Aardvark's "Nothing Venture Captained, Nothing Gained" Shattered Star Campaign (Inactive)

Game Master Troy Malovich

Filth Fever Fort Save (Day 3, DC 12): 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (3) + 3 = 6

well crud.

Moonday 16th

Walking into the room where Faedrin had taken to bed like a fish to water, Oz tilted his head in his usual manner. The room was dark, and a bucket was more than just a little bit close to the poor man. "Filth fever. Unfortunate." He said as he walked closer.

In his hand, he had a scroll that he had scribed prior to entry. An act that took him a short time. The craft glistened with perfect penmanship, and even had doodles on it relaying what they did. Less for Oz to have to remember, the better...

He stood over Faedrin, his spellbook in one hand, and the scroll in the other. "An Apology." The phrase was somewhat crestfallen. As if he'd felt a bit useless. "Choose." he stated as he set both on a nearby table.

"Trust. Hard to earn, yes? Certainly hard now. Shall return for things tomorrow. Partake."

Scribe Scroll Prior Roll
Spellcraft: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (20) + 7 = 27

"May not understand. I do. Please. Read. Learn. Get better." he said as he went towards the door. Grabbing it, he closed it, and turned around while pulling his sleeves as tight as he could. Reaching down, he grabbed the sash beneath his cloth and raised it above his chest, showing off the wounds from the previous magic missile that had spread his unknown disease. "Understand. Certainly not an easy day, either, that day. Have faith." lowering his cloth, he turned to look at the bed before opening the door and leaving. With just another step, he stopped and silently said; "Tell no one." he referred to his strange black skin tone. Not the spellbook.

And with that, he would tag along with Dareon afterward for the remainder of the day.

The scroll is for Faedrin. It is a scroll of Color Spray.

D'awwww! Oz is a softy!

Faedrin raises his head from his pillow as Oz enters, then drops it back down once he recognizes his visitor as someone other than Tanjvats. "Well, at least you're not here to make me drink that gods-awful tonic. What do you want, Oz?"

He nods along as the masked man speaks, his eyebrows arching in confusion occassionally as he tries to grasp the meaning of Oz's short and staccato statements. "Hmmm. Looks like you did take a pounding after all. Has to be better tha-HUUURRRRK" The ailing elf barely manages to raise a pail to face fast enough to catch the expulsion. He wipes his face with a nearby cloth as he sets the pail back down on the floor then collapses back into the bed. "Thanks... Oz...." and the elf slips back into a fevered sleep only a breath or two after Oz shuts the door behind him on his way out.

Even with the +4, that's not going to make the save, I don't think. Frickin' elves. Always rollin' 3s. :-)

I'll wait for Aard to confirm my calendar assumptions before I post my next day of activity.

I can't help that I'm dainty and have lived a sheltered, filth-free life up to this point! =P

Timeline:
Moonday - first symptoms, Tanjvats treated him and he and Oz each scribed a scroll.
Toilday - Fade makes first save, no more damage. Tanjvats makes heal check.
Wealday - Fade fails second save, takes 1d3 ⇒ 2 Dex damage and 1d3 ⇒ 3 Con damage. For a total of 3 Dex and 6 Con damage (ouch)! Remember, this gives you a -3 to your Fort save.

Things begin to look up for Fade as Tanjvats' ministrations get him feeling better, but by the next day things have made a serious turn for the worse. The shakes are still bad, getting a little worse, but there seems to be nothing that will stay in his system. He is weak and looking even thinner for his lack of being able to hold anything down.

Oh dang - I forgot to adjust my fort save from the previous damage. I failed even worse than I thought I did! Saves from this point (until I take more Con damage or get help from Tanjvats) are just flat d20 rolls =\

Additionally, 5 more Con damage and I die.

A scroll of Remove Disease is 150gp. It may be handy to have nearby in case it gets real bad. Also, at the rate of recovery, if you make the next 2 saves, and then complete bed rest until the damage is healed, that will be 5 days.

So I have 50gp that I can contribute to healing Fade if it gets dire enough.

Filth Fever Fort Save (Day 4, DC 12): 1d20 ⇒ 5 FAIL.
Dex: 1d3 ⇒ 2 and Con: 1d3 ⇒ 3 UGHHHH.

