for a moment. He then smiles mysteriously. "Yes... Kaezen would be a great leader. However, a certain member of a certain house has asked me for a favor."

Sevvin's eyes stop on the warforged. "My suggestion for leader is... Mender."

Sevvin looks up, adjusting his tiny spectacles. "Very well, I will tell you." The gnome rolls his treatise up and slides it into one of the many scroll cases on his table. He then picks up a different scroll case and begins casually rolling in his hand.

"Some of our operatives recently came into the possession of map that leads to an ancient temple in the Q'barran jungle, south of the great volcano of Haka'torvhak. The previous owner of the map had been doing research on this temple - the Temple of Kha'shazul - and had discovered that it occupies a place where an ancient demon was cast down long ago. He found that such places were guarded, according to old lizardfolk legends, by half-dragon beasts. Somewhere beneath the temple, we believe, is a crypt belonging to one such ancient creature, along with relics of that time. We want those relics."

Sevvin removes the cap of the scroll case in his hands and pulls out an old map. He unfurls it onto the table, and you can see it is a map of Q'barra marked with a trail from Adderport to the Temple of Kha'shazul.

"I have gathered you together because you are some of the best our organization has to offer, and the dangers of the jungle are great. I have arranged transport for you to Adderport. From there, you are to follow the trail marked on the map in order to reach the Temple. This is a simple exploration and artifact gathering mission... I don't think you should have many problems aside from the possibly hostile lizardfolk population of the jungle. Any questions?"

Yay! Flashback :) ...and yeah, sorry. he's kind of a snob.

Hehe, I wouldn't expect anything less from an evil character :)

Sevvin chuckles, but you can't quite tell if he's laughing at Hathir or the treatise he's reading. A few moments pass, and then he speaks softly without looking up, a slight twinge of a sneer passing briefly over his lips. "I knew you were going to say something like that, Thuranni."

Even though Mender can see them, they all have concealment from the warforged (and anyone else not right next to them) due to the jungle undergrowth. So, could you roll a 20% miss chance? We'll say that you have to get a 21 or higher on the d100 roll.

The amulet-wearing poison dusk groans and attempts to stand up. Kaezen takes advantage of the lizardfolk's momentary lack of defense and trips the poison dusk again, following up with a powerful kick to the lizardfolk's abdomen.

Kaezen's furious assault knocks the wind out of the downed lizardfolk, who grunts and spits out a curse. "Taakha z'ga!"
If you speak Draconic:

The easternmost poison dusk suddenly drops his bow and staggers, propping himself up against the tree before tumbling to the side, eyes closed and tongue lolling out of his maw. He appears to be asleep.

The poison dusk dives out of the way of the blast, taking minimal burns.

The lizardfolk's legs are swept out from under him, and he falls face-first into the dirt.

Fort save: 12 + 7 = 19

You succeed on your saving throw.

Round 2

Everyone but Mender sees the following:

Another two arrows fly with a hiss from the underbrush, and one hits the Deneith heir.

Aldren takes 6 damage, and must make a Fort save.

DM Questions:

** spoiler omitted **

Did Shinus Fiery Burst one of the Lizardmen?

Answers:

The amulet-wearing lizardfolk, not seeing the hidden Orien heir, leaves himself open for attack as he moves through the underbrush.

(As a reminder: All the lizardfolk have concealment due to the underbrush.)

Flying overhead, Shinus spots the enemy lizardfolk, which you all believe to be members of the tribe of poison dusk lizardfolk the group of lizardfolk pilgrims told you about a few days back, which must mean you are close to the temple.

(Shinus may shoot his fiery blast at any of the lizard folk within range, which would be all of them.)

Mender's bolt goes wide and is lost within the underbrush.

With my spot check earlier, did I detect where the arrows are coming from?

Unfortunately, nobody was able to see where the arrows came from exactly, but you know that they all came from the jungles ahead of you, from both sides of the trail. On your turns I'll need to you all to make some more spot checks.

Hathir saves vs. the poison.

Initiative Order:

Unknown A - 22
Hathir and Shinus - 15
Kaezen - 14
Aldren - 13
Unknown B - 6
Mender - 3

Another volley of arrows flies out from the thick foliage, this time consisting of four arrows that are targeted at the heavily armored Deneith heir. The arrows seem to be coming from the same place as before: a little ways up and off the path. Three of the small arrows fail to do any damage, but one arrow manages to plunge into an unarmored part of his leg. Blood wells up around the arrow and oozes down to the dark brown earth beneath Aldren's feet. Soon, the injured leg begins to burn and throb as the poison on the arrow's tip seeps into the Deneith heir's veins.

Aldren takes 5 damage and must make a Fort save, and it is now Hathir's turn (Even though you both rolled exactly the same, I'm going with Hathir first only because his name comes first in the alphabet).

A hiss of air follows a volley of small arrows fired from the brush. You hear your unseen assailants shifting within the foliage, but can see no sign of them.

A pair of arrows fly out of nowhere at Aldren but bounce harmlessly off his armor. Another arrow strikes Hathir, piercing through the elf's shiftweave garment and into his flesh. Mere moments later, a feeling of intense sickness grips the illusionist.

Hathir takes 8 damage, and must now make a Fortitude save. Everyone roll initiative, and take a moment to describe where you are standing in relation to the rest of the party.

If the map is correct, you should be almost to the Temple after following the trail through the dense Q'barran jungle for many long days. The hot sun beats down upon you through the canopy above, and the drone of insects and calls of various jungle animals fill the air. As you slap another swarm of insects away, you notice that the trail ahead grows noticeably wider, and is mostly clear of debris and undergrowth. Two birds, both with vibrant red and purple plumage, take to the air from a nearby tree and fly off.

Make spot checks!