Doug M's Way of the Wicked (Inactive)

Game Master Douglas Muir 406

If Jax can attempt a bluff check to hide a casting of detect magic to use on the magister, he will. He has a +9 modifier (Figure DM will want to roll).

Jax can you try for the commander or the gnome please? Cуровую will do the magister and cleric. If someone spots you, pretend to be part of the play OR simply cast it in the privy and come back.

extra xp now only means he buffs bad guys more later. the fights will always be hard and balanced so i will just not worry. besides I am already past the worried about my character dying part

So, up two flights of stairs -- and, truth to tell, the Magister's apartments are impressive. He has a large, fully equipped alchemical laboratory. There are cabinets and chests and a large cauldron. (There is a spellbook around here, somewhere nearby. You just know it. You find yourself suppressing the urge to start opening drawers and just rummaging.)

Ok. Despite me walking up with Magister Creepy McCreepster, that was pretty funny DM.

ooh, so close, once again.

Ahead of you, a short corridor opens up into a larger room. Five simple wooden doors in a row open to the south. A large open wardrobe contains robes and vestments of a clerical nature, and some odd bits of equipment.

I think Morsum doesn't have Knowledge [Religion]. Remind me, is his link with you full sensory or just speech?

In addition to the five doors to the south, a larger door -- again with the sunburst of Mitra -- leads to the west (you can guess that there's a room, or two small rooms, tucked between here and the large barracks chamber). Also, a small spiral staircase leads upwards.

Nobody seems to be in here at the moment.

I am waiting for him to show you how powerful his "wand" is!

or his rod of empower

"Now, there are things here that could be quite dangerous to a young apprentice. I'd hate to have to explain an injury to your mistress, heh. So," he takes one of your hands and pats it gently, "look but don't touch!"

DANGER! DANGER! PG Rating ! PG Rating !

The Judge uses his ability to use Morsum's senses to briefly see what he is looking at.

Use Bond Senses - 1 round

Knowledge(religion): 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (18) + 6 = 24

I think that this would work. Morsum does not have know(relig), but I do and can see through his senses for 4 rounds/day at any distance as long as we are on the same plane.

"Big enough to fly out of, my dear. Yes, I have mastered that arcane power." He puffs out his narrow chest a little. "The Commander asks me to go scouting sometimes. Flying and invisible, I can go undetected, and spy out any attack!"

The window is closed. Nonetheless, it's cold in this room. Oddly cold. The Magister turns to you. "Now, there are things here that could be quite dangerous to a young apprentice. I'd hate to have to explain an injury to your mistress, heh. So," he takes one of your hands and pats it gently, "look but don't touch!"

Cуровую and the Magister

Perception to determine where the cold is coming from? 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (6) + 9 = 15

If its magical, Knowledge Arcana then +10

Seemingly impressed and a touch being charmed, Cуровую effects a wide eyed fan girl, but just a bit.

'My lord magister, your list of responsibilities is matched only by the skills in the arcane Art you purportedly have, surely there can be no better man to lead the men of Balentyne!'

'The rest of our nation can be at ease knowing that the good men of Balentyne have the great fortune of having one such as you leading them.'

'Yet ...' Cуровую looks thoughtful for a moment.

'It must get cold ... and at times lonely here though, even for such as capable and masterful a man as yourself.'

Hammy yes, but a girls got to do what a girls got to do.

Going to say this is a Bluff to reel the boy in 1d20 + 12 + 1 ⇒ (17) + 12 + 1 = 30

Ok, that may not be high enough to figure out why its cold, but I'm about to get an invite for cuddling with the magister. Yeah that's scary.

The Magister, having patted your hand, forgets to let go of it. He leads you around his laboratory, pointing with pride to various alchemical reagents and obscure bits of equipment. (He actually does have a complete, well equipped alchemical lab here. Compared to Zargo's Basement of Horrors it's a sixth grade science fair project, but by the standards of non-insane Talireans it's respectable.) Unfortunately, he doesn't go into much detail about what he's doing with all this stuff, but he does seem reasonably competent.

There is one interesting bit: a sturdy metal cauldron in which some liquid is slowly simmering. Magister Tacitus says it is "a very special piece of equipment, which I inherited from my own late departed master some years ago. It can keep a liquid at any temperature I desire, for as long as I desire!"