Filth Fever Fort Save (Day 5, DC 12): 1d20 - 1 ⇒ (9) - 1 = 8 FAIL, unless Tanjvats successfully aids. Yipes!

9/11 Con damage... rut roh.

And people say that disease isn't dangerous.

Getting antsy to hit the Crows and realizing that Faedrin is key to getting the group moving, Uriah goes out to procure a scroll of cure disease. Remembering the words of Lord Tanstaafl, Uriah sets out to earn a favor from the elf.

Just going to roll this so we can knock it out, and get back to the healing.
Remove Disease check 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (12) + 3 = 15

As Uriah offers up the scroll to the group, he makes it as clear as he can that it is from him, for Faedrin. As Tanjvats reads the magic off of the parchment, you can almost visibly see the sickness leave the elf. He slumps, relieved, to the sweat-stained sheets and slip into a deep healing sleep.

With each day of complete bed rest, Fade can recover 2 points/stat each day. Or 4 if he is given Long-term care (DC 15 Heal check, full day spent caring for him).

EDIT: It was after Fade's failed save on Oathday that Uriah got the scroll. So, the healing process will begin then. Meaning with long-term care he will have 4 points back on Fireday, and 4 more on Starday, leaving him with only 1 pt Con damage by Starday. So you could hit the Crow Starday night. Tanjvats, if you are willing, make 2 long-term care rolls and we can jump to the night of the assault.

On Toilday, Tanjvats tried again to write another prayer.

However, Faedrin's Oathday deterioration was shocking, and Tanjvats berated himself not studying more about the treatment of disease. He was relieved and ashamed when Uriah arrived with the scroll.

Overwhelmed by shame and guilt, Tanjvats rushed out to buy some better supplies. He returned with these and set to mending the effects of the fever.

His hands trembled a bit as he began. "I'm sorry I didn't heal you, Faedrin. I bought some proper supplies and checked with a real healer on how to use them. They told me what to do, so you don't have to worry now."

When he was done, he gave five platinum coins to Uriah. "It's all I can afford right now, but you shouldn't have to pay for my", his voice broke. "For my incompetence. I'll pay you back the rest when I have it."

He spent the next several days hovering over Faedrin, tending to him as best he could.

Toilday, scribe true strike. Wealday, freak out, purchase a healer's kit. Oathday, give 50gp to Uriah. Fireday provide long-term care. Starday, provide long-term care.
Spellcraft DC 6: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (12) + 4 = 16
long-term care Fireday: 1d20 + 4 + 2 ⇒ (20) + 4 + 2 = 26
long-term care Oathday: 1d20 + 4 + 2 ⇒ (7) + 4 + 2 = 13

Pushing away the proffered coins, Uriah does his best to explain his position while giving consoling Tanjvats. h'Tanjvats, h'you have h'no debt with h'me. h'Faedrin h'now owes h'me a favor which the h'time and h'manner of collection h'will be of h'my choosing. h'if you h'feel h'indebted h'my brother, h'then that it is h'a score h'you h'will have to h'work out h'with h'Faedrin.

"Nnnnngh." Faedrin's eyes flitter open Oathday morning to see Tanjvats standing over him and sparkling wisps of ink drifting from a scroll in his hands. "Tanjvats?" Still terribly weakened from the illness but no longer on the Boneyard's doorstep, he passes into a restful sleep almost immediately, "Thanks, Tannnjj..."

---

Starday

Faedrin, for the first time in nearly a week, is seen moving about the Heidmarch grounds. When he bumps into Uriah at some point, he nods to the man and indicates he'd like a word in private.
"I'm told you're responsible for acquiring the scroll Tanjvats used to save my life. I hardly even know you, Uriah, and I already owe you my life. Thank you. Sincerely. Thank you, Uriah."

And then later, seeing Oz, Faedrin approaches the man and returns the spellbook. "Thank you for your kindness, Oz. I suspect you'll need this to prepare for tonight but," he pats the cover of his own spellbook and the edges of the scroll he'd been gifted can be seen poking out the sides, "I look forward to studying this more closely once we've settled things with these Tower Girls."

