Mangroves of the Desert (Inactive)

Game Master Herkymr the Silly

Quinten nods at Mang. I'll try. Can you keep Graghhh talking? If he lived among dragons, as he claimed, he should be accustomed to enchantments. I doubt the amulet alone accounts for the fog he's under.

As Quinten takes the two gems and studies them, he hears a voice speaking in his head and smiles. It's an honor to meet you, bard. Can you read my thoughts, or must I speak out loud for us to converse?

Standing to the side, Shadara starts looking through the rest of the stuff that is deemed safe. She pulls aside the coin for division and the food stuff she opens and checks before discarding it as no longer good. She is obviously listening as her hand never leaves her bow as she works.

Forgive me, but I must say something to Mang. He may have come across as aggressive, but he was only trying to protect us from dark magic that likely killed two of our companions, and he was acting on my suggestion. Besides, I can't lie to a friend.

Quinten nods at the warrior. You were right that there is an intelligence inside the gems. It's old, so I'm hoping it knows forgotten truths about the oracles and the weapons they helped create.

Hopefully, that is vague enough to protect your identity but informative enough to satisfy Mang's curiosity.

We are allies to the dragons, the sentinels, the Witches of the Covenant, and the more benign oracles. You have no reason to trust me, but I hope you will in time. For personal reasons, all of us are fighting the villains behind the storms. If you know how to unlock a storm bow's power, what that power accomplishes, and when to use it, please tell us.

You were able to speak to it? That's good! You should hold onto it then.

Mang Fu Ha Saan then looks back to the scarab.
Now what do we do with this one...
He looks at it again with detect magic to see if the scarab was merely being controlled by the amulet, or if it does indeed have an evil presence of its own.

Shadara seeing Mang's collapse moves twards him to check on him. As she gets close she crosses between the cscarab and the druid. Suddenly the rune on her head flares and the scarab is throw across the room and so is Shadara. She finds herself sitting on the floor against the far fall with the scarab on the opposing wall. The scarab is now obviously cracked down the center

Graghhh, grab Shadara and get her out of the room!

The teacher reaches for the dog that hangs around his neck, then reconsiders, picks up a half-empty glass of water from the table and dumps it on Mang's head. Let's hope that wakes him quickly.

Quinten looks at Graghhh. Is he lucid enough to understand what I said?

Quinten takes the half-empty glass of water from the table and dumps it out on Mang Fu Ha Saan's head. It splashes over his face but the man does not stir, he remains unconscious.

Well, I'll add "dumping water on someone's face" to the long list of things that work in plays but not in real life.

Quinten grabs Mang and drags him slowly toward the door. Come on, big guy. That scarab is attracted to your magic, so we need to get you out of here.

The teacher looks at the scarab, noticing that it is cracked. Did whatever magic Shadara possesses break it or merely damage it? Is it moving?

The scarab seems to be twitching now but not moving forward much. It is as if the reaction it had to Shadara has muted it some how.
Shadara shakes herself putting her head to on her hand feeling her now glowing sigil. Then seeing that Gragggh is still not with things, walks over quickly and slaps him. It brings him to his senses. "move fool!" she says as she grabs his arm and push pulls him away from the scarab and towards the door.

Quinten sighs as he finishes dragging Mang through the door. As he shakes the warrior, hoping to wake him, he looks at Graghhh. That scarab reacts to magic. Mang is a druid, I'm an occultist, and Shadara is a...woman with unusual gifts. Do you have any magic on you beyond the armor spell I cast earlier? If not, you may be the best person to destroy the scarab.

Graghhh, coming fully to his senses with the slap from Shadara, takes a look at the beetle and his mind begins to move like a machine starting up after a long period of disuse: slowly at first but then with increasing speed and efficiency.
Get out of the room! I'll see what I can do about destroying it. It must have had some control over me.
He quickly motions to the others to retreat through the door. He even gives Shadara a bit of a "helping hand" with a slight push to get her moving.

what are you doing graggh?

It isn't exactly the same, but the concept is similar. I've seen something that magical like this before. Get all magical items away so it doesn't feed off the energy.
Graghhh finds an empty flask and cuts off a piece of cord. He sets his bag just outside the door and scoops up the scarab with it. He then winds it around the scarab.
If this is like what I've dealt with before, then we need to keep it separated from all magical sources, but don't go too far away, in case it isn't the case.
The wings and legs are pull tight to the body, as though the beetle were a real, living insect.
Graghhh scoops it into the flask and puts the cork in it.

