Call Forth Darkness! (Inactive)

Game Master Aku Warashi

@Sidious and Johan

I think it was a bit confusing, sorry.

The secret passage leads to the room 9.
If you take a closer look, the room 9 description is inside the DC15 perception spoiler.

saw the home management sheet - that's going to be a huge help.

I agree.

I think, as a first step, we should rest up. Then, we should grab some of the frogfolk and go cut down that damn tree. Once that's done, we can start ferrying stuff to and from the Horn. Gathering minions and such will be a lot easier when we don't have to worry about all our supplies and manpower getting crushed by a damned treant.

Don't forget you still have the sanctum to explore.

Right, that too. That's top priority, I think, considering the fact that we are going to be spending quite a bit of time up there. I just hope Wodin can either assist with that, or find something else to help with when we're holed up for a year. Maybe training minions to wreck faces?

The sanctum seems pretty secure - I think we can rest up and tackle it the next day.

4 entrances into the horn eh? We will definitely have to do some security-minded re-modelling.

I am going to need quite a bit of Black Onyx from somewhere to animate undead. That minotaur is a must and requires a 150 gp stone alone.

I will be traveling for the next week. I hope to have internet in the mornings and evenings, but no promises. Please bot me if needed.

I have work issues that may see me reduced to no posting for a bit

Hey, sorry for the short notice. I’ve not been feeling very well those last few days. I’m getting better, but I’m not sure if I’ll be able to catch up today.

I’ll get back on business tomorrow. Thanks for understanding.

Hey, I'm back!

So, let's move on, shall we?

I need to know something:
Are you guys sleeping or will you explore the sanctum before resting?
Also, where'll you guys sleep or rest?
I'm assuming that Agrippa let his manservant with Grumblejack at the frog village. But I must admit I had forgotten about him.

I'm all for sleeping in the frog village and tackling the sanctum "on the 'morrow"

The Knot could use the evening to discuss what they have learned and how they are going to proceed - there's a lot to digest.

I'm definitely down with that. No point in not waiting to meet Vetra-Kali at our best. ;)

Ok, lets do that.

RE:Jeebs
I figured he is staying behind and taking care of Agrippa's room suite at the Inn. So, don't worry about him for now. As soon as this temple is presentable, Agrippa will have the man stay here.

Also, we need to have the Frogmen make the living area presentable, Agrippa isn't keen on spending another night in a cavern.

Sleep sounds good. Sidious will use any remaining healing on the party before resting, but it looks like everyone is at full except Wodin who will heal up over night.

You already burned all your Channels to top us off, didn't you? That's why Wodin's close to full. Or maybe I'm remembering incorrectly.

Seeing as how we knew we were headed up to fight a big bad monster, would you allow us to have cast some long duratation spells before hand? If yes, Johan will have Shield of Faith and Savage Maw up and running (both 6 minute duration)

Sure, go ahead and do as you please.

Cmon guys let's go. 1/day posting

-Posted with Wayfinder

Woot! A battle that Johan didènt almost die in!

I am back from travels and catching up on everything, including my PBP games. Thanks for tolerating my absence. :)

Sidious, we just rested before going to the Sanctum...its still morning. So you should be 100% on used abilities/spells.

OK. Good. But if that is the case why are people (Wodin) recommend we rest up?

Not so much resting as figuring out a solid way to deal with the tree, first. Do we have weapons, spells and such readied to fight it? A set of tactics?

If Sidious and Agrippa choose their spells for the day based on how to best deal with a treant, it'd probably be helpful. We have a general idea of what it'll do, assuming it doesn't change its tactics up too much (ie: turn a pair of trees into minions and then proceed to punch us in the face) so anything we can do to make that less effective would be awesome. We know bladed weapons work best against it, and that fire will probably ruin it's day.

Agrippa's spell selection doesn't really change each day...his spells are focused on the most important question in the world.

How does Agrippa survive this encounter unscathed?

Hey there! There’s a big system delivery planned for next week for our company branch in India, a Project I’ve been struggling with for a couple of months now.

Alongside with that, we are moving an entire project from testing to Live servers, and I’m the one responsible to help with this transition and solve any issue that may (and believe me, will) appear with it.

I still have some things to finish before we are ready to do this, and I’m sure I don’t want to be the one blamed for any delays, and thus because of that, things may get a bit tricky for the next weeks, coupled with university terms starting as well next week.