As the group readies that night to depart, he offers Tanjvats a grateful nod.
Gods, what do you even say to someone who literally saved your life? I- I wish I knew. Thanks? Pfah. That's hardly good enough, is it?
Shaking his head at his thoughts, he draws two small canisters of a pasty substance. "I picked these up before falling ill, if any of you prefer to fight at range, apply this to your bolts or arrows, but save them for the were-rats."
Silver Weapon Blanch - enough for 20 projectiles

So, now that it is the night of the assault. What is the plan? Sheila can provide you with a large rowboat or skiff. Who is casting what, and when? What time will you be leaving for the Crow, since it will take about a half hour to reach it by boat?

Also, bear in mind with weapon blanch that they have to be poured over a weapon, and placed over a hot flame for a full round. So, you may want to blanch when you have a chance.

I figure Dareon can probably provide better cover and mask our approach with the powers of the shard than Faedrin can with silent image, so whether that's by hiding us behind an image of an empty waterfront or an image of fog or whatever kind of idea he cooks up, I think Dareon's best suited to mask our approach.

We'll position the boat on the far side of the piling from the dock area Natalya described, at which point Faedrin will cast spiderclimb on either himself and Dareon or on Dareon and Oz.

Spiderclimb'd folk then scale the piling, secure the top by the hatch, and if necessary sink a piton into the stone to lower the knotted rope allowing the rest of us to scale up to the hatch with DC0 climb checks.

That's the plan/approach as I understand/envision it.

Okay, the piling seems to be coming across as hard to explain. Think a 250' rectangular column rising up out of the water. It is surrounded by water on all sides, and the only outcroppings are mainly decorative carvings, ledges for statues, and such. The dock is like a little hollow area just inside the walls of the piling, meaning that the only way into the piling is by entering that hollow. Otherwise all you have is exterior walls.

I knew it was a tough description, so I drew a general idea up HERE.
The blue inside the u-shape is the water.
The black squares the openings (one at the 1st floor, one at the 4th)
the light brown is the façade of the place, and the darker brown the walls of the interior hollow.
There are a few windows into the hollow.
The exterior walls extend to the left, but they are non-visible so you can see inside.
The odd shape of brown with yellow-brown lines attached is a wooden platform connected by ropes.
This hollow, which is about 200' tall inside, has the only known entrance points.

I thought Natalya also described a secondary means of entry via a hatch in the roof?

Because we can only make six 10ft. cubes of material, I don't think a sailing ship is the best idea. My best idea is just a fog bank. It'll look semi-normal and innocuous and it'll provide us constant cover as we cross the bay.

I thought so, too Faed. But after re-reading Natalya's map post, and looking at the new image, I don't think there is.

The "C" approach was my intent. Once the alarm is raised it won't save those rooms in the end I don't think, but any element of surprise we can get is worth going for in my view. Happy to hear counter-arguments for storming the proverbial front door though!

I'm with you.

Tanjvats spent early Starday pouring over Natalya's map and imagining the assault on the Crow. He explained to the others that the climb wouldn't be the hard part. It'd be getting from the "window" to the platform. But he trusted his physically gifted companions to handle the challenge. He'd just do his best not to fail, like he had in healing Faedrin.

Sighing, he rolled up Natalya's map and prepared to leave.

Sorry, right after Fade's question when I first posted the map, I had errands and just got back. There is a hatch in the ceiling, right above the hanging platform, which is closer to the entrance on the 4th floor than the window at the 4th floor.

So your plan to climb to the hatch with spider climb could still work. If you climb to the opening on the 4th, you can get everyone up, then cross to the platform to get to the ceiling hatch. You thereby skip whatever my be between the 1st floor entrance up to the 4th floor room with an opening.

I understand now. Yeah, we need to slip quietly into the dock-ish area then spiderclimb our way up to the ledge from there. I think we can do this!

What about light? Tanjvats is the only one with darkvision. Let's see, using the Lunar cycle of 2012, the new moon was on the 16th, the 1st quarter waxing on the 22nd, and the full will be on the 30th of Rova (September). Using that, you guys have almost a quarter moon of natural light, which may not be much for low-light (I'd say 10' of shadowy for normal vision, and 20' of shadowy for low-light).

Dareon has got torches, I think...

"We should move slowly in the half-ligh until such time as we enter the trap door in the ceiling. Or at least until we reach the light sources used by the Tower Girls themselves."

