Adventuring Wizard

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Liberty's Edge

An unwritten Journal:
Being the memoirs of the cleric Ember during her travels as an initiate of the Bellum Ecclesia
Day 14. Month of the Swordfish
Strange events in Freeport last night. Many claim to have seen a mysterious sigil in the sky over T’wik. This was followed by an explosion of the upper stories of the just completed Lighthouse commonly known as “Milton’s Folly”. We investigated using various bribes and disguise to reach the island. There we encountered a group from the Temple of Knowledge who claimed to be seeking the Jade Serpent, a statuette that was necessary for the city’s survival. We uncovered this along with several weapons and a battered journal. The serpent was relinquished to its seekers.
15 Swordfish
Announcement today that the council has repealed the Rule of Succession; likely as there exist no further candidates. This was followed by rioting in the streets and rival gangs took advantage of the chaos. The commissioner of the guard was slain.
The Cutthroats, led by Bloody Jack, attacked the Temple of the Sea God. Several acolytes were slain before we arrived and dispatched the malefactors. Mother Lorrel stated that her god would send a storm to cleanse the temple of its defilement. She also expressed concern for a Sister Gwendolyn who was missing. We found her speaking to Thuron at the Temple of Knowledge and escorted her back.
16 Swordfish
The Sea Lord’s Guard are conducting a purge of the city, hunting down the surviving members of the Cutthroats and Buccaneers. First hurricane of the season appears to be brewing.
Sister Gwendolyn approached me and asked that we speak to Captain Marcus Roberts regarding the rumored disappearance of Lady Elise Grossette. Roberts stated that he suspected a political rival, Arias Soderheim of abducting the lady. Reconnaissance at her estate led Bergo to discover that she had been removed through her second story window by elven pirates the night before. Further investigation revealed that Captain Sharpe of the Knife had departed in haste. He appeared to be heading to Windward.
We decided to seek passage in order to pursue and soon encountered Captain Buster Wallace of the Gallant who agreed to take us to Windward before the storm broke. Upon our approach, we sighted a caravel and were attacked by Sahuagin. A malenti fired a wand at Celestia who replied, quite efficiently, with scorching ray. Rudolf’s dog was slain, and his resulting rage quickly cleared the remaining foes from our decks.
We bypassed the larger ship under cover of the storm and made directly for the shore. Captain Wallace agreed to wait three hours for our return. The beach was littered with bodies, and we discovered some undead, serpent-like people feeding on the remains.
The resort inn had been overrun by elven pirates. These were led by Captain Sharpe, a bald and scared caster called Keel, and the rogue, Dirty Malone. We eventually overcame them, capturing Sharpe and Malone in the process, and rescued Lady Grossette and five other survivors. Once again, Celestia proved invaluable in the fight while Rudolf more than held his own.
We returned to shore where Celestia signaled Captain Wallace by igniting Sharpee’s caravel with no less than four fireballs. The return crossing was rough but uneventful. We made landfall and I asked that Captain Wallace as well as those from the inn accompany us to Captain Roberts’ residence for shelter and to make our report. Two hours later the storm hit.
17 Swordfish
Captain Roberts requested that we attend an emergency meeting of the Captains’ Council. He provided coaches that conveyed us to the Plaza of Gold in the Merchants’ district. We were then asked to present the evidence acquired during our recent excursion and to testify against Soderheim. Documents and confessions obtained during the rescue of Lady Grossette indicated that Soderheim had hired Malone to kidnap her. Sharp was paid by someone from the continent to insure that she did not survive.
Marilise Maeorgan proposed that Soderheim be formally tried, his household dissolved, and his relatives banished from Freeport. This led to a further two hours of debate which were interrupted when crossbowmen concealed in the crowd of about forty spectators opened fire.
Celestia fell, but I was able to heal her by the power and will of the God of War. She returned quickly to the fray, firing spells at her assailant until he was dropped by Rudolf. The three remaining assassins then drank potions and vanished from sight. Bergo, however, assured us they were still present, so I called once again upon the power of my god; this time to purge invisibility.
We felled two more, but the last escaped. Of those we defeated, only one remained alive for questioning. From him, we learned that the assassins had been hired by Deadeye Dan Marsh, who was himself in the employ of Soderheim. Their instructions were to kill us and then the council members.
The Sea Lord’s Guard were dispatched to apprehend Soderheim, but he had fled the city. Documents discovered at his residence revealed payments to Captain Sharp and Continental Trading as well as letters to both the Cutthroats and Buccaneers inciting the riots as a citywide distraction.
We also discovered that Soderheim owned a house in the Old City Quarter listed as Mrs. Safe’s Retreat. Celestia posed as a fruit seller and made the acquaintance of the only resident, an elderly woman who revealed to her that Arias was an infrequent visitor who also spent his time at a nearby “house of ill repute”. This, in turn, led us to the Serenity House.
Enroute, we became aware of watchers signaling to one another. The building itself was locked and barred, but yielded to Celestia’s magic. Inside, we encountered more crossbowmen and assorted other thugs. One threw a barrel at Rudolf, causing him to rage and storm the third floor.
