KC's Age of Worms

Game Master Kobold Catgirl

"They ran off." Farrukh says as he sets about making their shelter as comfortable as possible.

Survival: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (20) + 8 = 28

+4 if this counts as Underground.

Also, as someone who lived in Florida all his life, those rules are complete and utter bullshit. Given peasant HP totals just sitting in the shade or inside on a day when the AC went out would result in mass waves of death across the state every summer. Those rules are absolutely ludicrous. The heat is uncomfortable, but not especially so at 90-100 degrees unless you're working yourself like a dog in the full sunlight. And even then, if my out of shape ass can put in a good 8 hours of work in that heat without collapsing, why can't our characters? /rant

Dammit, KC, stop ignoring the laws of causality! I have someplace to be a couple of hours ago!

"Black crown, armor covered with skull and scythe motifs, the spire had a black monolith on top of it... I'm going to go with 'sinister'." Eben rubs his cheek again. "Wow, if that was just a few seconds worth of vision, I hate to see what the side effects of a longer one are. I've got a hot red burning on the side of my face." He pauses. "Plus it made my eyeballs all spikey too."

Astraden watches the spawn escape, frowning. "Probably running off to their parent."

"By speaking Flan, I think you triggered the spiritual memory of this place. Some portion of those thousands you saw have remained here in the ruins. Though, what kind of event could cause that? Mass trauma? Related to Kyuss' apotheosis?"

She looks down towards the ruins, then fishes out her mithral dagger and hands it to Cuetzpalli. "It's not much, but in case you get into a tight space with a vampire, do you want to borrow this?"

Carina moves to help Farrukh set up the team's shelter. "We're working on that--found ourselves a cellar of some sort. Don't mind the roots!"

You're from Florida?

*Edges away*

In seriousness, I'm more using the rules for consequences than the rules for specific temperatures. It's a rainforest, and an especially harsh one (you also have no cover from the sun out here, and it's not a "perpetual overcast" situation). That said, your character could walk around in heavy armor for a whole day and probably just come out of it slightly annoyed. You have the most useful feat—Endurance!

While the group looks for a base, Cuet continues to speculate. "Well, in that case, maybe that was his apotheosis....You know, like the beginning of it. Maybe he sacrificed all those people who were worshipping him to cross the bridge between mortal tyrant and death god. I still think he might not be the final evil though...it doesn't make sense that a demigod could end the multiverse when the full on evil gods haven't managed that yet."

"Maybe they're all too afraid that Kord will wrestle them all if they try it? And Kyuss is too crazy to believe it?" Farrukh says, tongue planted firmly in cheek.

So above ground is severe heat, then? Fortitude saves every 10 minutes as opposed to per hour? Damn, would we be the wussiest adventuring group ever if we all carried parasols around?

Cuetzpalli completely misses the kettites sarcasm. "Yeah...maybe you're right," he says thoughtfully. Kord could totally wrestle them all....probably even blindfolded.

Feeling a trickle of sweat drip down his crack, Cuetzpalli shifts uncomfortably in his armor. He mutters in old suel, tracing a rune on his chest, a moment later he feels much more comfortable.

Casting endure elements on myself.

The time anomalies are thick tonight.

Knowledge (religion): 1d20 + 13 ⇒ (2) + 13 = 15Booo why didn't I take 10

"Iunno, not all evil gods want the universe destroyed. Like, Nerull? Basically just a force of nature. Hextor? Loves fighting too much to give up existence. Iuz just wants to rule the world or whatever."

1d100 ⇒ 44

Perhaps leaning on advice from the local jungle expert, Cuetzpalli, Farrukh is able to cut away the roots and clear out a little space where everyone can sleep. It's cramped, but well-ventilated. Anything in particular you want to specify in crafting this shelter?

4 iron golems at each entrance to stand guard?

Settling down into the new shelter, Astraden uses pieces of root to make a rough map. "So the vampire spawn ran off that way. We could follow them, try to find who they report to. Or we could ignore them, lay down the magic on ourselves, and go up to the spire."

A "chair" made of roots for the guard would be nice, near a small "window" to see out of (or a slatted curtain). A priority is making it hard to see into from outside (ideally it would appear overgrown and still abandoned).

Remember, you're making this shelter underground in the cellar. But a window and chair are both possible (Survival: Craft: Carpentry, Knowledge:Engineering, Knowledge:Nature, and Perception all in one really cheap package!), and you can disguise it to be harder to spot.

Golems are trickier. You got a dozen caster levels, a feat, and a few thousand gold to spend on materials at the local Convenient But Strangely Placed Magic Market?

Maybe some day my children will have these things you speak of.

In retrospect, we should have invested in one of those magic items that makes extra dimensional hideouts. Or maybe just rope trick.

Eben unfurls his bedroll and lays it out, claiming a spot on the newly root-free floor, then begins emptying some of the heavier camping items out of his backpack. "Might be worth checking out the Spire to start with. Don't know if we should go inside, though, til after we deal with whatever is making baby vampires out here. Because it could be nasty if we go exploring, get all messed up, come out to heal and rest, and find a vampire army just waiting outside for us..." He looks at the iron cooking pot he's been carrying around ever since the Dourstone mines. "I don't even cook. Why do I still have this?" He tosses it out of the cellar. From his quiver, Forzamele comments, "Congratulations. I am sure some future archaeologist will enjoy the confusion of finding an anachronistic artifact..."

"Maybe we'll be even more famous by then. The pot will be a valuable reminder of the heroes who saved the Oerth."

"So it's up the spire next? I think it might be worth scouting more of the ruins first. If there's vampire spawn out there they've got to be feeding on something."

"Yeah, let's scout around the spire, then go vampire hunting." Astraden turns Farrukh invisible and strengthens her constitution, in case the group does run into trouble.

