GM Kyshkumen's The Dragons Demand

Game Master Kyshkumen

1d20 + 1 ⇒ (14) + 1 = 15 vs. DC 19

Zilch drools, dreams, and dies.

Ooo-gene, longspears are x3. 1d8 + 1 ⇒ (3) + 1 = 4 additional damage.

A goofy smile creeps on Zilch's near-dead face, as if he had scored damage while he was unconscious.

Round 2, Init 15

Aodan moves to get as clear of a shot as possible from the door way.

Longbow: 1d20 + 6 + 1 - 4 ⇒ (5) + 6 + 1 - 4 = 8 Point Blank, Soft Cover
Damage: 1d10 + 1 ⇒ (9) + 1 = 10

Perhaps my next attack will determine the fate of Zilchus.

Davros swings at the bedbear again.

Attack: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (6) + 7 = 13

Eugene tries to keep the bear at bay

Longspear: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (4) + 3 = 71d8 + 1 ⇒ (2) + 1 = 3

Eugene, Davros and Aodan all attack the fiendish grizzly, but none succeed at striking a blow.

Round 3, Init 19

The bear continues to attack Eugene with it's teeth and claws.

Bite: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (10) + 7 = 17
Damage: 1d6 + 5 ⇒ (6) + 5 = 11

Claw: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (2) + 7 = 9

Claw: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (13) + 7 = 20
Damage: 1d6 + 5 ⇒ (1) + 5 = 6
Grab: 1d20 + 13 ⇒ (19) + 13 = 32

The bear bites into Eugene then sinks it's claws into him and pulls him in for a bear hug.

::::::::Round 3::::::::

22 Zilchus (@-9)
19 Bear (15 @grappling)
15 Aodan
11 Eugene (@5 and grappled)
10 Davros

Everyone is back up. Zilchus please continue dying for round three.

Round 3, init 11

hp 5/24

I'm in a hostile takeover!

His long spear being too unwieldy, Eugene drops it in favour of dealing an awkward whack with his heavy mace.

Mace: 1d20 + 3 - 2 ⇒ (12) + 3 - 2 = 131d8 + 1 ⇒ (6) + 1 = 7

1d20 + 1 ⇒ (11) + 1 = 12 Con check vs. DC 19

Zilch slips closer to unlife, a curling smile upon his face.

Zilch! Zilch! Slayer of Scales! Hero to all!

Round 3; Init 10

Davros finally gets the hang of the weight of his new toy and begins his dance, slicing at the engrappled bedbear.

"Hang on Zilchus... you can no die just yet..."

Attack: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (18) + 7 = 25
Crit Comfirmation: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (10) + 7 = 17
Damage: 1d6 + 5 + 2d6 ⇒ (4) + 5 + (4, 2) = 15
Crit Damage: 1d6 + 5 + 2d6 ⇒ (4) + 5 + (3, 2) = 14

Afterward Davros steps back and draws forth a wand from his belt.

Round 3, Init 15

Seeing Eugene enwrapped in a bear hug, the half-elf moves into the room to try and get a cleaner shot - and to be in a position to help Zilchus or Eugene. Hope that bear is unable to swipe at me as he's gripping the Contractor so tightly.

Longbow: 1d20 + 6 + 1 ⇒ (12) + 6 + 1 = 19 Point Blank, Precise

Damage: 2d6 + 1 ⇒ (5, 5) + 1 = 11 Gravity Bow

"Gotta potion, too."

Aodan plants an arrow in the bear as Eugene struggle against the bears strong grip. Then Davros steps in driving his scimitar home and unleashing a deadly jolt of electricity. The bear goes limp, releasing Eugene before it vanishes.

End of combat.

Aodan looks down at the kobold-slayer lying in a rather gory clawed and bitten mess. "Huh."

He will retrieve a potion and attempt to force-feed the bearded one. "Heladel said this works." The half-elf peers down, looking for any signs of reaction. "At least, uz-ally."

Cure Light Wounds potion: 1d8 + 1 ⇒ (2) + 1 = 3

Davros looks at his fallen companion and intones the mystical incantation necessary to activate the wand provided to him by his Mistress then touches the wand to Zilchus.