Resistance was stiff and we were outnumbered by about three-to-one, but were gaining ground until the appearance of an unknown man with an eyepatch who appeared to be a spell caster. Rudolf was controlled and slew Celestia. Arias appeared and cursed us all, before being himself slain by Bergo.
We retired to the Temple of the Sea God where Mother Lorrel was able to restore Celestia, although the later seems quite subdued and unlike her usual self. We also dispatched a messenger to Captain Roberts informing him of what had transpired, and he shortly thereafter sent his carriage to retrieve us.
Roberts informed us that the guard had succeeded in capturing the renegade gunman who had been hired to kill Soderhiem and destroy the House of Serenity. He was in the employ of Saul Hawthorne, a priest of St. Cuthbert. Hawthorne had been staying at the Rusty Hook in the docks district, but checked out early this morning. We searched his room, but discovered nothing further.
However, as we were leaving the Rusty Hook, we were attacked by a large, heavily armored man mounted on a clock-work centaur known as an inevitable. This, as we soon discovered, was Saul Hawthorne. I demanded that he desist, but he refused. He claimed that he was working to destroy Freeport as it deserved, and that we had ruined his plans and must pay.
Notes and documents discovered on his body confirmed that he had been sent from the continent with instructions to cause disruptions in Freeport. He had engineered riots, kidnappings and general unrest in service to the Empire of Hexworth.
19 Swordfish
Marilise Maeorgan has been elected the new Sea Lord of Freeport. She has appointed a new commissioner and begun plans for rebuilding the city. Perhaps, we can look forward to quieter days ahead.
Day 3. Month of the Osprey
Bergo invited the rest of us to dinner at the Diving Fin, perhaps the only establishment in the docks district where one does not need to purify food and drink. Bergo, who is a member of the Halfling Benevolent Association, informed us that its president Finn and an associate of his named Trask would like to meet with us tomorrow. They are apparently concerned over a large number –perhaps 10 to 20 – of beggars who have been disappearing from the streets.
4 Osprey
We arrived at the HBA as agreed and were shown into Finn’s office. Finn himself appeared to be a middle-aged Halfling who walked with a limp which he tried to conceal. His office was predominantly utilitarian but did contain one unusual bit of décor-- a human sized war hammer bearing the symbol of the god of justice. This, he later said, had belonged to a former adventuring companion of his.
According to Finn, the disappearances had been occurring throughout the city and not all of the victims were halflings. He offered to pay us 400 lords to investigate and 600 to stop the attacks. In addition, we would receive 100 lords for every halfling rescued and 50 for each additional victim. This is assuming that they are still alive and can be recovered. The coin was apparently enough to satisfy Rudolf and we all agreed to help.
We began our investigation in the Eastern District where we uncovered rumors of cults and “great vultures” that came by night and carried away their victims, leaving no trace behind. This reminded me of stories of Pazuzu, a demon who is said to be the Lord of Winged Predators.
Gradual disappearances, including the docks district, had been occurring for over two months now, although they initially went unnoticed. Strangely, none of the victims have been dwarves; most are halflings, then humans and a few elves.
We decided to try to lure this mysterious attacker into the open. Celestia and Bergo were to act as bait, while Rudolf and I waited nearby to intervene. Nothing happened until after midnight when our two halflings were unexpectedly hit by bird droppings. This sickened and weakened them. A swarm of birds then appeared together with a robed figure which spit at Bergo apparently releasing a cloud of spores. We drove them off, before the guard arrived and began asking questions.
Later, at the Temple of Knowledge, I dug into some old records and discovered that spores are often used by Vrock, a type of vulture-like demon known to serve the Demon Lord Pazuzu.
5 Osprey
We informed all of the temples and churches in the district of what we had learned so far. Perhaps this will help them to protect their members. Bergo also met with Finn and when he mentioned the spores, learned that Finn and his former companion, Arych Sante, a paladin of justice had fought a Vrock , years ago, at Lonely Shore, and that Arych had died from the spores. Are these two incidents related?
I decided to pray for guidance in finding and confronting our foe. My first attempt was interrupted by another swarm like those we encountered last night, but later I was able to receive instructions. These were to speak to Berlin of the Booty Trading Company in order to find the one I seek; and to stop him before he dances over the city.
We located Berlin’s office near the docks. Berlin himself was a stout man with dark hair. He seemed nervous and mentioned money problems that had led him to rent an unused warehouse to a crazy old man for the past two months. He did not know the man’s name and said their dealings had occurred in person in the office. This crazy man apparently matches the description of an individual whom Bergo had encountered yesterday in scurvy Town who was raving about the end and “coming to take us away”.
On our way to the warehouse, we were ambushed by a mixed group of hobgoblins and bugbears. The survivors fled except for one captive who revealed that they had been hired by a creepy, old man who appears to match the description we were given before. This person sent a messenger bird to instruct them when and where to attack us.