Invisibility on Farrukh and bear's endurance on myself.

Carina hands off an extract of false life to Farrukh before he turns invisible. "Good luck!"

Are we just sending Farrukh out to scout or are we all going?

I thought we were all going.

"We should stick together in any case," Cuetzpalli suggests. "Don't want another doppleganger incident." He tries not to, but glances suspiciously at Eben anyway.

Cold, man.

Alright, are we sneaking in, or marching in?

Marching. Only a couple of us even have ranks in stealth.

"We should stick together in any case," Cuetzpalli suggests. "Don't want another doppleganger incident." He tries not to, but glances suspiciously at Eben anyway.

...what, EVERYONE wants to give the bard a slap today?

Farrukh will go stealthy stealth though.

Eben doesn't respond to Cuetzpalli's comment, but quickly turns away and busies himself unloading all his nonessential gear. Over the clatter of his mess kit being pushed around on his bedroll, attentive ears hear a vague snuffling sound. A few minutes later he says, in an oddly louder than needed voice, "OKAY I'M READY," and leaves the shelter with his head down and markedly avoiding eye contact with anyone.

Outside he takes a few deep breaths and casts moment of greatness and good hope over the group.

Even Cuetzpalli.

And then boosts his own reflexes.

Cat's grace lasts 90 rounds, good hope lasts 89 rounds, moment of greatness lasts 88 rounds.

I thought we'd hold off on the buffing until we moved onto the spire but vampire spawn means vampires and vampires are serious business.

Tanith collects the enchanted pearls his friends had purchased and chants a prayer. "Mighty Kord, grants us the courage to face whatever horrors call this place their home and the strength overcome them."

Anyone that bought a Pearl I and wants it gets a +3 morale bonus to saves for 100 minutes.

Cuetzpalli winces after he sees his comment's effect on Eben. Think before you speak, you dolt! He hangs his head in shame, but doesn't trust himself to talk anymore for the moment. He simply follows the others, ready for battle. He gives Eben a thankful look and nod for the spells.

Of course, it is still daylight out, and as KC mentioned, there's no shade in the city-valley, so vampires might not be an immediate concern.

Eben hands off his pearl to Tanith, happy to take the upgrade to his defenses.

Chugga chugga choo choo all aboard the +saves train.

Drew a line on the map, I suggest we scout along it.

Kord's conviction comes with an urge to push out one more set, a desire to wrestle various large inanimate objects, and an absolute confidence that 'you could take him'.

Kord's conviction comes with an... an desire to wrestle various large inanimate objects....

I'm going to have animate object someday, I could make this happen for you.

Hurray! Tanith actually gets summon monster as a SLA in a couple letters. Those poor summoned monsters won't know what hit them.

The party executes its wide spiral around the ziggurat.

Perceptions: 1d20 + 19 + 2 ⇒ (17) + 19 + 2 = 381d20 + 7 + 2 ⇒ (1) + 7 + 2 = 101d20 + 14 + 2 ⇒ (15) + 14 + 2 = 311d20 + 16 + 2 ⇒ (14) + 16 + 2 = 321d20 + 12 + 2 ⇒ (2) + 12 + 2 = 161d20 + 13 + 2 ⇒ (10) + 13 + 2 = 25

When they come to the southeastern corner, they turn to the circle. A thick, thirty-foot-high wall of obsidian rings the heart of Kuluth-Mar. The ring is featureless except for eldritch symbols that cover the upper rim, each of which glows as if lit from within by molten rock. The runes can be barely made out from the ground by one who knows the language of magic.

For the record, the simple process of getting over the wall isn't a problem, in light of your rope of climbing and related abilities. I'm pausing here merely to see how you want to approach the wall itself. Don't worry about Climb checks and such.

Take 10, and assuming someone transkates.

"Wow, that's a lot of obsidian. So anyway, we should just leave, right? This is the part of the story where the bumbling 'heroes of prophecy' end up causing the catastrophe they came to stop, I think. Can anyone tell if those runes are still working?"

"You guys know what that says? Think it's safe to climb over?" Cuetzpalli asks when he sees the glowing script.

Eben translates the Draconic script for the benefit of anyone who doesn't speak the language. "Kyuss forever bound." Then he gets a thoughtful look on his face and, recalling his last accidental discovery when speaking an ancient language in the vicinity, repeats the phrase in the actual tongue of Draconic. "Kyuss mahfaeraak gro."
"Your accent could use some work," says his bowstring.

KC: was the obsidian wall present in my vision?

Whether it's because of the accent or simply there being no underlying memories those words would trigger, nothing happens.

Good question, Eben. No, it was not.

"Well, the runes are still glowing, so... something about them is still working..." Eben offers. "I don't know what they do if you touch them. Man, there's never a pig around when you need one... And for what it's worth, assuming my vision was accurate as to what the city looked like thousands of years ago... this wall wasn't here then."

"Well....maybe we should just risk it then? It seems there's no way in but over."

"Hmm. Something the other guy used to do, was . . ."

Astraden begins praying, holding her holy symbol. "Olidammara, daj mi je saveznik vašem izboru, ali ona koja će me pomoći ovde," she entreats in Rhennee, releasing her mask at the end and fanning out her fingers. Suddenly, right on top of the wall appears an emaciated skeleton wrapped in tight, slimy leather.

Should the thing not immediately be vaporized, Astraden tells it, "Ti vrísketai páno apó ton toícho? Chrisimopoiíste stealth kai na dierevnísei. Anaforá méso tilepátheias."

Summoning a babau with summon monster v. Hopefully we'll trigger an encounter with this so I don't mostly waste the slot.

Babaus are one of my favorite things to summon. Spam dispel on everything!