The room now seems barren of all threat or immediate threat. Piles of the items some tainted and some clean are still n the floor in the center of the room.
I donot have the specific list of their gear if you want something please go to their character sheets and let me know what it is you want then we;ll talk

Quinten watches Graghhh put the scarab in a glass bottle and nods. A practical solution. The glass won't stop the scarab from regaining power, but it will slow its recovery and limit its actions if it wakes up. We could have tried to destroy it, but that might have released the magic it retains.

Quinten pauses to address the gems. Yes, there is another storm bow. If you don't mind, I'll explain our plans verbally. That way, Graghhh can hear as well. He's new to our group.

I'm glad you decided to join us, Graghhh. I should distrust you given where and how we met, but for reasons I cannot explain, I feel you were placed in our path for a reason. I'm sure your experience navigating the Shadow Plane's dangers will be of value to us.

Give me a few moments to wake Mang, and I'll explain what we're about. The teacher kneels next to the droid and touches the wooden dog around his neck. Brown Dog, bring this man the energy and vigor the beetle drained from him.

A faerie made of fire appears above Mang, offering a fraction of its energy to the druid. Let's hope this works. I'm no healer, and most of my magic is too bound in human emotions and memories to be of use to him. But one of the basic elements of nature might be.

Quinten is using the last point from his conjuration implement to summon a fire elemental in the hope Mang can absorb magic from it.

The teacher looks at Graghhh. I don't know how long you've lived in this world, but it was once a more beautiful place. Then the storms came, brought on by an orc wizard named Kharif. They traversed the world, turning forests, lakes and mountains into inhospitable deserts.

Eventually, several groups banded together to create wards to halt the storms' advance. These groups included the druids who now maintain Fifth Port's groves, the Witches of the Covenant, the Oracles of the Elements, and the Sentinels who were entrusted by the dragons to act as mediators between nations that might otherwise go to war.

These wards keep Fifth Port safe from the storms, but they are weakening. Kharif must be stopped before their power fades completely.

Kharif has at his disposal two groups. The first is the Order of the Eternal, an ancient group of mercenaries led by a house of the immortal vampires known as the Infected. The second is the Yellow Scorpions, a band of ruthless criminals led by a woman named Nella. He may also have ties to the Copperhead Conglomerate, a local merchant's guild that often puts wealth ahead of any other concern.

Kharif is both opposed and assisted by a rakshasa whose name I do not know. But the creature is powerful. It claims credit for killing Mang's people, who were tough mountain dwellers and peerless warriors, and Shadara's, the cunning elves known as the Beldeni.

Ultimately, we serve the dragons, the powerful creatures who created this world and insisted that its people live in peace and harmony. There are others who serve them that are far stronger than us, but they're also magnets for attention. Hopefully, we can go places they cannot.

If Richard had survived the maze, I would have told you that we would be leaving Fifth Port to journey to ruins that might shed light on his past, for he is a man from a time before the storms, cursed to be hunted for secrets he could not recall. He is dead, but we must still journey to Mang's homeland. By speaking with any survivors of the attack on his people, we may be able to gain information on the rakshasa that can help us fight him.

More importantly, we must seek the Oracle of Water. Fifth Port is ruled by a triumvirate whose members hold wildly opposed views. The daughter of the sole champion of good among them is dying from a disease the Oracle alone can cure.

We must save her. Fifth Port cannot afford to lose one of its brightest lights to grief and loneliness. With refugees pooring in and selfish but powerful men scheming to advance their own ends, that could be fatal for this city, one of the last settlements of man.

Before we go, I'd like to visit my father to retrieve a book that might help us unlock the power hidden inside Shadara's bow. It is for that weapon that we braved the thieves' labyrinth and both Richard and Jerram gave their lives. It may not look like anything more than a finely-crafted bow, but it is a storm bow, one of the objects created by the Oracles, the Witches of the Covenant, and the Sentinels to fight the storms.

Quinten stops. I can go into more detail as we travel, but we need to move quickly. So far, we have been fortunate that the rakshasa believes he can woo Shadara to his side by making our lives inconvenient. Once he realizes that will never happen, we might have to face real bounty hunters. Though Fifth Port is my home, I would rather face that danger in the opens sands, where we can marshal every resource at our disposal without fear of harming innocents.

The teacher grasps the wooden dog that hangs around his neck. Let's hope some Scorpions brave the sands to catch us. They will pay for stripping my home of my father's artifacts, my mother's manuscripts, and my grandfather's paintings.

