The Gameplay thread for the Coins of Power AP
big ol dot
dot myself. Only a couple posts to go. Will get the next one up tonight latest btw
While in the tavern you overhear two grizzled sailor sahring some local brew
I don't know much more says the first, But Cap'n was terrified of her, no doubt'a that.
Think she was a wizard?
Aye, an Cap'n Fenn did too, refused her passage he did, There was a mad light in 'er eyes. She was touched by the gift she was, she was dabblin' in the black arts. Mark my words I seen less crazy in madhouse, I have.
Did ye learn her name?
Aye, the Lady Daresh, an if I never hear it again, I'll die a happy man.
Early in the evening before the rough crowd usually appears ouside the tavern you notice a hunch man telling a story to some local children who seem totally immersed in his tale of adventure.
... And only one man survived. Dairoo, who was found just west of town, almost dead from exposure and terrible wounds. He claimed he had found the star far to the east, but that it was guarded...by wizards, monsters, and worse!
after some ooo's and ahhh's from the children
In his pocket he carried a few bits of beautiful metal, a tyoe of silver, too hard to be worked by even the most skilled smith, yet as light as a feather... Dairoo refused to reveal where he had found it, saying only that it lay in the evil lands where he would never return again!
It was mithral! whispers one small child to her companion in wonder. The storyteller smiles and gathers the children closer.
At another table in the tavern you see top men discussing something placed on the table possibly a coin but you are unable to tell exactly from your vantage point but you can hear parts of the conversation.
...You can't be certain, not when the artifact is so old.
Oh, but I can, I hired the sage Geolain, and he authenticated the tale for me... the runes, the location of the old tunnels, and even the legend of the old lich's lair. the arifact is damaged but it is genuine.
The sage Geolain, from Absalom?
The same, There's no greater expert, and no finer wizard, in matters such as this.
they grab the coin and leave the tavern.
you overhear two wanna-be adventurers dicussing what their next quest should be.
You've heard the stories too.
Yes, they're told to children in the street by stroytelling bards, I don't care if this fellow Dairoo did find the star, he's long dead now, and his secret died with him.
Not necessarily, I've heard it whispered, that Dairoo made a map, and that map was buried with him in the cemetery at Haanex.
Nonsense, and even if it were true, the map never did Dairoo any good. the legend of the fallen star has lead many a good man to his death in the Eastern mountains...Don't be in a hurry to add your name to the list.
I guess your right. at least we can enjoy one more ale before we retire
Balthe sits in the corner and drinks and sings and drinks and sings.
Impy ponders what she has heard. She decides she needs to find out who Dairoo was and where Haanex is.
She approaches Espy, who seemed a knowledgable chap back with the kobolds and cyclops.
"Erm" She clears her throat.
"You know where Haanex is? How far from here?" She thinks some more. The process looks painful. "Also who is Dairoo?"
"I heard some kids talkin Dairoo was a guy tha only one o a band o adventurers, he was found on tha edge o town, but tha ssstory went he was a survivor so we might talk wit this Dairoo."
you know only that Haanex is a small fishing hamlet in the area not quite sure of its exact location but most merchants may know of its location.
for the name Dairoo: here is the local legends as you can recall:
The story of Dairoo as you can recall:
Walker Dairoo was an explorer and chronicler for the Pathfinder lodge in Absalom he would conduct numerous expeditions to validate or dispute legends throughout the region.
One such legend was that of a fallen star that contained a rare metal at first believed to be mithral but later the sage Caaranian discovered was something entirely different.
Walker Dairoo claimed to have discovered a fallen star that fell nearly 100 years past, or possibly longer, but he claimed it to be guarded by wizards and monsters. According to legend he carried bits of the silvery metal obtained from the site in his pocket to validate the claim and no blacksmith was ably to work, no matter how hot the forge the metal refused to melt. Walker Dairoo claimed the metal to be Mithral, but even the smith’s skilled in forging mithral could not work it. The chunks of metal discovered were sent to the pathfinder lodge in Absalom.
Dairoo refused to divulge where he had obtained the metal he would only say that it lay in evil lands and was not worth what he had seen to get it.
He never divulged the location of the fallen star, but he did draw a map for himself. The map long outlived its master, who died the following harvest of a mysterious wasting disease.
Dairoo seemed to just waste away over the course of a month. He blamed it on a curse but refused say any more about it. He called his son to his bedside just before the end and held a whispered conversation with the youth then he expired, his flesh seeming to wither as he lay there.
The map was handed down from father to son in the Dairoo family, until the last son who had no children, Atuur Dairoo. During the harvest of his twenty fifth year, he died of the same wasting disease that befell his ansestors.
No one knows for sure but local legend says that the map was buried with him in the cemetery at the hamlet of Haanex.
Legend also says that the Dairoo curse continues even after death. Fear of the curse has kept even the most determined grave robbers away.
This is all you can recall of the local legends and stories
"Tha story I heard made it sound like it was just yesterday, guessin it was longer ago than that."
