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One of my normal players (Lyz Liddell) did some editing on Emerald Spire and fell absolutely in love with it. Normally, I’d run it for everyone, but she knows far too much after editing. So she’s running it and I’m playing for the first first time since… Ptolus came out back in 2006, I guess.
We have a lot of players that are interested, from old timers like me to complete newbies, but everyone’s schedules are insane.
So Lyz has created a group of characters for the group to share. Whoever shows up each time will get a character sheet. Which one? Who knows? Time to spin the wheel!
Lyz’ll be maintaining the characters and leveling them up, largely so they don’t get too complicated.
But, since we can’t depend on any individual character being there, each character needs to cover as many roles as possible.
It was decided early that all the casters were going to be spontaneous. This lets the more experienced players use the whole spell list on the fly, but also lets newer players stick with “defaults."
This created an interesting puzzle. Here are the builds we ended up with:
Dwarf Fighter (Armor Master) - Can’t really go wrong with fighter. Armor Master lets us trade Bravery for something precalculated on the character sheet. Big check in the melee box.
Ratfolk Gunslinger - Ranged character and trap finder. Probably the most complicated character, just due to firearms and deeds.
Gnome Oracle of Life - Spontaneous caster that’s a great healer and can also melee.
Halfling Paladin (Iroran Paladin) - This was actually going to be a monk, but Iroran Paladin ended up being less complex and allowing some healing later. Personal challenge is also less demanding than smite evil.
Kobold Sorcerer - A ranged character with some spell support and scouting ability. Pretty weak to start, but will catch up fairly quickly.
Tiefling (Demonblooded) Bard (Archeologist) - Spontaneous caster that fits a healing role, can handle melee, and can disarm traps. Archeologist trades in Bardic Performance for their Archeologist’s Luck, which is easier on everyone.
I’ll be posting our play reports starting this weekend, some about the approach we’re trying, but mostly about Emerald Spire.
There will assuredly be spoilers, but I’m also just a player, so try not to give me too many spoilers.
Cheers!
Landon
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Along with the character sheets, every character is getting a page with description and tactics so people can jump right in.
Lyz delegated these to me, so I went with my normal “five facts” format. It was either that or goblin rhymes.
Gnome Oracle
- You grew up in the shadow of your wizardly brother Halungalom (Hal).
- The spirits hate you… or like playing pranks on you. Mostly, anything you’re looking for is never where your look.
- The two of you had many adventures killing kobolds for the gnome elders.
- When Hal refused to slaughter kobold children on their orders, they cursed him… turning him into a kobold.
- Found him after a year of searching and now look for new adventures in the Emerald Spire.
Aspexia Wintrish
Tiefling Archeologist
- You were born a tiefling, a human marked by the blood of fiends.
- Like many tieflings in your distant homeland, Cheliax, you were enslaved.
- You were eventually freed by Bellis “Longshanks” Crispin.
- Now you pursue rumors of an ancient tiefling empire, possibly connected to the Emerald Spire.
- The Hellknights of Fort Inevitable, near the spire, work closely with Cheliax.
Bellis “Longshanks” Crispin
Halfling Paladin of Irori
- Your friends call you Longshanks because you’re petite even for a halfling.
- Much of your youth was spent smuggling slaves out of Cheliax, most daringly the part-demon Aspexia Wintrish.
- You trained with the Stalwart Fist, finding martial techniques and faith.
- The Stalwart Fist follow Irori, god of self-perfection and unarmed combat.
- You’re staying at their priory in Fort Inevitable, near the Emerald Spire.
Djir of Scrapwall
Ratling Gunslinger
- You’re a 3’11” bipedal rat. It’s weird, but not as weird as Hal the kobold.
- You grew up in Scrapwall, a ratfolk settlement in Numeria to the north.
- Numeria is a land of mysteries, tightly controlled by the Technic League.
- One of those mysteries is the gunpowder pistol you carry. The League probably wants that back in Numeria… and you dead.
- Now you’ve fled your home with Ingra Goldbiter and are searching the Emerald Spire for a way to defeat them.
Halungalom “Hal” Ganderwander
Gnome Wizard Kobold Sorcerer
- Kobolds are a cowardly race of lizard-people, distantly related to dragons.
- The gnome Al insists you’re his brother Halungalom. You can’t even pronounce it.
- You do faintly remember being a powerful wizard, though.
- You were always pretty serious for a kobold, but are still occasionally distracted by shiny objects or hide when you should be charging forward.
- Now that Al’s adopted you, you’ve decided to join him in exploring the Emerald Spire.
Ingra Goldbiter
Dwarf Fighter
- You’re a dwarven follower of the Prophecies of Kalistrade.
- The Prophet preached obedience and self-sacrifice leading to great wealth.
- So far, you’re basically broke. You must have failed the Prophet.
- You met a rat-person named Djir on the way north to the crusades.
- But you’ve heard the voice of the Prophet commanding you to the Emerald Spire. Djir seems to think this is a good idea too.
Lyz also distributed starting quests from the Campaign Cards to everyone.
Aspexia got Sage’s Expedition.
Bellis got Crowned Skull.
Djir got Noqual Relic.
Hal got Missing Wizards.
Ingra got Reaching the Spire Dungeons.
Cheers!
Landon
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Thanks Landon- this is cool for me to read. I'm running the Emerald Spire, it looks like you prepared the quests for players better than I did. I look forward to hearing more.
Yeah, Lyz did a great job getting everyone on board. We played last night (actual report coming soon) and the quests really gave everyone something to focus on.
Cheers!
Landon
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Into Darkness (First Floor)
Jessica, a new but extremely enthusiastic gamer from our Rise of the Runelords campaign, drew Ingra Goldbiter.
Jordan, Jessica’s boyfriend and a first time gamer, got Hal.
Sawako, a veteran of many campaigns who mostly likes to smash things, grabbed Djir of Scarwall.
I got Al, for all the heals.
Yoshie, a guest of Sawako’s, was spectating to see what this roleplaying thing is about.
We made our way into the Echo Wood, discussing our immediate reasons for heading to the Emerald Spire. Ingra believed something lurked under the visible tower, wanting to explore further. Hal and Al were both searching for clues related to lost wizards of the Golendfire Order. And Djir had learned there may be a stash of the skymetal noqual somewhere in the spire.
No one went into their deeper reasons for investigating the tower. Al, for his part, just assumed everyone was in it for the adventure.
Shadow of Destruction
The location of the Emerald Spire was by no means a secret, but none of us had expected it to be quite so obvious. Some terrible magic left ancient scars in the earth, leaving only part of a glassy citadel standing.
As Al collected shards of green glass for future study, Djir spotted a goblin sentry at the shadowy entrance of the structure.
Overruling Ingra’s suggestion that they just kill it, Hal and Djir formed a simple plan: they would sneak into range and Hal would charm the goblin. Then Djir, the only one capable of speaking Goblin, would use the leverage that gained to learn what it knew of the spire.
The plan went flawlessly, with one small exception: goblins know very little.
It was on guard duty, certainly. And there were “some" goblins inside. They were ruled by something named Grulk and the goblin was very excited about the Empire of Zog.
Eventually the goblin noticed Ingra making her way up the path and, confused by the excuse of “sightseeing,” he was cut down by the dwarf’s axe.
Shadows of the Tower
The tower was oppressively dark, a sort of physical weight that ate away at the light. Luckily, almost all of the explorers could see perfectly in the dark. Unfortunately, Al is always the exception.
After some experimentation with fey magics and burning goblin clothing, Al realized he wasn’t going to be seeing past the person in front of him. Sticking to Ingra, who seemed most likely to need his talents, they made their way into the glass structure.
Within the structure, they soon fell into a rhythm. They would find a door, Djir would listen to determine there was a goblin behind it, and then he would interrogate them by pretending to be an even dumber goblin until they’d burst out in an attempt to silence his foolishness.
Little was learned, but many goblins fell to Ingra’s axe. None of them had seen the noqual “wrong green,” no “longshanks” had passed through, and darkness was “always dark, is homey.” Mostly they seemed obsessed with when “food time” was and if we could bring them the “stinky cheese."