Graghhh, I wrote a post early last year summarizing the game for Richard. Since then, we visited Quinten's father to get the books. However, while talking with him, we were attacked. We dispatched the attackers, but the guards arrived and arrested us. Fearing that her bow would be confiscated while we were in captivity, Shadara gave her pack to a halfling guardswoman the other guards seemed to mistreat. However, rather than taking those items to the Linder Lost, the inn where we're staying, she gave them to the thieves. Most of the party went to the thieves' guild to retrieve Shadara's bow, but Mang stayed behind to study combat with Vitras, an ancient vampire who has long protected Fifth Port.

awesome summary of situation. Thanks.

Quinten addresses the amulet. How many storm bows would we need to disperse a storm? And is Wintrel the dragon that betrayed the others, or a man?

Awakening with a gasp Mang Fu Ha Saan returns to consciousness by Quinten's efforts. He returns to his feet and thanks the teacher for his aid. He listens to the synopsis given to Graghhh about the current situation. What Quinten says is true, and I have something important to add. With the scarab contained and no longer posing an immediate threat he takes the group back inside the room, checking the halls to make sure nobody is lingering nearby he closes the door and turns to the group. Speaking in a whisper just loud enough for everyone to hear The demon's name is Tagre Nelvent Doloton. A tiefling near the grove named Erinessa may know more of it. We are also going to have a trusted companion of Mary going with us to see the Oracle, a Dwarf named Reven li'Minterv. Having said that he goes to the pile of items on the floor and gathers up everything that is still usable and not tainted by evil magic putting it all in a bag. We should make the necessary visits to find out more about our enemy and then leave as soon as we can make our preparations. We have only been here a few days and so many troubling events have occurred...

Quinten picks up Jerram's journal. If none of you object, I'd like to take this journal. If we survive, I'm planning to find Jerram's wife, give it to her, and tell her where he is buried. And to be honest, I'm curious what prompted him to go silent and cut himself off from touch. Perhaps his journal will have the answer.

Mang, as much as I would like more information on the rakshasa, it might be worth waiting to visit the tiefling scholar until we've got permission to attack him. If we go, we need to be discrete. I'd hate for our visit to be followed by one from rakshasa or his minions.

Of course, we may not get to choose when we engage him, and the information might help us interpret what we see in your homeland. I'm not sure what the right course is here.

You make a good point, perhaps it is best that we just leave immediately. We know the creature's name. Which gives us power over it if it appears before us again. Staying here any longer would probably just invite more trouble for us as you say. Let's gather what we need and go... Shadara? What do you say?

Yes lets be gone by tomorrow noon. Mary will give us room til then to make final preparations. I have some personal business to attend to and will talk with Mary about cleaning up the room. I will see you tonight here in this room. Graggh hold on to the scarab. turning Shadara walks out the doors and heads downt he hall to find Mary.

Quinten smiles at Shadara. You're back to making decisions. Good.

The teacher looks at the untainted items. We should take Jerram's bracers with us. When I tried to study them earlier, I got sick, so I suspect that like the amulet, they prefer to hide their true nature. They could be dangerous, but I doubt it; I got the sense Jerram had worn them for a long time. Either way, I'd rather they stay with us than circulate and potentially fall into our enemies' hands. Or harm someone innocent.

Mang, will you carry them?

Graghhh, do you have any way of heeling? If not, take the three curative potions. Mang and I both carry wands.

Consider taking the cloak as well. I could use it, but it'd take several days for me to learn how to tune out the psychic resonances. I didn't know Jerram well, but he was a strong-willed man.

Jerram wore them with no issue, and they give no evil aura, I will carry them as you request... Maybe they do prefer to hide their true nature as you say. He says looking at the bracers. Maybe... He puts on the bracers, waiting to see what effect they have and if they reveal the full extent of the magic they contain.
Certainly, I will take the cloak... Jerram was strong and noble as you say, his loss is a tragedy. We must honor him and continue forward.

Graghhh takes the curative potions with a nod and secures the flask with the scarab so it will not fall and break.
Let's go, and quickly. I don't have magical abilities, but I don't need them to feel the evil lurking all around us. I am not tied down to anything at the moment, so let our journey take us where it may.

I'd say I wish I shared your freedom, Graghhh, but that would be lie. As much I look forward to leaving Fifth Port and seeing the outside world, I'm glad I have a home, however diminished, to come back to.

Of course, that is assuming I survive. If I don't, I have a favor to ask you two: If you can do it safely, take my grandfather's wedding ring and my glasses and deliver them to my father at the Academy. He'll find a place of honor for the ring, and give the glasses to someone who needs them.