Liberty's Edge

I spent the last two weeks, studying and plying my trade as healer to those in need. Not all could afford a professional’s services so I took payment only where I could.
Day 18: Morning –
Swag Fest begins today. I meet with my companions to join in the drunken fray. We learn that Capt. Lydon wants a seat on the ruling Council, and so has sponsored much of this year’s festivities. During the commencement speech, a cloaked woman attacked the good Captain. We shout a warning and stopped her, then relieved her of a few items of interest. The festivities continue.
Frek participates in “Jack’s Last Stand” one person/Frek vs. 12 pirates for the prize money. Frek gave a Valiant effort against overwhelming odds but did not succeed in reenacting the legendary battle. He only pummeled one opponent down before being felled, no prize for that.
We healed him and move on to the “Catch the Fat Rat” contest. A Dire rat is greased and turned loose into the city. The reward is higher upon its live return. We manage to follow it to an abandon house where we follow only to find six bodies cocooned in webbing and do battle with a speaking, spell casting arachnid. We defeated the areana, gain some useful items, and free a woman named Faun from death’s slow grip. She works at the “Serenity House” and as a reward for our services rendered; her employer has offered us each a pass for an evening of services rendered by her skilled employees.
We capture the rat and return it for the reward of 75 gold... (in exotic spices) not overly useful.
We enjoy the two days of merriment and a day of recovery. I test various remedies for hangovers but I fear that I require more training in alchemy.
As a group we journey out to the lighthouse but see very little of interest. Two more weeks pass uneventfully as I ply my skills, rendering aid to those in need.
Day 32: Afternoon –
We meet with Brother Egil for lunch at the Quill. He is greatly disturbed, and paranoid. He claims to have seen a intruder that smelled like a serpent enter Lucius’ room (while Egil was working and feigning asleep) and steal some parchment scrolls. Egil also does not believe that the guard is actually doing anything about “cleaning out” the serpent’s nest we found.
We track Milo’s movements and learn he had an alias of Delvin a merchant, staying at the Marquis Moon. We get into his room and search, finding notes about Verlaine (who owns all of the masonry shops in town.) and a sketch page in the back of a book, with many unknown magical symbols that pertain to the construction of the lighthouse.
Upon leaving, a young man cries out for help. He is “seemingly” accosted by two orcs. It is a diversion so he can try to steal the book we recovered. The boy escapes and flees towards the East Gate, back towards the Serpent’s nest.
We take secure the valuable book we found, then follow the thief, and re-enter the snake den. Someone has thoroughly cleaned out the serpent’s temple. We defeat four more snake men, a priest, and the young thief. We search more thoroughly; they are still trying to recover the inlayed metal from the temple. I can only assume the snakes were commanded to “Leave No Trace!” Some crates were found, full of bricks with “the yellow sign” carved into them. We assume for use in the lighthouse, so we dumped them out in the bay. A note tells of transit from Bierce Vintners to 100 Wave Ave. We will rest and go to visit Verlaine’s home at 100 Wave Ave., tomorrow.
Upon arriving home, I’m certain that each of us found our quarters ransacked. But the book is safe.

