Megan's Other Legacy of Fire Game 1

Game Master Megan Robertson

Ablenaffener, there's only one that you can see in the rafters or the one that's busy... sucking blood... out of poor Tahlumilali. Who's getting dazed first?

I will daze the one that is sucking blood out of my companion.

Errr....what kind of modifiers are there to attacking him assuming I'm considered grappled so light weapons only.

Tahl brings his kukri to bare attempting to slice into the annoying insect currently gorging itself on his blood.

Attack: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (14) + 6 = 20

Damage: 1d4 + 4 ⇒ (4) + 4 = 8

Talahel fires another two arrows at the creature still flying in the rafters.

Attack #1: 1d20 + 4 - 2 ⇒ (3) + 4 - 2 = 5
Damage: 1d8 ⇒ 7

Attack #2: 1d20 + 4 - 2 ⇒ (11) + 4 - 2 = 13
Damage: 1d8 ⇒ 4

Count me as fan of the mini dragon. He's been a great addition!

Aurichalcum takes to the air, heading towards the rafters chasing down the beast Talahel is shooting arrows at...

Melee - 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (10) + 7 = 17
Damage - 1d3 - 2 ⇒ (2) - 2 = 0= 1 Non lethal AND POISON

Tahlumi, you find that your kukri is an excellent tool under these circumstances, especially as the beastly critter is dazed courtesy of Ableneffener's kind attentions, as well as being focussed on sucking your blood. You hack it to pieces without too much difficultly...

Talahel, you fire a couple more arrows then hold your fire as Aurichalcum launches himself into the air in hot pursuit...

As for you, Aurichalcum, you catch up with the flying creature, whose attention is fixed on the threat posed by the arrows, and twisting in the air manage to drive your stinger into it...

Critter's save: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (5) + 2 = 7... and it plummets to the ground.

All falls silent save the beating of Aurichalcum's wings in a confined space, and the drip of blood from Tahlumi's arm.

The winged hunter lands, holding himself regal and triumphant and cleans his stinger of the flesh and blood of his enemies.

After a brief moment he catches himself, and starts peering more carefully at Tahlu's arm... a flesh wound, or something more serious?
He shuffles forward for a closer inspection.

DM - if actual damage was done...
Cure Light Wounds - 1d8 + 1 ⇒ (5) + 1 = 6

Able picks one of the creatures up, seeing whether he recognizes them from his studies.

1d20 ⇒ 4
So a 10 if it's Kn: Nature or Arcana, a failure if it's anything else.

You think it's a stirge.

Tahlumi's arm has a puncture wound, which Aurichalcun heals without difficulty. However, I'd like a d100 roll from you please Tahl.

1d100 ⇒ 98

Able takes the remains of the winged creature, flapping it about and generally manhandling it. It appears as though he is attempting to grasp the aerodynamics of the ugly thing.

Flavor-bump!

"No no, it looked more like...this"

Aurichalcum does his best to mimic the flight by flapping his own wings in a fashion similar to the creatures for Able's benefit.

It's a bit difficult - but highly amusing to the onlooker! - for a pseudodragon to mimic the wing-beats of a critter that had FOUR wings.

Tahlumilali's arm seems fine, no trace of infection.

Where now, folks?

With the stirges defeated, Talahel begins to search the room. Perception 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (19) + 8 = 27

Perception - 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (5) + 6 = 11

Aurichalcum notes Talahel doing something productive and goes to join in the sensible activity, unfortunately he keeps pausing to help Able correct the theories of flight and has become distracted.

Talahel, you find a secret door in the southwest wall...

Auri stops clowning around immediately at Talahels revelation...

Able drops the carcass and moves towards the door eagerly. "Further levels! Perhaps some sort of answers to the mysteries of Theodephus and the great evil defeated here!" Able looks positively beside himself with excitement at the prospect.

Talahel frowns at Able and Auri's antics. "In my experience, things that people hide behind secret doors are generally kept secret for a reason. Let's proceed cautiously and quietly", whispers Talahel.

Before trying the door, Talahel carefully checks for any triggers for possible traps. Perception: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (15) + 8 = 23. If there is a trap in the door, he tries to disable it first before proceeding. Disable Device 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (15) + 7 = 22. If he does not see any evidence of a trap:

He slowly tries to open the secret door as quietly and carefully as possible. stealth: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (11) + 9 = 20

Aurichalcum slides catlike beside Talahel, ready to move into the darkness beyond...