Yeaaah. That's. NOT. Creepy. At. All.

Hey, there was a cute guy. You drank wine and bantered and had foot rubs, remember?

The sad fact is, there are low Cha rolls out there, and someone has to eat them. The Magister's not even evil. Just a bit poorly socialized. In our universe, he'd be running a successful tech startup and vaguely wondering why his cool new car and l33t coding skillz weren't translating into more friends.

He just needs zargo or bref as his wingmen. He will be fine

It doesn't require a terribly high Sense Motive roll to see that the Magister is not interested in you for your brains alone. (Although to be fair, he is interested in your brains: you're smart and knowledgeable enough to be a receptive audience.)

That said, he has some reason to brag. Talingarde doesn't strongly encourage the study of the arcane arts, so there aren't a lot of wizards in the kingdom who can fly. And he has at least one point -- a flying wizard with a fireball wand is definitely a major tactical asset for the fort.

"Yes, it does get cold. There's a reason for that. You see, I have a very special project... But I think that may be a bit, hm, advanced for an apprentice. Let's wait until your mistress arrives, shall we? When will that be, by the way?" Still holding your hand, he leans over the simmering stuff in the cauldron. "Just starting to crystallize. Needs another hour or two... Oh, but I am being a bad host! Are you cold?"

Within thirty seconds the Magister has (1) draped a woolen shawl across your shoulders, his hands lingering just a bit (it's obviously one he uses himself; it smells like him and is a bit threadbare, though warm enough); (2) poured you a glass of red wine ("or would you prefer some brandy, hm? No?"); and (3) cast a quick Flaming Sphere spell to warm you up a bit.

(That last is interesting. You know this spell, so you watch his casting with a well informed and critical eye. He's good. His gestures are smooth, his wording is crisp, and the resulting sphere is perfectly formed and gives a pleasant radiant heat. It's probably not actually any better than one of your spheres in terms of, say, killing someone. But it looks nicer.)

He just needs zargo or bref as his wingmen. He will be fine

Or Smoove.

Xenfal wrote:

He just needs zargo or bref as his wingmen. He will be fine

Or Smoove.

Shiver. What hell would that be?

Cуровую and the Magister

Cуровую accepts the kindness and hospitality offered by the magister politely.

'So very gracious a host, a gentleman and a scholar indeed. Were you stationed at Court you would long have been married away I am sure. Lucky me.' Demure smile.

'My mistress is a very gracious host herself, and actually has a preliminary gift for you my lord Magister'

'Cellia' brings out one of the fine bottles of wine she had taken from the fort itself but instead of its normal markings which have been removed, it is wrapped in a scroll of Minor Image.

'A small gift from my lady Sackville to the Arcane Champion of the north. It is her gift to you my lord, but I myself was tasked with finding a proper wine and penning this scroll. The Lady Sackville has many interests and obligations that keep her busy.'

Diplomacy 1d20 + 8 + 1 ⇒ (20) + 8 + 1 = 29 (plus possible bonus for the gifts?)

'If I may inquire my lord magister, what you are working on, forgive my curiosity, a trait my lady has taught me to cultivate, I am but an apprentice but have been schooled in higher formulas.

Xen I think I'm sexier than you right now.

Can you use Knowledge Arcana to talk about advance magical theory and higher level conjecture of arcane principles? In other words can Cуровую make herself sound smart?

pshaw

As Xen would say, 'don't hate the player.'

:)

Jax Naismith wrote:

If Jax can attempt a bluff check to hide a casting of detect magic to use on the magister, he will. He has a +9 modifier (Figure DM will want to roll).

Jax can you try for the commander or the gnome please? Cуровую will do the magister and cleric. If someone spots you, pretend to be part of the play OR simply cast it in the privy and come back.

Jax does that, on the gnome if possible.

This is... a lot of nat 20s, people.

Well. Zimu, convincing the Magister would be, let's say, a DC 25 Bluff and a DC 22 Knowledge [Arcana]. You can fail one check by up to 3 if you beat the other check by twice as much. (Wait, your Bluff is higher than your Knowledge [Arcana]? Hey?)