Liberty's Edge

Did anyone else catch the D&D reference on 30 Rock last night? Tina Fey's character Liz was commenting on how she hadn't stayed up until 4:30 am since she was in college. Then there is a flashback to her college dorm room, Liz crouching over graph paper and muttering "And behind this door, FIVE MORE ORCS! Take that Samir!"

Liberty's Edge

I know they will likely bring him back but I couldn't help but get depressed upon reading this.

http://www.cnn.com/2007/SHOWBIZ/books/03/07/captain.america/index.html

Liberty's Edge

An uneasy alliance is struck, a hero falls, and another takes his place,

Warpig, Gaer, and D'Rak had made camp within the Whispering Cairn when they heard others approaching. Gaer and D'Rak attempted to hide (with Gaer being far more successful than D'Rak) while Warpig readied his axe to confront the un-wanted intruders.

Warpig quickly recognized both Duncan and Fenaril as the two followers of St. Cuthbert that had saved him from bleeding to death behind the Feral Dog tavern. Hence, he decided not to kill them and even made conversation with them, inquiring as to what the nine hells were they doing there. Duncan and Fenaril explained (more or less) that they were at the Whispering Cairn at the request of their leader, the raving mad Jierian Wierus. Eventually, Gaer and D'Rak made their presence known and all six of the individuals decided to explore the cairn together.

The group first encountered a group of wolves that they dispatched fairly quickly. A quick search of their lair by Gaer uncovered, among other things, an elaborate indigo lantern and a stone index finger. The party then made their way through the cobweb-choked hallway into what they believed to be a tomb of some sort. From reading the various runes throughout the place Windra deduced that these runes were a form of archaic Auran language and that 3 or the runes denoted 3 names and 3 different ranks and that the rune on the sarcophagus was the least of the 3 runes. She took notes on the all of runes and glyphs to give to here master/friend/lover/whatever Allustan to see if he could translate them.

After some experimentation with the sarcophagus (and after Warpig got scorched by the burning hands trap), the party realized that the sarcophagus would turn and point at the various alcoves and in some cases, a rumbling noise would be heard. It didn't take long before the figured out that there were elevators in some of the alcoves along with colored lanterns, marking out the ROYGBIV spectrum with the red lantern missing. As a note, Gaer disabled to elevator trap in the indigo alcove.

The whole party also made the climb the 50 feet to the top of the blue alcove where they entered the tunnel that they found there and promptly set of the Face in the Darkness trap and the entire party came reasonably close to being completely wiped out. (A few more missed saving throws and that is exactly what happened.) I thought that the crushed skeleton on the floor of the blue alcove was a dead give away. Fortunately the party survived and managed to activate the arcane elevator in the yellow lantern alcove.

While exploring the chamber below the yellow lantern, Gaer lead the way, bravely crawling into the hall way with the status of the yet to be identified humanoids. It was there that he was repetitively zapped by the eye rays from the lurking strangler that was hiding near the top of the ceiling. Luckily, Gaer made it back to the rest of the group before being rendered unconscious and then strangled by the twisted little horror. The party managed to move the rock, survive the gas trap and kill the lurking strangler with a combination of Gaer's crossbow bolts and Fenaril's spear throws (those two were pretty much the only two party members that could see it.) The party explored the rest of the chambers, survived the brown mold, found some treasure, and killed a small earth elemental that Warpig had attempted to adopt as a pet.