The most pitched battle occurred around a goblin gaming table, where Ingra held off five goblins while Hal and Djir dispatched them from range. Even Al got to show off his talents, keeping Ingra on her feet.
Clanky
The companions braced themselves for whatever horrors may await in the goblins’ kitchen, but found something they could not have expected… a small laboratory and a humanoid shape built from clockwork scraps.
“Djir, looks sort of like your gun,” Ingra noted.
Al was alarmed by the assessment. “Careful, it’ll explode!”
Ingra just shook her head. “Not <i>that</i> much like his gun.”
Soon, battle was joined, with the clockwork’s controller demonstrating some mastery of the arcane arts. Ingra squared off with the clockwork, while Djir and Hal focused their fire on the goblin spellcaster.
As the clockwork wound down, beginning to spark ominously in the darkness, the goblin cast a spell and split into two figures, each darting in one direction. Ingra caught one with her axe, causing both to drop to the ground.
“Heh. Looks like I guessed right,” she noted as Djir fired a shot into the automaton, causing it to explode into a hail of clockworks and scrap metal. Distracted by her the goblin’s flight, she took the brunt of the explosion.
Ingra was barely standing and obviously in need of healing, but the healer stopped to check the goblin first. When asked why, Al pointed out this goblin was probably the smartest one here.
Verifying the spellcaster was still alive, Djir and Ingra worked to bind him. Al, calling on Cayden’s powers of life and vigor, restored Ingra and the goblin to health.
You killed Clanky!
With Ingra’s massive bicep threatening to close off his windpipe, the goblin quickly calmed to an indignant huff.
Interrogating the goblin through Djir began on a depressingly similar set of notes. He hadn’t seen the noqual and no longshanks wizards had passed through.
Furthermore, he was quite upset about us killing Clanky. Apparently, Clanky originally came from somewhere deeper in the dungeon, after which the goblin repaired it.
However, he had more information on Grulk. Not only was Grulk “large, ugly, and hurty,” the goblin was also sick of his treatment. A quick bit of negotiations outlined how we could help each other:
- He would lead us to Grulk and we’d kill him
- He’d then take over the tribe
- They’d let us pass through when we needed to
- We’d bring pickles
“Ah! Is good idea."
Grulk
The goblin lead us to the first room with light in far too long. A spiral staircase wrapped around a glowing spike of unmarked green stone.
Not to be distracted, we made our way up to Grulk’s chambers. Unfortunately, the door was locked and beyond Djir’s ability to pick. Al called on his magic to create a booming voice “Ingra challenges you! Come forth and fight!”
“No.”
So we went for plan B, having Ingra chop down the door. A few strikes in, the door crumbled and we rushed forward to find a hulking bugbear against one wall. He took a shot at Ingra, seriously injuring her again, but quickly suffered an axe blow from Ingra, a pistol shot from Djir, and a dart of arcane energy from Hal.
The wall behind him swung open and he disappeared. Ingra charged after him, only catching herself on the edge of the tower after realizing the door lead out into thin air.
Despite a deadeye parting shot from Djir, Grulk floated to the ground and escaped, running over the surface of the structure and out into the clearing.
All Hail Skizzertz!
With the old boss out of the way, we realized we should find the name of the new boss. He introduced himself as Skizzertz.
We showed Skizzertz around, letting him lead us from goblin bedroom to goblin guardroom, making sure his tribe fell in line under his rule. Sadly, the fatalities earlier had curbed their numbers to only six, including Skizzertz himself.
However, they agreed that we would be let through on promise of pickles.
Behind the last guards, we found another set of stairs curving around the spire in the opposite direction. Ingra took an immediate interest in a rune carved on its otherwise unmarked surface, copying it down for future reference.
Al and Hal, on the other hand, were mostly interested in the sounds of moaning and shuffling echoing up the stairs. Skizzertz explained that a “bad longshanks” with “bad magic” was down there and the goblins didn’t head into the depths anymore.
Djir perked up. “Hey, it could be the guys you’re looking for!”
Al shook his head. “I don’t believe this is the type of magic the Goldenfire Order is known for."
He then suggested it might be time to return to Fort Inevitable and rest, returning when they were prepared to take on the walking dead.
It wasn’t until he was going to sleep that night he realized the clockwork had exploded.
Progress!
XP: 1,370 (630 to level 2)
Completed Quest: Reaching the Spire Dungeons (Ingra)
New Quests: Transport Tools (Ingra), Clockwork Scourge (Djir)
Partially that was because Lyz started us sort of in media res. We started basically at the spire, rather than gathering plot hooks. But having well-defined characters to jump into definitely also helped.
Our new player jumped right in, no problem. He'll definitely be back as availability allows.
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Thanks Landon- this is cool for me to read. I'm running the Emerald Spire, it looks like you prepared the quests for players better than I did. I look forward to hearing more.Yeah, Lyz did a great job getting everyone on board. We played last night (actual report coming soon) and the quests really gave everyone something to focus on.
Cheers!
Landon
And thanks a-many to Landon for helping me with some of the prep and planning work. When he mentioned "crazy schedules," he didn't mention that mine is among them. PDR, I hope the posts are helpful as you plan your own run!
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Took a few pictures during the game too, so we can show off Lyz's awesome mapping skills.
The initial approach
Fog of war being peeled back
Battle is joined!
Post-game shot of the map full of goblins
And, my favorite thing: Before and After.
Of course, we didn't end up exploring that secret tunnel at all. Sorry Lyz!
What could be in store for us next time?
Cheers!
Landon
Since this thread already spoierls a lot, i don´t use spoilers.
ON the weekend, i had the opportunity to play through the first level.
Despite having the book here, i didn´t read it before, to have the maximum of enjoyment. The outcome was mixed unfortunately.
My character of choice was a halfling rogue with weapon finesse.
Knowing the tactical play options of rogues (in which i consider myself quite good), i was prepared and brought a watertight lamp with enough oil.
This was mainly to counter the typical rogue problem to be able to sneak in a dungeon, where it´s probably dark, but you need light to see (so no sneaking), especially you need light to deal sneak attack and mitigate the miss chance.
The party composition was not really known before. It turned out that out of 7 characters (yes high player number, but good GM who mitigated that) only 2 did not have darkvision. That was already unfortunate.
My character was stumbling through the darkness, most times not knowing what happened to the others and where. So i was pretty mich screwed and went through most of the level quite passive, without having any impact.
Might have partly been because of the group, but when 80% have darkvision i guess it turns that way pretty often.
The level overall is of a nice design and really funny, i still enjoyed it. There is only this one flaw and this is, also because of my PFS experience, becoming a major one. Not only mechanically, but also on a stroytelling perspective. Sticking to the core races, only 2 have darkvision naturally (not counting different versions for elves and gnomes). Darkness and darkness effects are a nice monster ability and make for a good, thrilling atmosphere. Only this has not so much sense when most of the players can dodge that. In this case, i really think there should have been more penalties for playre characters with darkvision, that the goblins don´t get because of whatever. The way it is, more conservative players are unnecesarily screwed up.
It can make for a nice play experience, when only one or no one has darkvision, but the gap is just too high.
Yes i know darkvision has been there for a long time, but as a GM and player who also wants a good story experience, i think that thematic threat should apply to the whole party or at least the majority of it.
This is also not a criticizm of Lisa Stevens, but rather a mechanical one. Why am i telling this here? Because it has been on my mind for some time, but found it´s height and expression while playing this particular level.
Of course, as a rogue class lover, darkness and lightning, stealth and precision damage is a topic that bothers me anyway.
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In this case, i really think there should have been more penalties for playre characters with darkvision, that the goblins don´t get because of whatever. The way it is, more conservative players are unnecesarily screwed up.
It can make for a nice play...
Ken, I understand your thoughts on darkvision - I worked very hard to keep the game fun for those characters who couldn't see.
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Cool stuff! Thanks for sharing.
So I take it the ratfllk gunslinger didn't take the gulch gunner racial archetype from the APG?
Good eyes!
It's sort of funny: we were inspired to make the character by the archetype, but Djir was already our most complicated character and we didn't want to add anything more that might confuse people.
I'm still a little torn about that. It's a really cool archetype.