Quinten holds up the two gems the amulet hid. Graghhh, if I fall, you should be the one to carry these. You're clever enough to keep them safe and out of our enemy's hands. So is Shadara, but she already has a storm bow. If she gets captured, tricked, or killed in a situation where we can't retrieve her body, we'll lose both.

Quinten, I wish that I could say that it is a freedom, but it is more of a prison than you realize, not having kin or community. Yes, I would do that for you, but I hope that I do not have to.

Hopefully, you'll find a community here. Fifth Port can be a cruel place, but if you know where to look, it can also be friendly and fun.

The teacher glances at the items the party recovered from Jerram and Richard. I hope you don't have to either, but it's a possibility we should all consider and plan for.

Quinten divides Richard's gold into four piles with 166 pieces. I don't know much about the lands outside Fifth Port, but I imagine they still accept gold. We should each carry some. I'll give the fourth pile to Shadara when she returns.

Shadara's pile contains the golden tetrachs. My half-sister seems to appeal to people with power. If we're lucky-or perhaps unlucky-enough to meet one of the alchemists who created the tetrachs, she may be able to get a bigger favor with them than I can.

The teacher glances at Mang. I hope the bracers are as harmless for him as they appeared to be for Jerram.

a small zing of energy rushes up your body as the bracers are place on.

A tentative knock on the door occurs and then one of the maids enters. Shadara said there was things that needed cleaned up in here? She enters and seeing the pile of useless things that appear damaged she pauses only long enough for a head nod of confirmation before taking them away.

Quinten, thank you for explaining that to me. I am somewhat aware of what has happened here. Although I have been away from the Plane of Shadow for a long time, I have been mostly confined to the mines where I was able to find work. I was forced to leave and have recently ended up here in Fifth Port and cannot return to where I was before, but didn't know all that you have told me.
Then to all and to none in particular he says: Hurry. Take what you need to and let's get out of here. If Quinten's fears are founded in any bit of truth, then we could be in terrible danger. I don't have time to explain, just let it be enough for me to say that I witnessed horrible things when I was fleeing for my life and we need to take care of whatever we can as quickly as we can or Fifth Port could end up nothing but a crater in the middle of the desert.
Some of Graghhh's color has drained from his face, if that is even possible. He has taken on a more serious tone and appears to be lost in thought, but is obviously anxious and has moved to the door following the sudden appearance and quick retreat of the maid.

Quinten, thank you for the summary. I have intentionally not read much from before I came into the story, but I think you gave me enough to help me continue to make my part realistic but not meta game. Also, the other summary is quite useful, too!

It was my pleasure. I wish my summary of events had a less dire tone, but we must deal with the world as it is, not as we'd like it to be.

The teacher frowns as Graghhh mentions witnessing horrible things. I suspect revisiting the horrors you saw will be unpleasant, but if it is likely we'll encounter them, please tell us what you can as we travel. I'd ask you to tell us now, but I don't want to put you on the spot.

For now, I'd suggest we get some rest. Assuming Jerras has finished buying our supplies, we'll have a long day tomorrow.

Yes, we should leave at first light Mang Fu Ha Saan bids the group farewell until the morning and leaves. He goes about fetching a pot with some soil in it for a plant. He searches his pack for a small pouch of seeds that he kept with him of a common, hardy species of plant. He plants the seed and uses some druid magic to grow it into a reasonable size. He then takes it to Marry, and gives it to her requesting she keep it in her library. Please keep this in your library. It will prove useful when we return to Fifth Port. And please let Reven know we leave at first light.
Finished with what he set out to do he returns to his room to rest and meditate on what Vitras had taught him.

Quinten frowns as Mang mentions first light. I'd still like to visit my father, but he's probably right that we should leave early. The quicker we leave, the less likely we are to encounter bounty hunters.

The teacher addresses Risnel. I'm supposed to retrieve a book from my father called The Sentinels' Use of Artifacts and Why They Tell Us Who They Are, but the last time I visited him, we were attacked. Are you familiar with the book? If so, can you relay what it contained as we travel?

After Shadara talks to Mary she retires to her room. Even with the events of the day swirling thru her head, she quickly falls asleep. She awakens about an hour before first light, packs up her gear and belongings, then heads to the common room.

The common room looks like most taverns the morning after a busy night, a patron snores softly in a booth and a bleary eyed serving girl mechanically goes thru the motions of cleaning up the place for the days business. Shadara moves to a corner booth away from others and orders breakfast.

Why did my sigil glow last night? I wish that Mary had been more helpful when I asked her. Oh well, we need to get moving today and I have to figure out what to do with this goblet from Rakshasa.

Unconsciously as she orders her thoughts she begins rubbing the stone on the necklace that came with her bow.