Faedrin can maintain a casting of dancing lights if it's needed

As dark settles over Magnimar's harbor, your group collects at the water's edge, outfitted with preparatory materials and the Heidmarch-loaned boat. As you settle the craft into the waters, rough waves lapping at its sides, you each clamber into your places. With the tidal currents, everyone needs to lend a hand to rowing, except Dareon so he can focus on maintaining the figment of a low rolling fog bank. Once settled in and making progress, Dareon creates the thick fog that will be used to mask your approach. Even with everyone knowing it is fake, it still takes a few attempts at disbelief for everyone to see through the false image, and then by using Fade's dancing lights you all make your way across to the piling. It takes a good half an hour of rowing to reach the vicinity of the Crow.

The Crow is a massive stone monument that rises from the waters of Magnimar’s harbor. It was once a support for the Irespan, but with that monument’s collapse, the Crow is nothing more than an immense freestanding piling. As with every one of the Irespan’s columns, the Crow is intricately carved and embossed with ancient statuary and bas-reliefs featuring the motif of a specific animal or monster, in this case, hundreds of crowlike gargoyles and carvings and decorations. Like all of the surviving pilings, the Crow is about 200 feet wide along its midsection (widening to over 250 feet at the upper section where the piling once supported the Irespan above). The Crow extends a little over 200 feet above sea level, and extends underwater to the harbor floor.

As you get closer to the piling, you notice that a tall lancet arch at water level leads into a chamber at sea level within the side of the Crow. Inside is what was once a small, stepped terrace, now filled with sea water to the level of its top step. Three rowboats are tied off to heavy stones placed on this step. Above, the ceiling rises almost all the way up to the top of the monument—an opening leads off this shaft to the west near the ceiling. At the west end of this room lies a small alcove whose floor shows the stains of countless campfires—the back wall of this alcove has been broken through, revealing a passageway beyond.

While the idea of chambers being found within an Irespan piling is nothing new, the number of chambers within most pilings is relatively small. The idea that a complex as extensive as Natalya described the inside of the Crow to have is somewhat unprecedented. The inhabitants of Magnimar have long known of this chamber, but the alcove was sealed by a solid stone wall, causing those daring enough to explore the piling to choose to perilously scale this chamber’s walls to reach the opening above.

Map updated and reposting the 3-D drawing HERE

Dareon made sure to affix his new dagger and his extract into his spring-loaded wrist sheaths before they got into the boat. As they traveled, he concentrated mightily on the Shard, maintaining the illusion that their ship, a warrior party, was really just a thick bank of fog. "Be aware, gents, that I can only do this once today. If we want another illusory power, we'll need to rely on Fade or...or Oz." he says, looking strangely at Oz, fiddling with his new black spellbook.

Dareon had always marveled at the Irespan, the Arvensoar, and all other Thassilonian relics he had seen. He was beyond excited that they finally got to explore one.

"So, who's going first up the wall?" he asked Fade.

Tanjvats began rubbing his hand against his leg nervously, hoping fervently that they wouldn't choose him.

Faedrin double checks his gear, ensuring his silvered kukri is snuggly fit within a new wrist sheath and that his silvered arrows are anchored within the small quiver hanging from his hip. Satisfied all is in place, he draws a pair of scrolls as the boat slides into position. "I can see a bit more sharply in the dark, so I suppose I'll take point."

Caster Level Check #1 (DC 4): 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (12) + 6 = 18
Caster Level Check #2 (DC 4): 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (12) + 6 = 18

At that, Faedrin draws the magics from within the pair of scrolls with ease and focuses them upon himself and Dareon. "Let's go." The elf then pulls himself out of the small boat and onto the wall, climbing it with ease that even startles himself.

Stealth: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (13) + 2 = 15
Perception: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (7) + 3 = 10

Faedrin casts the spell, twice, from the scrolls as the parchments disintegrate into small wisps after he reads them. He has elected Dareon to be the one to join him up top, while the others wait down below for a dropped rope. Upon closer inspection of the piling you are within, you easily notice that the walls, floors, and ceilings of the Crow thus far are of carefully fitted masonry. Despite the chambers being over many thousands of years old, they are in remarkably good shape.

Tanjvats, with his natural night sight, is able to see into the dark of the chamber beyond.