Sounds like you had a great game! Pretty much played out like I was hoping it would. Does an old heart proud to see folks having fun with my creation. :)
Yes, good times were had by all :)
Cheers!
Landon
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Jessica took over Aspexia.
Jordan is well and hooked, back for his second game with Bellis.
Sawako shifted roles, taking Al.
I got the other brother, Hal.
Yoshie was still watching.
Hal and Al made their way back to the spire to explore the second level. Joining them were the halfling Bellis, the archeologist Aspexia, and a large jar of pickles for the new goblin monarch.
The treaty seemed to hold, even with Aspexia taking a short detour to map the first level for the sage Abernard Royst.
Heading into the depths, we soon encountered the source of the moaning and shuffling that had so disturbed Hal and Al days before. Two goblins attacked us on the stairs, despite their obvious decomposition and our offers of pickles. Even in the clinging darkness, Al’s calls to the powers of life and the slow plunking of crossbow bolts were able to win the day.
Welcome to my Laboratory
Making our way into the depths, we quickly found an expansive lab with the crystalline spire peeking into one corner of the room.
Someone had been conducting awful experiments… mostly dismembering people and massive spiders, then stitching them back together wrong. It had apparently been recent, the bucket of spent blood in the corner still filled the room with its stench.
Aspexia took a moment to empty the contents of her stomach and compose herself before examining the room further. She quickly found a mechanism set into the floor, leaving the rest of us quite glad we’d waited politely.
Avoiding the trap once she pointed it out, we examined the rest of the room, quickly finding a secret panel on the far wall. The room’s contents and secrets did not speak well for the inhabitants’ sanity, so we decided to see what they had in mind…
Hal and Al, apparently finding their brotherly connection in strange circumstances, both hit on the idea of triggering the trap with one of the corpses. Some huffing and puffing later, the corpse landed on the pressure plate… followed a moment later by a steel cage and a human skeleton, moving under the power of magic and slashing at the corpse trapped with it.
While the thing was getting its bearings, Aspexia slashed into it, sending its component bones clattering to the ground. Hal, feeling a bit useless despite sharing in the plan, sprayed the scattered bones with acid.
He felt somewhat vindicated as the bones danced outside the cage and reassembled, bathed in the spire’s light. Bellis took the lead this time, smashing the thing down with her fists and leaving Hal to dissolve the remaining shards with acid.
Following the excitement, Aspexia pointed out the slightly-bloodied scroll tube that had been concealed by the moved body. Examining the contents, they found two scrolls Hal claimed would come in extremely handy and a third that served no obvious purpose.
The numeral four on the scroll was clear enough and the main rune looked similar to the one in this room and the one Ingra was interested in above. However no one even recognized the rest of the writing. Aspexia took a moment to carefully copy down all three runes for her own notes.
The Crypts
Passing through the secret tunnel Aspexia had discovered, we soon found a matching door opening into a set of eight stone caskets. Although it seemed we might be disturbing the dead, Aspexia relayed that illusion and necromancy was already at work here… perhaps the same wizard at work in the laboratory.
Not wanting to be suddenly surrounded by animate corpses, Bellis and Aspexia moved forward to slide the lid off the first stone casket. Even the momentary flicker of darkness filled with countless eyeballs couldn't deter them. Hal helpfully added “that’s the illusion… I hope.”
While we were distracted by the darkness, however, six of the caskets slid open, their skeletal inhabitants crawling out to descend on us.
The following melee was well-ordered, but brutal. Although we arranged ourselves in the doorway, the skeletons still outnumbered us. Bellis could easily shatter them with her fists… but they dragged her down quickly. Aspexia’s sword was less useful, but she succumbed to their attacks as well.
Al’s channeling was potentially devastating, but he had his hands full keeping Bellis and Aspexia alive. Given few chances to catch her breath, Aspexia called on her ancient lore to heal as well. Even Hal had to get in on the healing, force-feeding the unconscious Aspexia a potion.
Cooler heads prevailed and we avoided a panicked retreat, eventually wearing outlasting the skeletons through sheer force of healing. However, Al and Aspexia were exhausted after the fight, casting further exploration into doubt.
Checking over the room quickly, we found a horn that would produce clouds of fog when sounded. Not sure exactly what such a thing is good for, we settled on letting Hal keep it in case scouting went awry.
With that decided, we withdrew to Fort Inevitable.
Interlude in Fort Inevitable
Making our way back through the Echo Wood, we found Fort Inevitable to be quite welcoming compared to the skeleton-filled catacombs of the spire.
Aspexia consulted with the sage Royst, turning in her completed map of the goblin’s home in turn for a healthy stack of gold. Seeing his good mood, we steered the conversation to the runes carved into the spire and the note we found.
He was able to identify the note as written in Azlanti, the “language of the old masters,” but confided that no one in the fort could read it. Left without an obvious path, we handed copies of our new-found runes to Ingra, who’d taken such interest in the first we found.
Hal pointed out that the note wasn't "old master old, just regular old." Although convinced the discrepancy is an important clue, he couldn't explain a clue to what.
Flush with gold, we purchased sets of flint and steel for Bellis and Al. Considering the spire must go down at least one more rune, we also stocked up on pickles.
Al suggested we visit the clergy of Pharasma for aid in fighting the undead. Perhaps with that common ground, they could at provide us with holy water.
We decided to let Aspexia, a practicing follower of Pharasma, take the lead. Although the clergy were clearly concerned by the reports of undead, they were also reluctant to part with much holy water. However, when Hal provided details of the lab and it’s stitched-together creations, their resistance vanished.
Despite the excitement of being freshly equipped for the depths, we all settled in for a good night’s rest before returning.
Back into the Dark
We bribed our way back through the goblins, finding something disturbing in the catacombs... someone had passed through the lab since we left: cleaning up our mess and resetting the trap. Unfortunately, the reeking bucket of blood remained in the corner.
We kept our hands off this time, hoping the lab’s users may not notice our second passage. Al was momentarily and desperately convinced that the bucket hid something, being left untouched in the cleaning. The rest of us weighed on him to not disturb the room or make it smell any worse.
The catacombs had been tidied as well, setting us more on edge, but we pushed forward into a partially collapsed room. A skeletal arm protruded from the rubble, thankfully not grasping at us.
We excavated the rest of the body, finding a small key and tattered priestly vestments.
Aspexia, always the cautious one, discovered that part of the floor was designed to break away. We opened the trap with rocks, being quite glad we hadn’t sent a colleague to the spikes below... or into the den of whatever was making that chittering sound.
Evil Spirits?
Left without any immediate danger, we turned the key to its natural purpose, opening the door opposite the pit. The room contained little but ancient webbing and a wardrobe in the corner, but whimpering moans echoed from the wardrobe.
Deciding discretion was the better part of dealing with an evil spirit, we closed the door… only to realize the inhabitant of the pit had used our distraction to get the drop of us. A massive spider, apparently the same variety as we found in the lab, was almost at our heels.
Thankfully, Aspexia was fast enough to get between Hal and the massive spider before it could sink its fangs into his scaly flesh.
The battle was quick but brutal, with Aspexia being bitten and the spider crushed by Bellis’s fists. Aspexia was able to shake off poison without ill effect.
Emboldened by our success, we turned back to the door, sending Aspexia and Bellis ahead to open the wardrobe. The wooden container collapsed at the slightest touch, revealing a rotting form. Aspexia took one blow from the thing’s meaty fists and nearly collapsed, but Al rushed in to heal her… scarcely avoiding a weighted net falling from the ceiling.
Although the zombie fell quickly, we all breathed a sigh of relief that we had not attempted to explore the room while the spider was at our heels.
One Last Door
More cautious now, Aspexia and Al put their ears to the final door out of the collapsed room. Tiny metallic clinks sounded through the door.
Aspexia asked whether it could be a clockwork like “Clanky” upstairs. Al, who heard the thing moving, shot down the sound as far too quiet for that sort of creature.
The door, thankfully unlocked, opened to reveal a room filled with thick webbing. Swords, daggers, and an axe hung in the webbing like flies, along with a desiccated body. A few glittering copper pieces clinked together, barely visible in Aspexia’s arcane light.