Bluff 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (18) + 11 = 29 Knowledge 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (11) + 10 = 21

we have our comeuppance coming

ah geez

Well. That nat 20 means the Magister REALLY likes you, and the Bluff/Knowledge means he's going to show you something. So: the Magister becomes very excited. "Prepare yourself, then!" With a convulsive gesture, he jerks the cloth aside.

You gasp...

'Cellia' brings out one of the fine bottles of wine she had taken from the fort itself but instead of its normal markings which have been removed, it is wrapped in a scroll of Minor Image.

Hmm. I'm a bit skeptical about you dragging the stolen bottle along on a visit to the Tower it was stolen from -- I'd say, if you were going to do that, you should have mentioned it up front.

The scroll of Minor Image, sure, no problem with that.

Also: did you just add +1 for Guidance? Because that's not on the menu.

More generally: you guys are getting a bit addicted to Guidance. It's a great little cantrip, no question, but it has limitations. It's a standard to cast, uses verbal and somatic (so it's obvious when Dren is casting it) and only lasts one minute. So, it's a bit situational -- you can't be all "Dren casts Guidance, I get +1" every single time you make a skill check.

Where were we... oh, yes.

It's huge.

Okay, it's large. About eight feet tall, to be precise. It's a roughly humanoid shape carved out of white ice. No ordinary ice, either; unnatural magical cold radiates away from it. It has limbs and a head, but no face; the front of its head has two bits of clear ice where eyes would be, but otherwise there's just a big hole.

"Isn't it magnificent? We found an old Triple Empire site on a long-range scouting expedition, fifty miles north of the Wall. It was half buried... an ancient guardian, I think. We had to dismantle it to get it back. Huge project. Huge. I'm still repairing the damage... but it works! Not fully functional yet, but it works!" Magister Tacitus glows with pride. "Soon I'll have it fully repaired. Imagine! What a defense for the Tower, hey? Invincible, invulnerable, immortal... Wait until they hear about this back at the Academy! Hah!"

Looking more closely, you can see the seams where the thing was taken apart and then put together again. The Magister has been very carefully refreezing it somehow, dripping combinations of ice and a magical brine solution.

He says the half-completed repair work has left it "not fully functional yet". You hope so. Because this thing looks tough as hell -- it's as big as an ogre, it radiates lethal cold, and there's something really disturbing and worrisome about that hole where its face should be.

At a signal from the Judge, Morsum goes to check the 5 smaller doors. If they turn out nothing, then he will check the north door. He will not proceed through the north door, just crack it open and look through.

1d5 ⇒ 4

Okay. The first three doors all open easily; they're unlocked. Inside each door is a simple 10'x10' room. The rooms are nearly identical: each one has a cot with a rough woolen blanket, a washbasin, a chest, and a small desk with a chair. On each wall there are a few hooks for clothing and a holy symbol of Mitra.

The fourth room has someone inside! 1d20 ⇒ 2

oh for goodness' sake.

Well, the person in question is deep in prayerful meditation. So deep that she doesn't notice the door to her cell swing open and Morsum's shadowy, misshapen head peering inside.

If you want to attack her, you totally get a surprise round. My poor NPCs all seem to be very inattentive today...

Despite Morsum's desire to taste the blood of a good cleric, the Judge instructs him no. This is not the time. Too great a risk.

Morsum continues his careful search.

What do I have left in this area? The big doors and the stairway?

making some Day 9 posts so they are ready

Xen rises early and heads out to scout the area around mama Kolos to see if he can find an empty warehouse or alley that deadends or something like that.

Seems like a take 20 situation if I head out at sunrise

What do I have left in this area? The big doors and the stairway?

Yep. You can express a preference, or I'll flip a coin.

Stairway - doors sound like holy land.

making some Day 9 posts so they are ready

Xen rises early and heads out to scout the area around mama Kolos to see if he can find an empty warehouse or alley that deadends or something like that.

1d100 ⇒ 58

Sadly, there is no empty warehouse or alley that deadends. There just isn't one. It's not that big a town.