Anyway, I’ll try to keep posting to at least 1/day. However, if you don’t hear from me for a day or two, I blame the events that I described above.

I Hope it goes well. Sounds challenging to say the least.

Been where you have been mate - take the time you need!

@Johan questions.

About that, I can only say one thing: You guys have total control over it. It's entirely up to you what you want and will do. :)

@Eldred

*Halthus serves as first sacrifice, and who said he needed to be willing?
*The Horn has an 'unlimited' unholy water supply; you guys just not yet found it.

The task ahead I know it's daunting.

If you guys need any help from me, please ask it away.

Also, will you guys explore the horn once more? There are still things to learn and find, some described already in game that no one met the DC's others that I did not put in spoilers.

No need to do the actual exploring, no sense in describing everything again, just tell me if that's in your plans.

Yeah. I'm for a though search of the place... It may take days but so far we've got time and supplies enough

Once Agrippa comes around, he will want to do a detailed study of the altar as well as the murals in the bottom.

Gm, you are going to have to railroad us a whole bunch because sandboxes and PbP do not play nice as I have found out multiple times in my own games.

Also, our dungeon tracker worksheet needs stuff for the second, third and sanctum levels.

Sidious is for a detailed sweep of the place as well. Somehow we need to capture all available resources and also all relevant skills. I suspect there is a lot of loose rock and stone about but do we have anyone with stonemasonry skills for instance. Do the frogmen have skills that we can take advantage of?

While we will have to go to town for supplies, I think we need to keep that we are at this location a complete secret for as long as we can.

We also need to review the requirements for the ritual so that we do not start it without at least a plan for getting each reagent along the way. When I cook I like to have everything I am going to need measured out and on the counter…

Another vote for doing a careful scan of the whole complex. Only a foolish king doesn't know every corner of his kingdom. :)

Okay. Give me some hours and ill finish the Excel.

Also Agrippa gave me an idea.

Ill create a schedule and run it with the party , one important topic at time.

That way we will railroad the place modification, leaving us free of confusion.

-Posted with Wayfinder

Perfect.

I was also thinking that each of us take a topic or event and be in charge of handling it without everyone having to post about it.

That way we do our business and we RP the stuff we need to without taking weeks and weeks to hammer out details.

Okay, I know I said I would update it today but I must apologize.

I'm almost sleeping sitting here at the computer...

I'll sleep a few hours first.

Do what you gotta do, boss. Well-rested storywriting tends to work better, anyway. ;)

So, clerics have the advantage of having access to any of their divine spells for their level. This should be an advantage for us in this phase of the game. I am looking over the cleric spell list for ideas. Here are some things that pop out. Some of these sound interesting, but I'll need your help to figure how to capitalize on them.

Third level spells:
Water of Maddening - a better unholy water - but needs 250 gp of powdered amber

Symbol of Healing - powdered diamond and opal worth a total of 500 gp) 2d8+1 healing to all and lasts until triggered

Summon Monster III - Can summon elementals to help with construction and scouting…

Stone Shape - 16 cubit feet per casting.

Speak with Dead

Nap Stack

Locate Object

*** Glyph of Warding - powdered diamond worth 200 gp

Discovery Torch - to help us search the keep one last time. Adds to perception checks.

Create Food and Water - food for a day for 18 people

Animate Dead - i can control 24 HD of undead. Costs an onyx gem worth at least 25 gp per Hit Die of the undead

Agonize- Pain encourages an outsider to obey you…

Second Level:
Sentry Skull - Turn a severed head into a magical sentry. - an onyx gem worth at least 10 gp

Masterwork Transformation - If we have gear we want to be masterwork…

Make Whole - 60 cut feet

Desecrate - lasts 12 hours vial of unholy water and 25 gp worth (5 pounds) of silver dust

Thoughts?

I'm all for animate dead - got an idea ... Have the imp drop of a note to the baron asking that certain items like onyx etc be placed on his roof... Imp can fly it back... That said I still want to do a return trip before we kick off for my weapon blanches and so on plus more arrows etc

Updated the excel sheet.

I'll post the 'to do' list tomorrow or later today.

Lots of good spells there Sidious!

The dungeon tracker mentions 4 ways into the horn... I count the caverns via the secret stairs, the balcony on the to floor, the breeched wall on level three(?), and there seems to be a main entrance on level one that we didn't see as wee approached from outside. Is that right?