Zilchus gains Fast Healing 1 for 1 minute - 3 charges remaining.

The slow of the popping, burbling pockets of blood and drool from Zilch's mouth precedes the fluttering of his eyes and his eventual, slow return to standing. He spends a moment or two on his knees, feeling for his spleen and liver, making sure they are on the right of his knitting skin.

He uses is spear to push himself the last few inches so he can regain his feet.

"Wow. I never knew bedbears could hit so hard," Zilch mentions, checking to see if he has most of teeth. He looks at Davros and Aodan, who hold wands.

"Thanks. You two make good sidekicks," Zilch commends with an earnest smile.

1d8 + 1 ⇒ (1) + 1 = 2 healing
1d8 + 1 ⇒ (4) + 1 = 5 healing
1d8 + 1 ⇒ (1) + 1 = 2 healing
1d8 + 1 ⇒ (2) + 1 = 3 healing
1d8 + 1 ⇒ (6) + 1 = 7 healing

Back to full. Yikes. What a beatdown.

Eugene stands around looking shaken. I, for one, appreciate the expedient disembowelment of the fiendish ursine. I was exposed to severe negative longevity risk there.

Eugene then proceeds to heal himself up.

The CLW wand was communal, right, or is it just the possession of Zilchus? I forgot

HP 5/24
Healing (3 charges): 3d8 + 3 ⇒ (8, 1, 8) + 3 = 20
HP full

As the group heals up after the bedbear attack Davros takes a peak in the draw he opened, which may or may not have had something to do with the bear appearing. Inside the drawer is a set of keys and a gold ring set with a large black pearl.

"Eh, I found thees! I would bet thees is for the goatman cage." says Davros holding up the keys.

Zilch comes over to snatch politely remove the keys fromm Davros' hands.

"We should probably give these to ol' Mauler to wear around his neck as a reminder of what he done did," Zilch remarks.

"Pearl, huh? Anything of value in there? Food? Or maybe one of them books with the nudie drawsings of them nymphs?"

Zilch waits for others to finish looking and is ready to move on.

He spends his time examining the scars of the bedbear attack and wishing he was smarter about avoiding getting hurt. Realizing he *could* be smarter, he casts Barkskin on himself when the party is ready to move on.

Barkskin is only minutes per...wait this is Zilchus, nvm continue doing what you were doing.

Barkskin is only minutes per...wait this is Zilchus, nvm continue doing what you were doing.

Barkskin is 10 minutes per. And I certainly hope we can do the last two areas (looks like) in 30 minutes.

Aodan scans the recently risen one. Elves even bleed more elegantly than... "Sigh."

Once he sees Zilch back to his typical form, Aodan will move on. Chest? Desk? Wardrobes? We're only here looking for danger, but.... "Could be somethin' dangerous behind a lock, right?"

He will cast Detect Magic and take a look at the chest.
Perception: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (8) + 7 = 15

If he doesn't see any problems, he'll see if any of the keys open it, hoping nothing else is summoned to maul the others.

Aodan finds no magic on the chest and eventually finds one of the keys opens the lock. Inside he finds a bunch of coins and jewels, but it's not theirs to take.

A considerable addition to the assets of the late Hunclay. Eugene states, and signals his readiness to move on.

Aodan is ready to move on with the others (assuming to the door in the hallway by the spiral stairs). "Next door's gotta spell. Think it'll pro'bly scream."

He shrugs. "Don't see any other way to go now. Gettin' an expensive scroll from the Nachi Sisters might undo it, but don't know if a screaming lock is a problem..."

He looks at the battered state of Zilchus' outfit. "Course, I didn't think opening a drawer would matter."

"You could use the scroll, I suppose. But we could also beat down the door without opening the lock, maybe."

Zilch waits by the door, waiting for a decision to be made before he casts Barkskin.

Assuming none of the keys work on the door...

"Don't got the scroll now, would hav-ta go and buy it, so yeah..." (Aodan already used his Knock scroll on the cell door downstairs.)