Confident that the door is not booby-trapped, Talahel opens it cautiously. Muted light floods into the shadowy chapter house, as an overgrown garden is revealed beyond. It's a bit of a struggle to get the door open enough for anyone larger than a pseudodragon, as it's overgrown with vines and creeping weeds on the garden side.

Beyond, you see looming walls with no apparent doors enclosing a small roofless garden. Monks must once have come here to relax and contemplate the ways of nature, but any order they might have brought to the place all those years ago is almost impossible to notice now, as a wild cacophony of multicolored scrub plants and desert weeds have almost completely overgrown the space.

Map update - once in, you can see that there's another overgrown door in the opposite wall.

Siezing the opportunity, Auri slips inside the opening gap the minute it can afford him passage, on the other side he looks first for any cover to hide in, beforehe takes in the scene before him...

Perception: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (11) + 6 = 17 (Darkvision/Blind sense etc)

"Auri, be careful. I'll keep trying to get the door open wider so I can get in case you run into trouble."

Talahel continues to push harder on the door to make it wide enough for him to get through in case Auri runs into trouble.

strength 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (8) + 4 = 12

Able throws his shoulder into the door next to Talahel, but winds up looking more comical than helpful.

Aid Another to move the door: 1d20 - 1 ⇒ (20) - 1 = 19

Brute force prevails on the door and with a squeal of hinges and a ripping of vines it opens fully. Auri, meanwhile, is capering around in the undergrowth unmolested... nothing more threatening than a few fieldmice and some slightly larger rodents of the meercat persuasion.

Able immediately gets low to the ground and begins investigating the meerkat-like critters. "If only I hadn't squandered my magicks to speak to the baboons..." he quietly bemoans.

Able's a weird little dude to write for.

nothing more threatening than a few fieldmice ...

which immediately distract Auri from his current activity as his stomach grumbles and growls. A rapid pursuit entails.

If you want to hunt, Aurichalcum, I'll have a Survival check if you please.

The meercat-like critters have dark red fur with white bellies, but they 'stand up' on their rear ends like meercats do and look around with large golden eyes. They seem as fascinated by you, Ablenaffener, as you are by them, watching you and chittering amongst themselves.

With a feline pounce, Auri is off after a field mouse...
Survival 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (9) + 6 = 15

As he runs and ducks and weaves after his prey, he feeps an eye out for anything too dangerous, his sensibilities have not totally abandoned him.
Perception - 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (18) + 6 = 24

His chirping voice enters his comrades heads "It's safe in here, and theres some mighty rats need clearing out!"

Aurichalcum hunts mice with great success, catching sufficient to satisfy him for the time being. Aside from mice and meercat-analogues, and a couple of butterflies, there are no other creatures here, and the plants seem friendly with a few interesting smells wafting around.

OOC: Job interview tomorrow (Friday), not sure when I'll get online

OOC: Job interview tomorrow (Friday), not sure when I'll get online

Have fun storming the castle!

Could have sworn that I had already responded to this... Hope the interview went well!

Able looks about him in a sense of child-like glee. "The serenity of the place... the creatures that have come to exist here despite the man-made obstructions... truly, nature in all it's verdant glory finds a way."

Unfortunately a certain university failed to recognise the quality of what was being offered... oh well, more time for games!

Poking around, Ablenaffener, you find a spectacular tricolour pansy - vivid purple, orange and white petals on the same flower - as well as some herbs and spices which have medicinal and culinary uses.

"And now Desna has seen fit to bless us further!" He puts his small face right up next to the flower, getting as close as he can. "The number of auspicious omens continue to multiply!"

Where to now?

Where to now?

Good question, have we missed anything? search for any more secret doors now we have time etc...

You've been most everywhere this side of the monastery.

Here's the map again - the white bits are where you haven't gone yet.

Time to move on up that A13 area then methinks, and into the great white beyond :p

Let's check out the room just below A9 first

After watching Auri and Able explore the fauna in the secret room, he announces "Time to continue exploring. If I recall, before we entered this area, I think I saw a door further east that we should check."

Talahel leaves and carefully makes his way back to the unexplored door. Just below room A9. When he arrives at the door, he listens and checks the door for anything suspicious.

Stealth 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (3) + 7 = 10
Perception 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (14) + 8 = 22

Auri snakes along quietly, his draconic form serpentine and graceful

Stealth - 1d20 + 19 ⇒ (12) + 19 = 31
Perception - 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (4) + 7 = 11

...but too busy avoiding Talahels footfalls to notice his surrounds!

Able waits in A9 for the word from his companions that all is clear.

Aurichalcum cuts a fine form, preening himself in fine display as Talahel attends to minor matters like exploration.