Uriah and Oz cannot see anything on the map between columns 1 to 5

Faedrin notes the piton anchored into the wall and regards the one he purchased earlier in the week with a blank stare. "Well then. Great minds and all that, I suppose." With a shrug, he returns his piton to his pack and intones a simple cantrip, bringing a series of small glowing orbs into being so he and Dareon can see what they're doing. He keeps the lights off to the side and a decent distance from the mouth of the corridor ahead, so that only the faintest bit of light falls into the passage. "Alright. Let's get the others up here, shall we?"

"Mmhmm.", Dareon remarks, as he lifts up the coil of rope from the ground and tosses it off of the top of the piling. "Do you think we're gonna need to lift 'em up or should I stand guard?" he says, fingering his sword's pommel and glancing at the mouth of the corridor onward.

"I hope they'll be able to climb the rope on their own and standing guard just seems to be a good idea, considering N's warnings, don't you think?"

"There doesn't seem to be anyone to the west", Tanjvats whispered to Oz and Uriah. He hoped the Oracle could read his lips in the dim light.

After that, Tanjvats waited anxiously for the knotted rope to come down from above.

At least it's a knotted rope. That might keep me from dying.

If the rope that comes down is not knotted, Tanjvats will not climb it.

Didn't even think the rope here might be unknotted. If so, Faedrin will swap it for our pre-knotted rope prior to Dareon casting it down to the others

In a hushed whisper, Oz anxiously says "Can climb well. Atleast. Will assist, if need be, yes?"

As he says it, Oz recounts the impossibly realistic image that Dareon had created so recently, and couldn't help but be somewhat excited that his own abilities may one day reach such a height...

Dareon readies his shield and draws his sword, moving to peer down the hallway. "Yeah, Natalya did seem to give the impression of bloodthirstiness or something similar."

Standing about, Oz actually realizes a thin that they actually had not done. It hit him with such force that he smacked his palm against his ceramic mask in a wild amount of clarity and surprise. "Forgotten important question..." he says as he slowly turns to Tanjvats. "Any casters in their ranks?" he asks, with a hint of worry.

Tanjvats gave a grimace in response. They hadn't asked. He shrugged in chagrin.

Dareon, can I get a stealth check from you as well? Also, I will need to know everyone's Stealth skill. One of the things I don't like about HeroLabs is it won't put all the untrained skills in the format.

As Dareon and Fade finagle with the rope and the pre-hung piton, Fade evokes four small glowing orbs of light into existance. He hides them as best he can within the chimney to produce the least attention to their presence. As they work, the light sheds insight into the chamber beyond. It is large, fanning out so that Dareon can almost not see the sides due to where the light falls, and he cannot see the other end. Fade does see the end of the room, but just barely, hidden at the end of the shadows thrown by the orbs, even with his elven senses.

The murals in this room are scratched and faded. Several portions of the wall and floor show signs of past chipping. An empty plinth where a statue once stood rests by a small alcove. Being the one chamber that has been known of by any of the Crow's previous explorers, this one has seen its fair share of visitors, and their abuses.

Stealth: 1d20 - 1 + 2 ⇒ (13) - 1 + 2 = 14 Mine is a +1 total.

"Wow," whispers Dareon. "Old room."

Obviously his imagination is a bit overwhelmed.

So, I'm assuming a ring swap? Drop it down to the next climber as soon as the climber before them reaches the top? Also, what order are you climbing in, and is someone pulling at the same time, or are Fade and Dareon doing something else while the others climb?

Oz has the ring if I'm not mistaken, so I suppose it's up to the boaters to figure who's coming up first =)

Faedrin leans over the ledge and waves those below in the boat on up, but he doesn't help pull the rope.

With liberal use of time and a magic ring, the group manages to all make it to the top. They now all stand in the most explored chamber of the Crow, all chipped walls and scavenged murals of it. Fade's lights float eerily at the top of the shaft, illuminating the small wooden platform dangling precariously by ropes attached to the ceiling. The ropes attaching it to the ledge is the only thing offering it any stability.

Unless otherwise noted, I will be treating you as sneaking as a group, to include moving at half speed. If this is not the case, say as much.

Dareon, with your shield I count your Stealth as -1. Is your normal state shield on, or off? If on, I will adjust your Stealth, if off you will always have to account the actions involved with both drawing and readying it for combat.

I'd rather have my shield out than have a +2 to Stealth right now.