"Unless I can pick it quickly, ya' could probably knock it down." If magic is screaming at me, I doubt I'll be able to concentrate to slowly, methodically, work the picks.

"Don't know how bad the shriek'll be, so... cover your ears?" He'll shove some wax or cloth in his ears, and if/when everybody is ready, he will try a quick pick...

Disable Device: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (1) + 4 = 5

...or not. "Crap."

One of the keys will unlock the door, however there is a magical trap that Aodan is unable to disable

To be more specific the door is no longer locked, but should someone open it, they will get hit with the scream thing.

Looks like the key worked but no way to disarm the trap.

"Eh, everyone go downstairs and I will treegar the trap. After a few minutes come up and check on me to make sure I am no dead."

Davros waits by the door until his companions leave the room.

An excellent effort to minimise overall damage to humanity! I can only applaud it! Eugene says, as he is ready to head downstairs.

Zilch nods at Davros' bravery.

"Oh yeah, that's a good plan. I'll come save you again if you need it," Zilch comments.

Zilch goes out while Davros does what needs to be done.

Everyone else heads down stairs, there is no loud screaming heard and eventually curiosity leads you back up stairs where Davros is wiping the blood from his ears and the door is now open.

After the screaming stops, Zilch returns up the stairs to check on Davros, healing him with the wand of CLW.

1d8 + 1 ⇒ (5) + 1 = 6 Healing

"Nice work, Darkrose. I see that my bravery and valor are rubbing off on you. You should totally make a footnote of your own deeds in the book you're writing about me," Zilchus appreciates.

When others are ready, Zilch will open up the door and go into the room if there are no obvious threats.

Taking a look at Davros, the half-elf grumbles to himself. I let a foreign slave take the brunt of the danger.

"Guess evil wizards can do nasty stuff with screaming."

Grumbling again at the treachery of the clearly learned and wealth man, Aodan draws his bow, ready to backup Zilch and the others.

In side the room two long tables of stained oak line the east wall of this room, each cluttered with alchemical supplies. Atop the desk on the west wall are writing implements, ink, sheets of vellum, and several scrolls. A large chest secured by a prominent lock sits just north of the desk.

Zilch struts into the room, all cocky-like (but for what reason, he's not sure why even he knows...it's just what heroes do).

"Anybody in here? Any maidens need rescuing?" Spasi enters and looks around.

1d20 + 8 ⇒ (10) + 8 = 18 Perception

There are 5 bottles or vials on the eastern desk. Along with some scroll that have some magical writing that maybe Aodan or Davros can read.

Seeing the lab-like environment, he narrows his eyes. "Anybody know anythin' 'bout Alchemy?" My Elven book might describe some of these items, especially if any are arcane, but the Qadiran might know more.

The half-elf will defer the arcane investigations to Davros, unless the easterner wants to hang back after taking the brunt of the "scream." I need to get more information on those types of dangers, especially if I'm going to continue to investigate evil wizards.

Aodan will move to the chest, scan it for danger, and see if any of the keys will unlock it, and try to open it (using a key or pick).

Perception: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (10) + 7 = 17 Look for traps.

If he spots a trap...
Disable Device: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (20) + 4 = 24

While I am barely versed in matters transmogrificational, I might be able to identify the nature of elementary concoctions, however slight the chance. Eugene says, as she takes the scent of the vials.

Perception to identify liquid (if any) in vials: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (12) + 2 = 14

"Nice work, Darkrose. I see that my bravery and valor are rubbing off on you. You should totally make a footnote of your own deeds in the book you're writing about me," Zilchus appreciates.

"Thank you for the aid, Zeelchoos," Davros says with a sigh. "I feel...better now."

Davros looks around the room and takes note of the arcane writing on the desk. He says a brief arcane incantation, blinks his eyes twice, and begins a cursory reading of the scroll.

Casts read magic

Davros finds a scroll of campfire wall, a scroll of excruciating deformation, a scroll of haunting mists, and a scroll of magic circle against chaos. Eugene is unable to identify what the bottles and vials contain, but he does three different potions and two similar vials.