Rather than charging in, we elected to exercise our new flint and steel by catching the webbing on fire. It spread slowly and smokily, making the room even more difficult to see through.
We settled in to wait for it to burn through, letting the smoke drift far over our heads. Movement in the webs indicated we’d successfully flushed out the weaver, another massive spider.
Separated from it’s lair, it was only able to bite Bellis before being cut down.
We carefully explored earlier parts of the catacombs, hooking up parts of Aspexia’s map, as the fire burned down. With it burnt out, we gathered the metal items liberated from the spider.
Next Time
Beyond the charred webbing, we saw another door leading into the unknown. Perhaps beyond that door, we'll discover who has been conducting the experiments and resetting the traps we trigger. Perhaps they can even explain the mysterious runes and Azlanti writing.
XP: 2,515 total (2nd Level!)
Complete Quest: Sage’s Expedition (Aspexia - First Floor)
Get quests: None
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Matt, a member of our Rise of the Runelords game but first-time Spirer, took over Bellis.
Jessica brought her manic energy to the kobold Hal.
Jordan took over his brother Al. And will be joining us for GenCon and True Dungeon. Let the geekification commence!
I got Aspexia.
When we left off last time, our heroes were exploring the cellars beneath the Emerald Spire. After regrouping in the charred remains of the spider’s room, they continued their exploration.
Unfortunately, something important about pit traps must have slipped their mind, because Bellis immediately found herself at the spiked bottom of one, face-to-face with a spider larger than her.
Taking advantage of her shock, the spider pushed the trapdoor closed and began webbing it shut. Thankfully, Bellis’s gloves were still glowing with Aspexia’s magic.
Al stepped in to dismantle the doors, letting them collapse down on Bellis and the spider as the halfling was secured in webbing. A barrage of crossbow bolts and Al’s acid later, the spider collapsed.
The party moved with more caution after their oversight, falling into a routine of opening a set of doors, letting Al set webs inside on fire, then closing the door. Between Al’s spellcraft and Aspexia’s keen eyes, nothing threatened the explorers.
Although they found a pit and ladder into the depths, Aspexia urged everyone to find whoever had been performing the experiments… and help her complete her map.
The Big Chair
From one of many flame-gutted rooms, the quartet slipped through a hidden passage to a… thoroughly occupied room dominated by a throne-like chair.
Although Bellis took the opportunity to shoot a spider clinging from the wall, an unseen speaker demanded to know what we were doing in his cellars. Hal pipped “sightseeing!” in goblin… the only word any of us knew in the language.
Aspexia tried to get on the voices good side with “exterminators!” But, as it turns out, the spiders hanging well-tamed on the walls were kin of those hiding in pits throughout the cellars. The voice was appropriately unamused.
She tried to cover for her mistake, negotiating for safe passage as they had with the goblins above, offering work and a pact of nonviolence in exchange for information and safe passage.
Her friend and rescuer Bellis was having none of this, tapping her foot impatiently while eying the undead arrayed before them.
The voice, finally introducing itself as Gorloth, inquired as to our services. Hal offered face melting, which got Gorloth’s attention. Al cut in with a question about using the spire to open portals to other planes, which stopped the voices inquiries short.
With this new information, Gorloth made a counter-offer: leave those of us capable of arcane magic with him and the rest could go free. Aspexia began a counter-counte-offer: grant us safe passage and…
Negotiations Break Down
Bellis shot the spider again with her crossbow. Aspexia tutted for disrupting negotiations but squared up with her short friend in the doorway.
As the skeletons and spiders rushed in, we could hear footsteps retreating and a closing door. Al’s power quickly laid the skeletons low, while the others took care of the spiders… only Aspexia succumbing to the spider’s weakening venom.
Aspexia helped herself to some archeologically significant weapons displayed in the corner of the room as Al restored the party to health… or as healthy as they could be with spider venom in their veins.
A quick search found no tracks, so the adventurers returned to their careful exploration, mapping out the rest of the cellars. They resisted the temptation, barely resisted in Hal’s case, to open an obviously trapped chest along the way.
Aspexia swore under her breath, noting they were “zero for two” on taking care of actual threats, but wanting to return to Fort Inevitable to sleep off the poison.
Just One Last Thing
On the way out, Hal mentioned we should check the lab. Deciding it was a better to leave him fixated on that than the chest, Bellis opened the door on the way out… and promptly fled in absolute terror.
A skeletal figure wearing tattered robes, presumably Gorloth, stood at the far side of the room. With Bellis Pharasma-knows-where, Aspexia stepped in to engage the skeleton while Hal and Al aided from the door.
With Aspexia poisoned, and just not having a good day in general, the battle quickly became a question of whether Al could keep the tiefling on her feet long enough for Bellis to make her way back. Hal did his best with magic missiles and acid, but the undead figure continued carving into Aspexia with his bastard sword.
Bellis returned after what seemed like an eternity, weaving her way around the cage trap, and stepped up to challenge Gorloth. A few punches left him slumped against the wall, barely able to hold himself up, but fighting to the last.
Hal quipped “oh, you wanted to see that face melting?” and etched away the front of Gorloth’s skull, leaving the rest of the bones to clatter to the ground.
Next Time:
Amid the scattered remains, we found a green crystal token… apparently made of the same substance as the spire itself.
XP: 4,929 total
Complete Quest: Sage’s Expedition (Aspexia - Cellars), Transport Tools (Ingra - Token)
Get quests: None
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Special guest star Molly was in from out of town and trying Pathfinder for the first time as Ingra.
Sawako was taking care of our knowledge needs as Aspexia.
Jessica decided Sawako’s healing rolls last time were… subpar and grabbed Al.
Jordan showed off his gunhandling skills with Djir.
I took Hal, leaving only Bellis out of the equation.
Our intrepid explorers found their way back into the spire dungeons, bribing their goblin allies with vinegary treats and making their way cautiously through the abandoned catacombs. Continuing downward, they passed through a pit to large set of stairs… oddly well lit compared to the sections of the spire they’d visited before.
They found a secret door, cleverly hidden along the stairs. With a little pushing and prodding, the five of them passed into a well-stocked armory.
Among the weapons and armor, all apparently sized to fit humans, they found strange masks built with a small reservoir of fluid to keep the cloth wetted. Hal suggested they could disguise themselves if humans weren’t so stupidly tall, but the others quickly realized they were intended to filter air more than cover faces.
Bandits!
With that in mind, the party each donned one of the masks and made their way out of the armory… and into the waiting crossbow bolts of the bandits outside. In retrospect, they might have been surprised if the intruders hadn’t just spent several minutes excitedly discussing masks.
The battle raged, with Ingra taking the lead and the majority of the punishment. A second wave of bandits arrived just as the first pair fell, but still couldn’t bring the dwarf down or even seriously wound Aspexia.
Withdrawing into the armory, Al called on the power of life to heal the wounded. Thankfully, both of them were able to shake off the bolts’ poisons.
Peering back out of the armory, our heroes discovered more of the bandits’ allies had arrived… and had spirited away several of their unconscious comrades. In battle, however, they faired no better than the first batch.
Al used his magic to pinpoint the bandits’ poison, discovering a disquieting fact: the statue his scaly brother had been standing under all fight was spewing the stuff from it’s urn. Thankfully, it seemed the masks were proof against the airborne toxin.
No Honor Among Thieves
Keeping Ingra up front and Aspexia guarding our flank, they systematically explored the bandits’ lair.
Poison was gathered, along with maps of possible targets, under the assumption the Hellknights would provide some reward for their recovery. Trophy plates stolen from noble houses were carefully wrapped in burlap, presumably also stolen, to be returned to their owners. Even their bacon, which we’ll assume was ill-gotten, disappeared with gusto at the hands of Hal and Al.
In the alchemical laboratory, Hal found his favorite trap yet: a vial labeled “bull’s strength” in large, friendly letters, but containing a liquid Al identified as poison. “This guy’s a jerk,” Hal chirped, “I like him!”
Through the next door, Al could hear the shuffling of animals and the occasional metallic clank. He called on his race’s connection to the fae, entering a whispered conversation with an animal on the far side.