The party then used the sarcophagus to active the arcane elevator under the green lantern. There was grinding sound that was followed by a crashing noise. Gaer, the brave halfling spell thief, approached and listened. As he approached, he heard a clicking, noise. Suddenly, a geyser of acid beetles sprayed from hole where the elevator had once been. A mad slasher followed the geyser of acid beetles as well. Gaer retreated but was enveloped by the swarm of acid beetles. He struck the mass with his dagger but his attack was in vain. Gaer screamed in pain and collapsed under the withering mass of insects. Warpig attacked the mad slasher but he went down under the furious counter attack of the creature (He was a -7 hit points. I rolled a critical hit with nearly max damage. Any other party member would have been flat out dead.) Duncan attempted to pull Gaer from the acid beetle swarm by grasping his hand. He pulled but only the hand came out, the rest of Gaer was still in swarm. (Gaer was dead by that point.) Windra attacked the insect swarm with acid splash, which did absolutely nothing. D'Rak and Fenaril moved forward and attacked, D'Rak fighting the mad slasher and Fenaril using fire and oil. Eventually the party prevailed but Gaer was dead, his body a pile of bones and slime. Warpig (who survived thanks to the healing skills of Duncan) kept Gaer's skull and placed it in a silk bag as a way of honoring his fallen friend. Fenaril, Duncan and Windra then retreated back to Diamond Lake to regroup and heal while D'Rak and Warpig remained in the cairn.

Meanwhile, back at Diamond Lake, the rakish cad Karin, late from the City of Greyhawk, had gotten himself in trouble, the same kind of trouble that had driven him out of the City of Greyhawk as well. Karin had fled the City of Greyhawk after his affair with a rich merchant's wife was discovered and the merchant hired a group of thugs to tar and feather him, among other things. Karin had relocated to Diamond Lake as place to hide since he figured that his enemies back in Greyhawk would not think that he would flee to a dung heap like Diamond Lake. Old habits die hard and before he knew it, Karin was back in trouble again only this time it was Mayor Lanod Neff that wanted him dead (or to at least suffer.). Although Lanod Neff has several mistresses, that didn't mean that he appreciated it when one of them took up with someone else. About that the time that the Fenaril, Duncan and Windra were returning to Diamond Lake, Karin was heading out to hide in the woods.

While in town, Windra showed Allustan the glyphs and runes from the tomb. He confirmed that these runes were in the language of the Wind Dukes of Aaqa. At least three of the glyphs were names: Zosiel, Nadroc, and Icosiol. Without further resources, he could not learn much more than that.

Duncan and Fenaril returned to the Church of St. Cuthbert and speak to their leader Jierian Wierus. Jierian was disappointed that they had not found the artifact that he had dreamed about but he was optimistic that they would find it on their return to the Whispering Cairn. It was while they were at the Church that Fenaril had a dream of her own. That night, a bright being appeared to Fenaril in a dream. She could not make out a face, but the being was wielding a large mace, marking him at the very least as a servant of St. Cuthbert, if not St. Cuthbert himself. Whoever this being was, he told her that she had been accepted into his service as a holy warrior. This was her first step to the knighthood that she had been aspiring to since her childhood.

That night, Karin entered the Whispering Cairn and encountered Warpig and D'Rak. Warpig recognized Karin from the Midnight Salute brothel. (They were both frequent customers). On a certain level, all three realized that they shared a common bond: All three of them were on the run and had no where else to go. On that note, they settled in for the evening.

In the morning, Fenaril, Windra and Duncan returned to the cairn and found that Karin had joined their group as well. They were apprehensive but the loss of Gaer had clearly showed how deadly their quest was and every sword was needed so he was accepted into the group.

The party activated climbed down the elevator shaft that the acid beetle swarm and the mad slasher had climbed out of. There they battled giant beetles, two more acid swarms (!) an insane water elemental, and a swimming ghoul. On the ghoul, Warpig found a golden ring with an eight-pointed star symbol. This symbol was also on the leather armor of a number of human corpses that were found in chambers. Karin recognized the symbol as that of the Seekers, a group of archeologists and explorers with a less than savory reputation. He also recognized a symbol from a ring worn by the wizard Khellek, someone that Karin had played Dragonchess back in Diamond Lake. More importantly, the party found the missing red lantern.

The party then lit all of the lanterns in the tomb, filling the entire room with all the colors of the rainbow. When the party had faced the Face in the Darkness, the face had displayed only one light: red. The party reasoned, correctly, that lighting all of the lambs would deactivate the trap. Cautiously, the party climbed up the chain in the blue lantern alcove and back into the tunnel where the entire party had nearly died earlier. To their relief, the trap was not triggered and the face's mouth was now open, allowing the party to pass beyond.