There are a couple of houses that are currently standing empty -- perhaps the owners have just stepped out for a bit, or perhaps they're out of town for a while. Conceivably, you could try luring him into one (picking the locks should not be too difficult). However, be aware that (1) he's probably pretty familiar with the town, and (2) clerics do, it is true, tend to have high Wis and Sense Motive as a class skill. Just sayin'.

the Magister becomes very excited. "Prepare yourself, then!" With a convulsive gesture, he jerks the cloth aside.

You gasp...

Where is DM going with this!

It's huge.

That's what they all say.

Sounds fair to me.

Xen will have one of the houses picked open. for everyone to wait in.

I assume a take 10 on the lock picking should get me in.

Hmm. I'm a bit skeptical about you dragging the stolen bottle along on a visit to the Tower it was stolen from -- I'd say, if you were going to do that, you should have mentioned it up front.

Actually that was the plan long ago, even when it was Jax who found the original bottles, I have several posts in discussion thread about a plan I had for the wine specifically and PMs to him if you need that as proof and can post links if needed. Otherwise no harm, no foul as they say.

Also: did you just add +1 for Guidance?

No the +1s are from both

Cуровую's Lingering Presence

Which she cast before the play ended in the privy.

and from

Voice of Seven Sinful Submission (or as the Cardinal put it, Seven Primal Strengths)

In this case in character I am stroking his ego (pride) foremost, but also my flirting (lust) and using the wine for a little bit of (gluttony), finally the scroll as bait for knowledge (greed). Its normally a +2 trait but I put a +1 just to be fair and letting the roleplaying take over. Also Bluff is a class skill for Cуровую.

Going to school now, made myself late reading all the post, more Cуровую and the Magister in two hours.

To speed things along, let's see if you can make a DC 23 Knowledge [Arcana] check to see what that thing is. 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (17) + 10 = 27

...

Okay, well. It is an ice golem; you've heard of such things. But they're supposed to be more or less human-sized. This thing is over eight feet tall. So... some sort of large, advanced ice golem.

Unlike most golems, it's vulnerable to a few sorts of magic -- the ones that use fire, mostly.

"Right now it's in safe mode," says the Magister, "dormant, you might say. I've implanted a few simple default instructions: protect me and my possessions and this laboratory, protect itself from harm, that sort of thing. Otherwise it just lies there.

"But if danger were to threaten the Tower, I could rouse it at any time! Even with its repairs incomplete, it's still a formidable engine of destruction." The Magister gazes at the prone golem with paternal pride. "Of course, there has been no attempt against the Tower in almost fifty years. Still... wouldn't it be something! Fire and ice, hey? We'd show the monsters what for!"

Stairway - doors sound like holy land.

Okay. The spiral stairs go up to a door. You think you should now be at ground level -- same level as the Great Hall, but not in the central keep. The door is not locked and opens easily.

You are in a large hall, 30' by 40', with high ceilings arching up to 30' above. Large stained glass windows on the southern side will catch and color the sunlight most days, but at the moment everything is quiet. Quiet, but not entirely dark. A flame burns in a small dish at one corner of the altar. The flame is silent; you can't see what it's burning.

Just a few feet away from you is a large altar, obviously to Mitra -- an ornate sunburst is carved on its face, and another one hangs on wires from the ceiling above. Several rows of wooden pews face you. A large set of double doors stand shut, between the stained glass windows on the southern wall.

All around the walls stand statues of saints -- martyrs and healers and soldiers and mystics, holy men and women of all ages. The quality of the carving looks high (although Morsum is probably not the best individual to appreciate this).

Hearing that there is a row of statues and recalling the prophecy, and unsure whether the statues might react to Morsum's unnatural presence, the Judge instructs Morsum to retreat down the stairs and to check out the door with the large sunburst on it.

There's an ice golem. An advanced ice golem. Does DM remember we're level 4?

Only a problem if we fight it. Our goal is disable and get the bugbears in,

Cуровую and the Magister

'Cellia' is blinks for a moment.

'You are truly The Magister of the North! How extraordinary and unearthly!

How much longer before your creation is fully functional? How are you repairing it? What is is capable of?'

'Cellia' does not have to Bluff, she is truly impressed, she waives a hand demurely.

'Does it recognize me as your friend my lord?'