Al Talks With Rabbits
The conversation revealed a little about their life: there were many “fluffies” in the room, along with a few “pointies” and the “bitey.” All but the last were prisoners, with the bitey being a servant of the “man who hurts us.”
Not generally being a huge fan of animal cruelty or, frankly, leaving bitey things behind them, the explorers forced their way into the cage-lined room. A metallic serpent lashed out at Ingra, but fell quickly under their prepared assault.
While Hal repurposed yet more of the bandits’ food to feed the animals, Al explained at length how they’d be back to free them all.
Eventually, Djir needed to drag the loquacious gnome bodily from the room.
Next Time:
Where could the mad alchemist behind this poison be hiding? And will Al rip his throat out when he figures out who’s been mistreating animals?
XP: 4,969 5,000 total - 3rd Level!
Complete Quest: None
Get quests: None
Modules Overlord
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Cool stuff! Thanks for sharing.
So I take it the ratfllk gunslinger didn't take the gulch gunner racial archetype from the APG?Good eyes!
It's sort of funny: we were inspired to make the character by the archetype, but Djir was already our most complicated character and we didn't want to add anything more that might confuse people.
I'm still a little torn about that. It's a really cool archetype.
It's one of mine, so I'm glad to hear you like it, even if you didn't use it. :)
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Sharon was joining us for her first tabletop game as Ingra Goldbiter.
Joe was also joining us for his first tabletop game as Al.
Kelley was drafted for her, you guessed it, first tabletop game as Hal.
And I was rounding out the group as Aspexia.
Leaving no job unfinished, our intrepid party continued their exploration of the bandit lair. Well, except Djir, who stayed back to guard the animals for Al.
We made our way into an unfinished tunnel, complete with a natural spring. Ingra considered it for a moment and suggested that's why there were so many bandits around. Between the stolen food and the spring, they could live down here forever.
Tick Tock Man
Two sets of doors left the tunnel, with murmurs of conversation from one. Leaving Ingra to guard the occupied room, we snuck into the other door... finding a well-appointed bedroom.
After some unsuccessful fiddling with the wardrobe's lock, we found a cleverly hidden door in the corner... leading into one of the finest libraries in the region. Even the libraries in Fort Inevitable would find it hard to compete with its texts on geneology and history.
Those libraries also wouldn't be able to compete with it's clockwork guardian, barreling down on Aspexia while Ingra was guarding the other door. Luckily for Aspexia, the doorway proved to be a defensible position, with Hal and Al providing supporting fire in the form of crossbow bolts and acid.
The construct fell to pieces, thankfully not exploding like Clanky. Remembering the goblin Skizzertz's sadness at Clanky's defeat, we resolved to take the disabled clockwork up as a gift for our ally.
A Reading Break
As the residents of the other room seemed intent on waiting us out, Ingra made her way into the library with the rest of us. Poring over the texts, Aspexia and Ingra found a locked ledger and some fragmentary texts... apparently of a religious nature.
Meanwhile, Hal and Al had located a further secret door, presumably leading into the room we'd been avoiding. Despite our loud conversations, we determined there was at least a chance they'd be taken by surprise.
The strange chapel was filled with bandits, obviously unimpressed by our attempts at stealth.
Unfortunately, the gang's leader was equally unimpressed by Hal's cute kobold eyes and charm person. Battle was joined without further preamble.
A Defensive Battle
Ingra and Aspexia immediately pushed into the room, attempting to take out bandit crossbowmen. Hal aided from the back with acid and crossbow bolts, while Al peppered the bandits with crossbows when his healing wasn't needed.
Over the course of what seemed like hours, we slowly wore the bandits down. Although we struggled to keep them in one place long enough to cut them down, their bolts were no better at finding homes.
After one bandit's sixth or seventh missed shot in a row, Aspexia winked and mentioned he'd be getting the payment we'd agreed on. As he proved unable to hit any living target, the party ignored him to focus on the others.
As the bandit's leader found herself almost alone, she began channeling her god's dark energy. Perhaps due to her fiendish blood, Aspexia found herself desperately injured while her companions shrugged it off. Still, her dark magic was no match for Al's healing.
With Ingra, Hal, Al, and Ingra combining their attacks, the bandit leader soon fell... leading her "bribed" underling to drop his crossbow and beg for his life.
Cleaning Up
With some help from our new friend, we recruited the sole remaining member of the gang and got a tour of the place. Although we were left understandably shy about the crypt, the most interesting find was probably the exit to the surface.
We wrapped up releasing the animals, mapping out the den for Royst, and preparing the clockwork for delivery to Skizzertz. The bandits, under questioning, weren't aware of the hidden library... but had heard of a wizard experimenting with clockworks in the depths.
As for the remaining pair of bandits, they seemed reluctant to return home to Fort Inevitable, so we made them a simple offer: you can stay here as long as you let us pass through. Everyone seemed happy with the prospect of sharing the secret entrance, fresh water, and abundant supplies.
Next Time:
What could possibly produce that terrible odor wafting up from the depths? Can Djir finally confront the Numerian wizard he's been searching for? And will two incompetent bandits prove able hold this prime area of the Emerald Spire?
XP: 6,100 total
Complete Quest: Sage's Expedition (Aspexia - Splinterden), Transport Tools (Ingra - Rune 3)
Get Quests: Gray Shroud (Ingra)
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Sharon returned as Aspexia.
Joe also returned, this time taking over as Ingra.
Jordan was back as Al.
Jessica took over Djir because Sawako wasn’t there to claim everyone’s favorite ratling gunslinger.
I took up the fists of Bellis.
We headed back beneath the Emerald Spire by way of our newest friends' secret entrance and, from there, into the increasingly foul-smelling depths.
Make an Offering
At the bottom of the stairs, we encountered a scaled figure who greeted us charmingly, at least as charmingly as it could smelling like that. "Hey," Bellis leaned to Al, "is this another of your brothers?"
Joking aside, he offered to show us around their people's homes and asked for a sacrifice of "iron metal" to let us through. After a quick discussion, Ingra remembered the leftover pieces from the clockwork guardian back in the bandit's library.
Hauling the contraption of iron and steel downstairs we agreed to... stick it to the side of a greenish obelisk. Following that, we accepted the creatures' hospitality, if not their raw, magically-produced meat. Aside from the gagging scent, they seemed no threat to our passage.
Staring at the Spire
However, we huddled in conference after making our way to the next level. It's obvious the creatures' "godbox" could seal us below if it chose, so we turned our collective resources to the spire and Ingra's mysterious token.
It seemed the spire could be used for transportation, probably bypassing the godbox, but we couldn't determine the exact steps required. Unfortunately, it seemed to require at least some speech. Perhaps Abernard Royst back in Fort Inevitable could translate the spire's glyphs for us.
In the meantime, the sound of water beckoned us onward.
The Watery Depths
We found supplies ruined by damp air and, soon after, stairs down into the water. As the average height of our fellowship barely crests three feet, we were glad that the water only came to Bellis and Djir's chests.
A booming voice confronted us, demanding we leave. Unwilling to immediately turn around and make another sacrifice to the godbox, Al drew the voice's attention while Bellis snuck forward... into the pincers of a massive crab.
The battle was fierce, with the unseen wizard blinding Aspexia and Ingra with shining dust and summoning frogs the size of horses. Bellis tried to guide the blinded Ingra to the frogs, resulting in a round of dwarven cursing. Finally clearing her eyes, Ingra took over guiding Aspexia, finally conceding it's harder than it sounds.
Djir, thankfully, was able to use his pistol to defeat the crab that Bellis found her knuckles unable to injure. The voice roared at the crab's death, but didn't respond to further taunting.
Next Time:
Where is the voice? Can we unlock the mysteries of the spire token? And will the lizard people prove as foul as their scent?
XP: 7,050 total
Complete Quest: Sage's Expedition (Aspexia - Godhome), Transport Tools (Ingra - Rune 5)
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Sharon reprised her role as Ingra.Joe also returned, this time as Aspexia.
And I handled the dream team of Hal and Al.