The party found a large chamber with a narrow beam running across it to a door on the other side. The party also noted that numerous holes in the ceiling and the large stone balls that completely covered room's floor which was about a 10 foot drop. The party started to cross on the beam and was immediately bombarded with stone balls fired from the holes in the ceiling. Both Warpig and Karin feel onto the ball-covered floor. It didn't take long before Warpig and Karin realized that they were not alone. Bursting from the balls was a grick, a deadly worm like creature. Warpig and Karin quickly began to battle the creature. It was then that Warpig began to hear voices, and not the usual ones that he normally hears in his head. Things like "Wow, that axe barely scratched that worm thing!" and "Man, that had to hurt!" After the grick was finally dispatched, the entire party began to hear the voice. Warpig foolishly mocked the voice and the ghost of Alastor Land manifested himself before the party. Warpig and Karin were horribly shaken by the experience but the rest of the party managed to resist the affects.

After the ghost calmed down by Fenaril, the ghost relayed his tragic tale. He told the party that the only way through the opening was for him to pass through the wall and open the door from inside and he would not do that for them unless they freed him from his curse. In order to remove the curse, the party would have to return his bones to his family's homestead and bury him in the family graveyard. The party readily agreed.

Windra and D'Rak (risking being seen by agents of the Twilight Monastery) decided to visit the local cemetery, hoping to find the location the Land family cemetery. What they found were the cemetery's guardians: The Cult of the Green Lady, followers of an aspect of Wee Jas. The fanatics proved to be of little help.

Duncan and Fenaril where having better luck. They went to the Church of St. Cuthbert to see if they had information about the location of Alastor's family farm. As it turned out, they were in luck as the Land's had been members of the St. Cuthbertian congregation. They also discovered that the family had been wiped out nineteen years earlier by an outbreak of the Red Death.

Duncan, Fenaril, Windra and D'Rak all met up and decided to head out to the Land Farm themselves. Upon arriving, to their shock and dismay, they discovered that ALL of the family member graves had been recently dug up and the remains removed. D'Rak decided to check out the house while Duncan, Fenaril, and Windra discussed (argued) over what to do next. D'Rak quickly retreated and silenced the party when he informed them that the house was no occupied by at least one owlbear. The severed arm that he saw lying on the floor indicated that the owlbear had recently feed, but the group as a whole decided that they would be better off leaving before the owlbear came out and ate them as well.

That night, the party returned to the Land farmstead, this time with Karin and Warpig. The party entered the home and did battle with the owlbear. The owlbear had been wounded in an earlier fight so the party quickly dispatched it. The party found that another owlbear had been killed earlier, along with a number of cubs. One cub was still alive and Warpig adopted it. The severed arm had a tattoo on it. The tattoo identified the arm's former owner as Skutch, a local thug in the employ of Balabar Smenk and a member of Kullen's gang. The party decided to consult the Cult of the Green Lady in regards to the desecration of the Land family graves. The party assumed (correctly) that the members of the Cult would be appalled over the grave robbing and that they would be willing to help them.

Along the way through town, Warpig threw Skutch's arm into the Feral Dog as an insult to Kullen and his crew. It wasn't long before Kullen responded but by the time that he got outside, Warpig was long gone.

The next day, the party consulted with Amariss, the high priest of Wee Jas and the leader of the Cult of Green Lady. Amariss was enraged when she heard of the grave robbing and agreed to help the party. She cast a divination spell. The results of the spell indicated that the party should look to the stars and the culprits of the grave robbing were to be found at the Feral Dog. That is were the party went next.

Next time, a feud is ended once and for all and the party looks to the stars….

Liberty's Edge

I just have a DR question: Does DR apply to extra damage from items that poccess should qualities such as vicious and holy or does DR include only direct physical damage from the weapon?

Any advice would be greatly appricated.

Liberty's Edge

Has anyone else read Jim Butcher's the Dresden Files? The adventures of a modern day wizard in Chicago. I must admit that I read the first in the series (Storefront) and I was hooked immediately.

Liberty's Edge

These days, I would have to say my favorite writer of sword and sorcery books is David Gemmell. His is a mix of David Eddings and Robert E. Howard. I read his first novel "Legend" about six years ago and I have been hooked ever since.