Johan will take it upon himself to search the horn for ways to make unholy water. He find it hard to believe that such a nexus of evil would not have a shrine or something where the stuff could be easily created. He searches every fountain, basin and pool they have found so far.

Okay, first, this is just a Suggestion. You can do as you please, I'm just trying to make it a bit easier outlining the most obvious features based on the rooms you explored.

To do List:

Rebuilding the Place:

• Cleaning the place. (Optional)
  
• Reform The Death’s Head Tavern. (1-9/1-10)
  
• Reform the Alchemist’s Laboratory. (1-18)
  
• Reform the Smithy. (1-22)
  
• Reform the Capture Cell. (1-23)
  
• Reform the Torture Chamber. (1-25)
  
• Reform the Holding Cell. (1-26)
  
• Master of Acolytes’ Private Chambers. (2-12)
  
• Destroy The Knights’ Shrine. (2-18)
  
• Restore the secret door at Blasted Chamber of the High Priest. (3-2)
  
• Rebuild the library. (3-3)
  
• Rebuild the brothel. (3-11)
  

Overseeing Defense:
Possible places to organize defenses:

• The Maw of Dagon. (C-1)
  
• Empty Cavern. (C-3)
  
• Boggard Ambush Site (C-4)
  
• Empty Cavern. (C-6)
  
• Empty Cavern. (C-7)
  
• Empty Cavern. (C-14)
  
• The Backdoor. (C-15)
  
• The Left Eye. (1-1)
  
• Eastern Guardroom. (1-2)
  
• Western Guardroom. (1-3)
  
• The Right Eye. (2-1)
  
• Eastern Guardroom. (2-2)
  
• Western Guardroom. (2-4)
  

Arcane/Divine Stuffs:

• The Minotaur. (1-4)
  
• The alchemical golem, Artephius. (1-18)
  
• Skeleton minions. (C - 18)
  
• Call Forth the Hounds. (2-21)
  
• Call Forth the Steed. (2-21)
  
• Cauldron of the Earth. (2-21)
  

Work force recruiting:

• Convincing Ezra Thrice-Damned, Dread Wraith, to help. (3-5)
  
• Bind Hexor and Vexor. (3-13)
  
• Create an organization. (Leadership Feat.)
  
• Hire (???) minions.
  
• Capture Monsters.
  
• Seek intelligent monsters in the briar and recruit their help.
  

Repairing/Building Traps:

• Boggard Ambush Site. (Build / C - 4)
  
• Empty Cavern. (Build / C - 5)
  
• Mud Pits. (Build / C - 8)
  
• Empty Cavern. (Build / C -10)
  
• The Right Eye. (Repair / 2-1)
  
• The Center Eye. (Reactivate – Upgrade / 3-1)
  

The dungeon tracker mentions 4 ways into the horn... I count the caverns via the secret stairs, the balcony on the to floor, the breeched wall on level three(?), and there seems to be a main entrance on level one that we didn't see as wee approached from outside. Is that right?

Four 'conventional' ways:

1st: Caverns.
2nd: Level one entrance.
3rd: Level two Entrance.
4th: Level Three Entrance.

Other ways:
Flying directly to the sanctum.
The breach in the room with the Oozes.

@Agrippa

I've added to the descriptions, in the room 2-21, instructions for performing the rituals to summon help.

Someone just showed me this feat:

Vile Leadership.
I will approve taking it instead of leadership, with the modifications I suggested.

Also, I strongly recommend taking it to create a 'organization' as discussed before, instead of using in the conventional way, just to gather followers.

Why?

Because if you create an organization, you can use the organization actions to 'modify' the horn. Instead of doing it manually, you just test your organization related score to the task you selected and that's done. Your minions performed the task with no burden for you at all.

Agrippa will almost undoubtedly be taking Vile Leadership when we level.

He will be building a cabal of Arcane magic users who seek to gain powers by summoning evil outsiders.

I labeled the To Do list with things Agrippa is interesting in pursuing.

That feat sounds right for Sidious as well. He will be creating a temple to his god here and he needs followers.

Wodin's not really the leader-type, persay. And with a low Charisma and a general laissez faire outlook towards others (from a lifetime of trying to solve all his problems himself) he's not really going to be able to make much use of (Vile) Leadership, even if he took it.

On the note of recruiting the creatures of the Briar, would we even be able to talk to most of them? I forget if the tree tried to tell us to shove off before trying to make stonelord and inquisitor pancakes.