Last time, a mysterious summoner warned us off... then unleashed his nigh-unstoppable crab friend, along with a small swarm of summoned creatures. It was time to find him and end his threat for good.
Follow My Voice
Exploring further after the voice’s disappearance, we found a rough fall into deeper water. With the two foot depths nearly submerging the party, we passed on the idea of going under entirely.
Instead, we found our way into a room filled with tables, some repurposed as beds, while others held crates. The water in this room didn’t politely wait for us to make a choice, instead rising up in a humanoid shape to drown us.
The elemental hammered Ingra with its watery fists, forcing her back step by step despite Al’s healing. With Ingra and Aspexia cutting into the menacing form and Hal using every iota of his magic, the elemental was reminded that, at the end of the day, it was nothing but water.
Perhaps the most interesting thing in the room was a portal, occasionally gushing out water or even spitting out a few fish. Al volunteered to explore the portal, equipped with… a rope to pull him back before he drowned. Luckily, the vast expanse of the Plane of Water revealed nothing large enough to eat a gnome.
Over the Edge
We also discovered grates in the floor, hinged so we could explore underwater. Instead, we reasoned the falls would be less dangerous for the moment.
Al suggested that they should again send someone over the edge with a rope tied to them, pulling them back if trouble emerged. As is the way with such plans, he ended up dangling over the falls like a baited hook.
It didn’t take long in the silty water for him to catch a creature of mud and filth. Despite his frantic pulls on the rope, he found himself covered with a layer of silt and whatsit before being drawn back up. It’s prey having evaded it, the creature sunk back into the cistern’s water.
With a little further exploration by the height-enabled Aspexia and Ingra, we found an alternate entrance into the silty room. As if we wanted to spend more time there.
Portal Science
Reasoning out that the table room’s portal was the source of the complex’s water, they formed a daring plan: building a barrier of tables, secured in place by the disassembled grates, to block the water and slowly drain the complex.
With Ingra’s engineering know-how and Al’s back-patting for having an idea that didn’t end with him on a rope, they erected the barrier. Ingra agreed to take first watch as they rested, waiting to see if the water would drop.
Ingra, unfortunately, discovered that many of the crates contained bottles of wine and… one thing lead to another, everyone else was woken by the approach of two figures from the tunnels below.
The summoner, apparently a blue-green humanoid, and a female counterpart of similar hue launched into an attack. Scattered in their borrowed beds, we surrounded them, but couldn’t mount an effective defense.
Return of the Summoner
Facing this dual menace, Aspexia attacked the summoner, while Ingra hacked at his accomplice. For a moment, things could have been going well… before the attackers summoned a trio of giant frogs, further cutting Hal and Al from their larger companions.
Aspexia struck the summoner down, then moved unharmed through the maze of frogs to help Ingra. “Ha! I’m untouchable!” she exclaimed as the remaining caster rebuked her with a faceful of acid.
Meanwhile, Al’s struggle against the frogs ended with him an unwilling passenger in the frog’s stomach, channeling healing energies in the hope that someone would remain conscious to free him. Hal, his magic spent earlier in the day, was only slightly less pathetic.
Ingra cut down the remaining caster and moved to clear out the frogs menacing the brothers. Before she could perform her impromptu surgery, the frogs vanished, their term of service on this plane spent.
Aspexia caught the summoner’s body, but his counterpart’s corpse drifted on the current into unexplored tunnels. In addition to the summoner’s gems and magical supplies, Al took specific joy in liberating his journal… detailing his examination of portals and their relation to the spire.
Next Time:
Aspexia wants that corpse! Can we find our way through deeper waters? Or will we drown in the sunless depths?
XP: 8,450 total
Completed Quests: Portal Research (Al - summoner’s journal)
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Arty, a first time roleplayer who wanted to know what this was all about, got his feet wet with Ingra.
Jessica returned to play Aspexia.
Jordan will soon be joining our Shattered Star game as an oracle, so he decided to practice with Al.
And I played Hal.
Last time, we lost a corpse down the drains of the horrific water level. Both for the hope of treasure, and for the hope of finding a way out, we bravely pushed onward.
Follow That Corpse!
Conferring amongst ourselves, we determined that a potion we’d found on the corpse we had managed to grab would allow the lucky recipient to breathe underwater for hours. It was easily decided to have Ingra down the potion, sending her into the depths to blaze a trail for the rest of the party.
She was quick to find the corpse, dragging it back up for our looting needs. But that didn’t answer the question of how we’d get out of this wet, cursed place. So back into the drain she went.
Exploring the depths, Ingra found a series of strange rooms sealed by a magical barrier preserving a pocket of air. She set a rope so the rest of the party. They held their breath and Djir carefully secured his powder horns in his cheek pouches, so they could all pull themselves along the rope to safety.
Even the air-filled chambers proved to be unsafe, with attacks from a watery imp and what appeared to be a massive, carnivorous seal. Thankfully, with Ingra able to sink to the floor and fight them in their own element, we were able to corner and defeat them.
More Water, More Problems
Ingra left us in the airy chambers to continue her exploration, finding herself at a stuck door. With a hearty pull, she yanked it open, finding that it was holding back the water from a partially air-filled chamber.
Swept into the room, she found herself face-to-horrific-double-jaws with a towering moray eel. With Ingra unable to make her way back against the pull of the water, Djir and Aspexia instead jumped in and followed the current to aid her.
The battle swiftly turned against the explorers, with Djir caught in the thing’s jaws and Al throwing himself into the torrent to get close enough to heal the others. Even Hal’s seemingly endless barrage of arcane missiles wouldn’t put a dent in the thing.
But Djir struck on a last, desperate plan… pulling out one of his relics, still covered in bizarre Numerian fluids, he shoved it down the eel’s throat. The creature released him and thrashed, fighting invisible enemies, rather than painfully real ones now making short work of it.
Biding their time for the room to finish flooding, Djir cut open the moray, returning his Numerian relic to its rightful place hidden in his possession.
Tick Tock, Water Clock
Without a sharp limit on our water breathing, we pushed onward, finding a large chamber with a high enough ceiling to breathe and several dry alcoves. Unfortunately, a strange aquatic clockwork had also found the room, driving Ingra back.
Sensing victory near, we pushed into the room, pitting Aspexia’s blade and Ingra’s axe against the automaton’s ranseur while the others made their way to the alcoves. Djir and Hal hailed attacks on the creature from range, even Al joined in with his crossbow from the far alcove.
Then the frogs came, summoned by the automaton’s mistress... presumably the relative of the other two blue-skinned summoners we’d already sent to watery graves. It quickly devolved into a general melee, with Djir beating the automaton with the butt of his pistol and the others frantically trying to drive back the attackers.
With the automaton sparking and whirring, Ingra and Aspexia did their best to keep away from the thing. But it was Hal he focused his attention on, affixing the kobold to the wall of his alcove with its ranseur.
Perhaps rallied by the fall of their comrade, the others destroyed the construct and drove the toads back to whatever watery hells spawned them. Bereft of allies, and likely running low on spells from the exhausting conflict, the summoner withdrew deeper into the level.
Moment of Realization
Al and Djir made their way to examine Hal: Al because he needed to check his brother’s wound and Djir because he suspected how bad that wound might be. As they checked Hal, Djir moved to gathering Hal’s possessions while Al moved to mourning his twice lost brother.
Al’s mood was only somewhat buoyed by the notes in the summoner’s alcove on planar portals and… something about Usarkoos and the Circle of Vissk-Thar. Along with the notes, they found another token of the Spire's green glass and notes on a sigil they did not recognize.
With Hal’s possessions redistributed, including the scrolls of fireball and fly that probably would have proved handy if he’d remembered them, Ingra gathered the kobold’s body at his brother’s request. Perhaps there is magic in the spire powerful enough to raise the dead.
Land Ho!
The remaining companions searched for the summoner, but only found stairs to a dry area even further beneath the Spire.
Momentarily thwarted, but still not wanting to waste Ingra’s water breathing, they made their way back to the murky room with the muck creature lurking in it. Ingra fought it from beneath the surface, while Hal and Aspexia fired on it from range.
Djir, emboldened by his success with the fluid-slick relics, dragged another from his pouch and forced it into the muck. Whatever bizarre substance clung to the piece of alien metal did not agree with the muck creature, unraveling it into its basic components.