All seems quiet, so Talahel enters. The brightly painted walls of this small chapel, probably meant for personal prayer and reflection, stand out as unusually garish for the otherwise reserved architecture notable elsewhere in the monastery. On the walls, numerous rectangular wooden plates traced in gold filigree depict a strapping warrior battling creatures of fire, riding a chariot on the wind, and engaging in other acts of noble heroism. It is the same figure depicted elsewhere in the monastery, but the sheer number of images here suggest that this shrine was especially important to the clerics who honored him as a saint of Sarenrae. Perhaps a quarter of the gold plates have been pried away or hacked apart by long-absent vandals.

Opposite the door, dominating a section of the north wall, stands a man-sized statue of the warrior, its face marred by what look like numerous blows from an axe. The statue holds both hands in front of him, bent at the elbow, palms up, as if expecting an offering. Several deep rents from similar axe blows make it clear that someone tried to hack the arms from the statue decades ago, but was unable to do so.

Auri flaps his wings and glides across the room, coming to a stop in the statues outstretched hands. Tail curled under him he examines the statue to work out why people would have vandalised it. Auri seems particularly reverential in the way he sits up straight to attention...

Auris voice echoes in the minds of those around "Saerenrae speaks to me and guides me on my quest, it breaks my heart that people have wrecked this place, I can only hope that one day this place is rebuilt with honour... but who is this fellow?" he chirps and clicks gently as he ponders and examines.

Perception - 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (3) + 7 = 10 - does it move or have hinges or anything?
Know Religion - 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (19) + 4 = 23 - Any idea who this is?
Know History - 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (18) + 4 = 22 - Any idea of the significance of the place?

Able heads to the statue and begins to examine the arms. "Some sort of ritual artifact? I wonder whether the ritual was actually performed in this space, or whether this was simply an iconographic representation of an important facet of the faith." He pulls himself up on one of the arms, but the little gnome's upper body strength only allows him to hang like a fruit on a branch.

Talahel steps up and lifts up the gnome onto the statue so that he may take a closer look.

Sitting in a pose a herald would call 'sejant' Aurichalcum contemplates all he can see. The walls of the shrine make out in filigreed religious iconography the bare bones of what the Sarenraen clerics were able to determine about what appears to be the very reason this monastery was built: a goodly spirit, the ghost of a noble warrior who manifested here occasionally to make pronouncements and speak omens.

This small, contemplative chapel is dedicated to Vardishal, a once-immortal warrior slain hundreds of years ago in a great battle near this spot. He it is who is the central devotional figure of the shrine - a tall, apparently human warrior, who served in ancient times with a quintet of genies known as the Templars of the Five Winds.

Meanwhile, as Ablenaffener is lifted by Talahel, he notices grooves in the floor around the base of the statue. It looks as if it pivots to one side!

Able gives a loud, excited squeak and wiggles out of Talahel's hands, tumbling bodily to the floor. "A door! A secret panel! Some sort of hidden chamber!" he gibbers, pushing animatedly at the statue.

It doesn't budge...

Auri closes his eyes, utters a flew clicks and chirps, and then opens them again. He calls upon Saerenraes gift of sight to reveal the presence of magic...

Detect Magic then Read Magic on the walls..?

The walls are not magical, but you do make out some more of the story as you concentrate, Aurichalcum. Obviously our Lady Dawnflower is smiling upon you :)

Most of Vardishal's omens and pronouncements involved the evil cult of Rovagug and the threat posed by Pale Mountain's denizens. Some aspect of the traumatic death that turned Vardishal into a ghost in the first place kept him from clearly communicating his warnings, but the monks of Sarenrae took the inchoate pronouncements of the benevolent spirit as a reminder to dedicate themselves to vigilance of their land, and especially to close monitoring of the ominous white mountain on the horizon.

The pilgrims erected their monastery to honor their own god, of course, but they maintained this chapel, built on the spot of the ghost's most frequent manifestations, to honour him as a symbol of their mutual struggle against evil. It appears that Vardishal was quite a chatty ghost, and was in communication - albeit sporadically and cryptically - right up until the monastery was overrun and laid ruin.

Aurichalcum raises his tiny claw, gives out a low hiss, and but a moment late a small flame flares up and fills his palm. Looking deep within the flame he calms his mind calls telepathically to Vardishal.

"If you are still here great servant of Saerenrae, speak with me, her fellow agent, and tell me of this place... guide us with Her flame so that the evil that plagues this place may be revealed, and scattered away like cockroaches exposed to the light"

Maybe we can get him to talk once more!