Grung polishes his new bow...
Impatiens approaches the inebriated cleric.
"You. You look familiar maybe. You got brother?"
"I am startin tah like you guys, fraid tha wand o healin will wear out soon, maybe we could hire a priest sort tah travel wit us. How yah spot them guys?"
Perception +2 versus human
Balthe looks at Impy.
Yeah a fool. Ran off months ago to explore some ruin or another. Always off doing that dam fool I say. Just like that wizard down on the docks looking for a group of "adventurerers" to run off and get themselves killed. Now in return for my words I think you should buy me a drink.
Upon closer examination Balthe is not nearly as old as he looks.
She nods at his request.
She walks right up to the barman, stares into his eyes and yells "Beers!", slaps some money on the bar and walks back to the priest.
"Sorry he dead."
"Grief song."
With that she takes a lute out of her back pack and begins to play. It is a sad tune, poorly played. Doubtless the lack of beer has upset her performance.
Perform (String instrument)
@ Impatiens
"Zounds! Tha song sounds as if demons screeched at us!"
@Balthe
"Adventure, no not me I is an explorer an seein tha world."
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"He may be dead, however he was a man who stood up against the rising masses of kobold, cyclopses and undead. Armed with nothing more than his fists he slayed a hundred of them, broke open the cages and slaughter another hundred.
Even as he was slayed himself, he refused to fall and refused to let go of the cyclops he had in the strangle hold until it perished.
@Espy
"Yer stories gets better tha more yah drinks!"
"I don't look for trouble, it just finds me."
As you converse in the tavern the door of the tavern slams open and standing in the doorway is an old man carfully bundled in a dirty robe stained with blood.
vs DC 10
there is something familiar about him but you just can't quite put your finger on it.
The old man shakes and shivers as though he is wracked with some unknown ailment.
Upon seeing your group sitting together he rushes toward the table
A house divided must fall....hehhe... yes Must fall
he tries to grab hold of Grung looking him stright in the eyes He sees you...His wrath is terrible...His eye is upon you
The old man's robe slackens revealing much of his body has been mutilated evidently by his own hand. this would seemingly explain the blood stains on his clothing. Some of the wounds are still fresh and bloody.
He lets go of grunge and moves about the room continueing to rant on about his wrath and a house divided.
suddenly without warning he draws a knife and rips open his robe revealing his bare albiet cut up torso. and he beguns to carve a rune in his own skin over his stomach.
As valdric reaches the old man he can see that his eyes are glazed over in an almost trance like state.
Valdric, you are able to heal his wounds and stop him from making the carving but still he babbles on..He sees you, he sees you, he sees you all, in the darkest night he will find you... He then collapses to the floor apparently unconcious.
"We kicked his ass tha first time and will again, if ol one eyes really coming .."
you think you see what looks like the markings of some cult but you are unsure about a cult to who or what
"No need carve self. Plenty of people do that for free"
You can make out a symbol similar to than of Pharasma but has some subtle differences. then Espy, you remeber an old nuatical book you happened to read a while back about some old forgotten sea god named Krakas (cray-kus) the once feared master of the watery abyss. very few human cults exists and this may be the fist actual case of a a human follower.
most followers if any are mostly the evil aquatic races and its even rare among them.
An accursed ship, the foul progeny of KraKas, appears on the nights following a rare eclipse. The ancient terror rises from the depths of the sea every three decades and seeks out another vessel so that it may pass on its curse by slaughtering those aboard.
Balthe sings along with Impy, too drunk to pay attention closely. But once the cutting begins he stands and begins to sing random snatches of sea shanties.
Balthe finishes his song and a blast of salt smelling air flies out from him healing the wounds of all around him.
None of that!
Impatiens resumes playing her lute softly. She tried to match the strangers changes in songs but once his healing song was done she moved on to popular sea tunes.
Performance (lute)
She maintains a steady watch on 'Mr Rune' the entire time.
Knowledge local
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"Ah.. Right, you're quite correct on that Grung! There is a cursed ship that sails the seas. Its sails are black as night and crewed by the damned. It comes shortly after an eclipse.. by the power of the three. It seeks out another vessel slaughters everyone on board and passes on the cursed to them to that it may finally rest."
"So fact err fictions, maybe we can find someone who heard from tha guy wit tha journal."
Slowly the old man awakens his eyes seem clearer and he looks a bit dazed. What happened? where am I he manages to say an a tired voice.
As you continue your discussions a rough looking sailor enters the tavern and scans the room.
I be lookin fer some scallyway dat goes by the name Balthe. Ifin' you be seein' him best be pointin' him out
the man carries a rapier and wears a white tunic and brown tattared pants and no shoes. he smells of salt air. he also carries a leather bag slung over the shoulder.
at present his hands are nowhere near his weapon.
Impy stops playing. Looking at the man of many runes directly she says slowly and carefully.
"In tavern, but you not have drink. Want drink? Maybe nice piece of liver?"