Next Time
Not Water! Yaaaaay!
XP: 10,600 total - 4th Level
Completed Quests: Portal Research (Al - summoner’s journal)
Rest in Peace: Hal
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For those following along, Hal went from nearly full to totally dead with a single ranseur crit. Something like 27 damage. Poor Hal.
She was quick to find the corpse, dragging it back up for our looting needs. But that didn’t answer the question of how we’d get out of this wet, cursed place. So back into the drain she went.
It's come to my attention that we never found the corpse. Apparently I was confused by all the summoners running around. So we also have a missing corpse.
Cheers!
Landon
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Joe returned as Ingra.
Jordan played the redesigned Bellis.
Amanda, a gaming friend from years ago, dropped in as Aspexia.
And I took over the bereaved Al.
Early reports suggest it did the trick.
We returned to the Splinterden, making our first foray downward with the Spire Tokens. As expected, naming the rune for the water level brought us to it’s place on the Spire, slowly fading into being.
With Ingra again leading the way… and Al and Bellis using snorkels for some challenging sections, we made our way to the room Hal had died in. Aspexia peered at the books we’d left, pointing out some were missing and other’s moved.
As we spiraled into the depths amid the distant tick of clockworks, Al advocated finding the spire rune as quickly as possible so we’d never have to visit the water level again. Ingra, possessing the sense of direction Al lacks, pointed towards the spire would be as we exited the stairs.
Amid the Clockwork
Unfortunately, our path to the Spire (or anywhere else) was blocked by a curved brass barrier. Aspexia pointed to two switches in the wall, a red and a black.
Wasting no time, we started playing with the levers. The black lever made clockwork grind in the distance, but the red lever proved to pivot the brass barrier and open our way forward.
We passed through the bizarre tunnel and into a trophy room of sorts. A fine musket, which we hoped to bring back for Djir, was prominently featured on one wall. Aspexia assured us there were no traps and grabbed the musket, being promptly struck by lightning.
Inspired to give the room a further once-over, we discovered a hidden passageway. Rather than stooping to use boring normal doors, we burst through the secret tunnel.
The Clockwork Heart
The room revealed was filled with clockworks, a massive whirring pile of the stuff in its center and even an automaton resting in a niche. The clockwork extended to the rooms master: a man of of flesh and clockwork with a face half-covered in gold.
“I do not recall inviting you,” he addressed us coldly.
“Oh, we’re totally invited!” Aspexia flashed a page of archeological notes. Thankfully, he seemed more amused than offended.
We introduced ourselves, prompting him to declare “I am Klarkosh, Lord of the Emerald Spire!” We huddled.
Aspexia whispered “do we know this guy?” Al volunteered, “I think Djir mentioned wanting him dead or something.”
With that in mind, we explained that we were merely looking for the Spire so we could never visit the hellish water level again.
Instantly suspicious, Klarkosh demanded to know why we were so desperate to avoid it. Bellis gestured around, “have you seen how short we are?”
Mollified, Klarkosh allowed us to pass out of his chamber and make our way back into the trophy room. Passing through the doors in that room, we found a winding hall.
Prison Hall
Opening the first of the doors, we found cells and an emaciated human man lying unconscious. We didn’t find the time to examine him, as clanking clockworks approached from further down the hall.
Ingra bottlenecked the clockworks and tutted, “someone should tell our wizard friend that we’re being attacked.” Al offered to lodge a complaint as the line of automatons grew and everyone did their best to pepper the line’s leader with crossbow bolts.
Bellis brought the bad news: a minotaur cast from brass was approaching through the trophy room, keeping us pinched in the hallway. Thankfully, the massive beast couldn’t squeeze through the doorway, instead swiping its axe at anyone who got too close.
As the automatons forced Ingra back, we crammed into the cells. Al’s healing more or less accidentally brought the prisoner around and Bellis jimmied the lock to let him out, offering him a scroll in exchange for his help.
One massive blast of flame from the scroll, several of Aspexia’s strange silent screams, more axe swings than we cared to count, and a single carefully timed stab from Bellis… the automatons finally whirred and sparked their last.
To the Spire!
The prisoner introduced himself as Jharun and, having little desire to embrace the minotaur, offered to join the group heading forward. He asked if we’d seen another wizard of the Goldenfire Order, but Hal had been looking until his demise and Jharun was the only one we’d found.
Leaving the minotaur behind to impotently throw pieces of the trophy room at our tail, we moved towards the Spire. Unfortunately, it seems Klarkosh beat us to it… and wasn’t at all happy about our killing his clockworks.
“Strange thing happened, the clockworks started attacking us!” Aspexia rubbed it in with her biggest tiefling grin.
Ingra grunted a “we took care of it,” leaving little question what Klarkosh would do next.
Next Time:
Battle with the “Lord of the Emerald Spire!” Can we get the spire rune? Will Djir save us all? How long will we spend playing with these levers.
XP: 11,950
Completed Quests: Missing Wizards (Jharun - Jharun)
Welcome: Jharun
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Joe kept Ingra from last session.
Jessica grabbed Aspexia.
Jordan continued his spellcaster practice with Jharun.
And I took Al and Bellis to round out the group from last time as we were on a bit of a cliffhanger... and Lyz implied more might be the merrier for the Klarkosh fight.
Leaving behind his trapped minotaur and pile of automaton corpses, we faced off against Klarkosh. Our hastily-formed plan of "everybody rush him and stab him lots" got off to a surprisingly good start as Ingra, Bellis, and Aspexia surrounded him on his throne.
With his minions already dispatched, the battle proved to be somewhat less terrifying than it might have been if we'd confronted him earlier. Although it took some time to hack him down, his magic was not fast enough to push us back.
Bellis, displaying a surprising brutal streak, harvested the fallen wizard's head for Djir, who had long been vexed by the Numeria threat. Ingra was more interested in the token he carried and the rune on the spire, promising we'd never again have to swim our way down.
Lastly, we identified a spiny stone he carried as being one of the near-legendary Ioun stones. Stranger than that, it enabled its wearer to disguise himself and any other stones he might have orbiting around his head. This, we passed to Jharun, in the hopes he might be able to impersonate Klarkosh.
Circling the Spire
Being deeply uncertain where around the spire we might appear, we explored the other rooms and hallways the might abut it.
In a steam-filled room that promised access to another side of the spire, we found two thankfully deactivated automatons. Unfortunately, the panthers and staring horror proved entirely active.
Although Al couldn't remember enough div lore to explain the creature's weaknesses, he rambled on about curses and demons that hate red through most of the fight. Thankfully, his companion's blades proved keener than his wits and cut down their enemies.
Mysterious Miner
Passing into the spire chamber itself, we found an odd creature chipping away at the spire. It seemed utterly unconcerned with us, so we held a quick conference to determine whether to stop it.
Eventually the "stop it" side won. In response to our interference, it released a lizard... chicken... thing from the pouch at its. Al, finding something closer to home if no less dangerous, explained that it was, in fact, a cockatrice and advised everyone to stay away from it unless they wanted to be turned to stone.
Jharun and Aspexia took the warning to heart, pelting it with spells from a distance. Bellis jumped in with her rapier rather than listening, dealing the creature a finishing blow.
This threw the creature's master into a, frankly, understandable rage. However, his stony skin could not turn aside Ingra's axe for long and he fell unconscious.
A Mission of Mercy?
Not wanting to kill the creature we clearly didn't understand, we tied it up and brought it with us through the spire and back up to Splinterden... where we were greeted by a locked gate and an eerie silence.
We eventually found the pair of bandits we'd left there, along with about half a dozen others, enjoying dinner and discussing plans. Aspexia congratulated them on their recruitment and asked whether our deal was still in effect.
Their new leader expressed in no uncertain terms, that he wasn't going to be blackmailed or intimidated. The bandits we'd left silently implored us to be lenient.
Bellis, meanwhile, had snuck around the edge of the room and onto the podium behind their leader. With his refusal, Aspexia nodded to the halfling, who stabbed their leader square in the back of the head. Then, before he could order his minions to do anything or even knew what had hit him, ushered him into sweet unconsciousness.