Aodan checks the chest and unlocks the chest with a key. He can see nothing wrong with the chest and opens it. Only to have a loud shriek fill his ears.

While the noise fills the room, only Aodan seems to be truly effected.

"Eh, thees could prove most useful. Scrolls. Some good, eh, some no so good. One for securing a campsite, wonder why Meester Hunclay had thees, one for calling on the plane of shadow to conceal and, eh...eh, well strike fear into peoples. Thees one should prove most effective - a circle ward protecting against the, eh, outsiders. Oh, and thees one is bad. Eet is, eh, transforms people... painfully. Eet is no honorable way. Do we have the rights to keep these? I could copy some of these into my book, perhaps showing Aodan how to do so as well - that is if he has a book. I would no like to keep the bad one, but that is up to you all for the, eh, deciding." Davros says looking at Eugene.

Zilch addresses the glass bottles with his nose, sniffing and trying to puzzle out what they are.

Take 10 Perception = 18.

"I don't think we can take anything, Darkrose, except for notes on my heroic braveries," Zilch answers.

Fort: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (17) + 3 = 20

The half-elf's sensitive ears ring with another blast of shrieking from the evil mage. "Double crap."

HP 13/21

He shakes it off rather quickly, groaning just a bit with the ringing in his hears, but still able to turn back to the others. "Uhh, guess magical locks aren't my thing."

Pulling out the books. "Well, at least we know what he was hidin'."

"So, Eugene. Anythin' in the contract about writin' down what's here? I mean, I get that we can't take stuff, but copyin' isn't taking, right?" O.k., I may be stretching the spirit of the contract with that line of reasoning, but perhaps not. It couldn't hurt to ask the master of arbitrage.

He looks to Davros, gesturing to the scrolls and the books. "Maybe we can come back, ya' know, when we're done with the rest of the place?" Zilchus has some sort of enchantment cast upon him, otherwise I doubt anyone could pry me away from these tomes.

The promised update has been made to the campaign page. All spells recorded in the 6 spell books can be found under the spoiler Hunclay's spell books.

The contract prevents us from relocating any assets off-site without prior consent, but does not preclude copying any content, arcane or otherwise. The duplication of text is allowed under the contract, the integration of on-site writing implements into your personal spellbook is not allowed.

These vials I cannot identify by scent alone, so our cataloguing efforts should be marked with tentative entries..

Unless someone has an idea of where else to check before Zilch's spell runs out...

Aodan will take a good, close look around the room, making sure they don't miss anything in what appears to be the wizard's working chamber.

(Assuming there is time for him take 20 to notice anything else particularly interesting.) Perception: 20 + 7 = 27

Aodan does notice some notes in the margin of one of the spell books. Next to the listing for the secret page spell are four words Eox, Aucturn, Carcosa and Dominion. All but Dominion are crossed out.

I also forgot one last spell, it's special to this scenario so I'll put in a description on the campaign page. It's basically the spell for wall of light which is keeping the shae imprisoned in the basement.

The only place left to look is up the ladder back in the main room.

Zilch goes up the ladder in the main room.

Zilchus finds himself in a glass domed chamber with an enormous telescope that sits on a platform over a veritable sea of metal gears. An angled metal chair sits below this device, within reach of a cluster of pedals and levers that enable its occupant to perform adjustments to the telescope's orientation. Tables covered in books and charts occupy the southeast corner. The view of the surrounding skies afforded by the glass dome is breathtaking in its expanse.

The contract prevents us from relocating any assets off-site without prior consent, but does not preclude copying any content, arcane or otherwise. The duplication of text is allowed under the contract, the integration of on-site writing implements into your personal spellbook is not allowed.

These vials I cannot identify by scent alone, so our cataloguing efforts should be marked with tentative entries..

"So we can no take the scrolls or use Meester Hunclay's inks to inscribe, no? Hmmm." Davros says with a sigh. "Alright, maybe we extend the investigation until we are finished, with that, eh?

Davros watches Zilchus grow impatient. As Zilchus disappears up the ladder, Davros looks to his companions for guidance.

"Eh, there enough room up there for more, Zeelchoos?"