The stone warms under your rubbing and then slowly ebbs in color

I know little of the book itself but of the author he was rather a bore. I am sure this Marry or someone connected to her could go get the book from your father if you were to ask or atleast if you trusted them. Risnel projects to Quentin. I do know that the reason I tell people who I am is that it makes it easier for them to see me as a "person" and then they actually do like you are and treat me reasonably.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
I will assume that the morning and all goes fine and it reaches the designated time to leave.
----------------------------------------------------------------------

AS you enter the private dining room, Jerras looks you over and nods. His eyes settle and firm somewhat anxious and almost angry on GRaggh before moving on. Here are the requested supplies. I have also made arrangements to get you out of fifth port aboard a small caravan. You will be concealed in the back of several of the wagons until you are several miles out side the city. Your charge will be with Shadara as well. I am going to assume,Shadara, that you vouch for this fetchling.? looking at Graggh Jerras continues, Your father is moving faster than we expected and so his Karif. We need your charge healed and returned as soon as you can get her back. It has come tot he knowledge of the Rakshasha that she has been injured and he hunts her now. He must not get her of course. DO you have any questions for me before you depart?

Quinten looks tired when he enters the dining room. He frowns as Jerrass emphasizes the word "fetchling," but stays silent. Jerras is my friend, but he is no saint. I can't fault him for having a prejudice I share, though I try to look beyond it.

If Shadara is my half-sister, the rakshasa can't be Shadara's father, as Jerras is implying. But I can't bring that up without revealing my father's secret.

The teacher glances at Shadara. Let's see how she replies. Hopefully, that'll tell us how calm and collected she is today.

Although it is the natural response from strangers, Jerras' stare still hits a nerve for Graghhh. He doesn't allow himself to show any of his emotions, though. He internalizes his feelings and remains stone-faced.
To further hide his thoughts, he finally moves with his back toward Jerras, seeming to be making preparations with his bag.

Thank you for getting all of these supplies and securing a route out of town for us. I know that the increase in events over the last few days is putting us all on edge. Be at ease, Jerras, Graghhh is a unique individual who has already proven most helpful in our common goal of staying alive. I am confident that he will be a great asset to the team, and at the same time he knows we are all keeping an eye on each other as we all continue to earn each others trust.

As shadara is speaking, she watches Graghhh and when he looks at her, she nods to him as a show of respect. She then turns back to Jerras.

Did mary have any parting words for us? Do you have any bits of advice or warning for us? We also need to know where we are meeting this caravan and how are we to know that it is them and not a group of scorpions posing as them?

Marry's parting words are like mine..be safe and return. You will meet the caravan outside the druids grove where it meets the fifth port wall. Divi the halfling druid will meet you here and you will trail him to the grove. He will meet the leader. You will stow away in the back under the cargo in holds that have been built until you get out of fifth port for atleast two days. That should put atlwast enough distance for you to be relatively safe. Just take care even when you come out.We think that all n the caravan have been checked as loyal but we may have missed someone along the way .
Take the painted one to he mountains and find the oracle. Seek information about Mangs tribe if you want while you are gone. Hurry though if it is discovered and you are stopped with the painted one outside the city our government would be in chaos." Jerras paces the room as he talks. {b]I have also discovered this [/b] He pulls out a pair of gloves. These gloves are of fine craftsman ship but unfortunatly are made from dragon skin. these are another storm bow. Mang these are for your use and for you to protect. keep them safe they are another means to fight back against the storms.

I've heard that each storm bow has a specific function that complements the others'. Do you know what purpose these gloves serve? For that matter, how is Shadara's bow supposed to fight the storms?

I hope I'm not giving away Risnel's identity with my questions. I've studied enough that I'm hoping Jerras and the party will attribute my knowledge to other sources.

Each bow had a different purpose. I believe the gloves allowed one to manipulate the flows of magic once you were in the storms to "tear it apart" kind of like a massive dispel only of artifact stregnth. It was only supposed to work once inside the storms though and had to be linked with another. I don't remember what the other was though. Jerras states

Thank you Jerras for your help, and your trust. We will be vigilant and cautious with those that we interact with. Shouldn't Divi be here shortly for us to get on our way?

Shadara pauses for a second, then almost reverently speaks again.
Having a second Storm Bow with us is both a gift and a curse. Thank you for your trust in us to gather these two powerful items in the same group. We will all work to protect them.

mang??

Taking the gloves from Jerras he puts them on his hands and looks them over. I will protect these with all my strength... Strong Talon and I are ready to leave as soon as Divi arrives.