The remaining bandits, wisely, threw down their arms but asked to not kill another of their leaders. Al was swayed, healing the bleeding man, but stepping back to let Aspexia and Ingra renegotiate our deal with the newly understanding leadership.
Back at Fort Inevitable
We briefly considered stuffing the unconcious creature under all of our gold as a distraction... but then remembered taxes and stuffed both the creature and the gold beneath our other gear. Thankfully, the guards chose not to inspect Ingra's packs too closely.
Bellis delivered Klarkosh's head to Djir and Aspexia presented him with enchanted musket they'd found. He was beside himself with joy, although somewhat confused at how he could fit a musket in his cheekpouches.
With the help of Abernard Royst, we were able to communicate with the creature. It served some master deep beneath the Emerald Spire, who had lent its services to Klarkosh. In fact, the automatons we'd been destroying were powered by the spire fragments he'd been harvesting.
Unwilling to let the creature return to its master, but also unwilling to kill it, we prevailed on the sage to place a magical compulsion on the creature, exiling it from its home under the spire but leaving it alive. Jharun asked that it be sent to the Goldenfire Order in Thornkeep with a message about his survival and his plans to remain around the spire until he found his still-missing counterpart.
Return to the Depths
Joined by Djir, but leaving Bellis and Aspexia behind, we made our way back to the spire through our compliant allies in Splinterden and spoke the name of Klarkosh's level.
With some manipulation of levers and avoiding grates, we made our way into a rubbish heap picked over by more automatons. Jharun finally got to enact his plan, disguising himself as Klarkosh and telling the clockworks to return to their business.
Ingra pointed out, as we moved past them, that they weren't powered the same was as the emerald automatons before. In fact, they were just wound with keys.
However, before we could do anything about that, those of us privy to the previous exploration recognized the all-too-realistic bronze minotaur. Thankfully, without the element of surprise and with Djir's armor-piercing shots, we were able to bring the thing down.
To neutralize the last threat in Klarkosh's lair, Jharun/Klarkosh commanded the automatons turn over their keys. For now, we'll let them run down, but it's possible they'll come in handy at a later date.
Another set of stairs descended into the depths, possibly leading the lair of that strange creature's master.
Next Time:
On the trail of the creature's master and Jharun's lost colleague, we plunge further into the depths.
XP: 16,125 XP (Level 5!)
Completed Quests: Clockwork Scourge (Djir), Sage's Expedition (Aspexia - The Clockwork Maze)
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Just wanted to add a note that, as a player, the Clockwork Maze was my favorite level yet. It definitely required some creative mapmaking, but it was a lot of fun to play through.
Cheers!
Landon
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Sawako was back at the wheel with Djir.
Kenny, a first time player and Sawako’s brother, was visiting and dropped in to play Bellis.
Jessica grabbed Jharun to get some more experience spellslinging.
Pete, another first time player, decided to start with Ingra.
And I took Aspexia by default.
For those keeping track at home, that’s a full roster. And a very full living room.
We made our way back into the depths through the Spliterden (finding the reception substantially more polite this time), the recently solved Clockwork Maze, and beneath even that into a well-lit room.
If the serpentine candelabras weren’t enough cause for concern, there was the inscription “Offer prayer to Kroa'koth the Awakener, scaled brethren, and be welcome here.” Not feeling particularly scaled, Aspexia instead took this as a warning that there was a trap, disarming it before it could engulf us in flame.
Olfactory Assault
Beyond the candle-lit room, we discovered the sight of an awful battle, with the corpses of lizard-like troglodytes fallen and left to rot. It is theoretically possible worse scents exist, but we chose not to imagine them.
Beyond the corpses and a rough barricade, serpentine humanoids stood watch. Already prepared for battle, they fought desperately against us. Djir and Jharun did their best to hold the creatures off at range, but Al was well-occupied with the wounds the serpent people dealt out.
Eventually Ingra’s brute strength, coupled with her knowledge of engineering, forced a breach in the barrier. Rushing through the gap, Ingra and Bellis were able to pin and dispatch our enemies one at a time.
Ingra looked on the amulets the serpentine creatures carried, gathering them with gold lust strange even for her. Aspexia remarked on them being the holy symbols of Kroa’koth, but Ingra proudly displayed them regardless. Bellis and Jharun looked on the dwarf with thinly-veiled concern.
In the Coals
Bloodied, but unwilling to allow our enemies to simply reinforce their lines, we pushed on. An abandoned fire pit attracted Al’s attention with a radiant glimmer of magic hidden among the coals.
While discussing how we’d like to retrieve it, a serpentine skeleton with a human skull rose from the flames, dancing in a way that beguiled everyone. Several vicious bite wounds and a flurry of unsuccessful attacks later, Al tossed his mace to Bellis and she used it to cave the thing’s skull in.
Aspexia noted that we should really get everyone bludgeoning weapons, then promptly forgot it. Ah well, that’s why archeologists keep notes
Out of the Frying Pan
The next chamber continued the theme of fire and serpents, containing a fiery man with a serpent’s tail in place of legs. Unlike the skeleton, he seemed quite cogent. Instead of lurking in wait, he was busy smithing weapons with the heat of a pool of lava and quenching in a barrel of magically chilled water.
Understandably interested by this process, Aspexia and Jharun began peppering him with questions. He humored the first few, claiming service to Kroa’koth, but he soon tired of our prattle and sprung into battle.
Although Jharun was not at his finest against the fiery creature and Bellis found it difficult to maneuver around him with that giant pool of lava, Ingra and Djir were able to dispatch him. Al, in the meantime, noticed how great that barrel would be for his brewing and vowed to return it to the surface.
Nearby, we found a prisoner, apparently sealed away for his weakness. Unfortunately, even Ingra’s terrifying presence couldn’t sway him to turn against his harsh masters.
Why did it have to be snakes?
In the furthest recesses of the floor, we discovered a fine office. Although the room was out-of-place, the robed serpentfolk behind the desk was not. Demonstrating both greater power and wits than his kin, he turned Ingra’s thoughts against us and fled.
We stood in horror as Ingra turned against us, knowing full well that she could chop many of us to ribbons before we could weigh her down with our corpses. Thankfully, she chose that moment to overthow the foul god’s enchantment.
Following him carefully, we found a room with a great central pit and a pillar, wrapped with a massive serpent, emerging from it. Hideous serpentine masks stared down at us from the walls, but we could not find the priest.
As we split up to explore, we discovered the pillar’s serpent was far less decorative than we’d expected. It lashed out with spells and knocked Aspexia into the pit, where the archeologist fell into a swarm of smaller snakes.
Djir, less frightened by serpents than his rat-like appearance might suggest, cooly loaded his musket and fired a single shot between the creature’s all-too-human eyes. It died instantly, falling into the pit alongside Aspexia.
Without the support of his massive ally, the priest soon fled through a shimmering mural… what Al identified as a portal leading to the Abyss. With that revelation, conversation turned from “should we follow him?” to “how do we close this thing?” Thankfully, Ingra’s axe made short work of the mural.
Beyond the snakes
Past the shrine, we found a strange sleeping chamber chamber used by two warped guards and one smaller, faster, far more annoying one. Although worn down by the followers of Kroa’koth, we quickly prevailed over the twisted almost-human creatures.
The smaller one, however, left with a few parting jabs at Al’s heritage and intelligence. I’m sure that won’t come back to haunt us in any way.
From what we could determine, the guards were protecting stairs even further down. If they were any indication of what awaited below us, we’d be in for a very strange time.
New Boss, Same as the Old Boss
With the cult of Kroa’koth broken, we returned to the prisoner with mixed tidings.
The bad news was that all his friends and colleagues were dead. The good news was that Ingra, as the strongest and therefore the chosen of Kroa’koth, had chosen him as the new ruler of the shrine.
Although we have no idea if he’ll be able to enforce his claim, we left him to rebuild in our name. Meanwhile, we returned to the surface, Al ecstatic to experiment with his brand new chilling barrel.
XP: 17,200 XP
Quests: Sage's Expedition (Aspexia - Shrine of the Awakener)