Motteditor's Reign of Winter PBP (Inactive)

Game Master motteditor

"Thank you. Will you be alright, seeing yourself home? I'm not sure it's safe enough for us to rest here, so we'll likely need to march now, and secure our rest, before sieging Yrax's stronghold."

"What? Don't be preposterous! I can make a safe place to reset whenever and wherever we like, I'll have you know. I am a very powerful wizard, after all."

"I think so," she replies. "It is dangerous, but all of life is dangerous."

So rest and move on?

"Too true, my dear. Too true. You're welcome to weather the evening with us though, if you'd like. Perhaps you could share with us stories of Sarnok and what he means to you and your kin. I can't tell you how much more pleasant that will be than listening to Hektir gesticulate and grunt." He offers her a grandfatherly wink before setting to conjuring up a particularly secure shelter.

Rest and move on sounds great. :)

Hekfyre returns to being Hektir who can more fully enjoy the jar of 'shine that he opens up, drinks, and tries to share around. He'll even open up a second jar as a display of his magnaminity.

"That was a cold stretch. Don't like cold much. Which is why I'm going to shove this cold winter up someone's backside when I find who is truly doing this. Whichever witch is responsible," Hektir grunts, forgetting that he's on another planet that might be naturally color rather than a forced cold.

He spits.

"Shine, anyone?" Hek offers the jar to Mal, then Pems, then Tsin.

Pem shrugs and takes the jar. He downs a swig then nearly falls over coughing. "ACK! I've never drank liquid fire before. Never again."

Malavarius waves the proffered drink away before Pemsworth takes a sip, then nods to the halfling as he hacks and sputters. "Oh ho ho? Did you like it that much, Master Pemsworth?" The old man then, with a bemused grin, chuckles softly and offers a skin of simple water as a chaser.

Quinn is about to reject the iron headband, but when Hektir starts in on his "I'm the wisest, everyone says so" speech, then Quinn knows better than to argue with him. Last time he challenged the tracksmage's wisdom an entire citadel nearly built a wall to keep out all the merchants and customers. Quinn never did understand any of that business, or lack thereof, maybe the headband will help him with that.

At Mal's mention of rest, the cleric agrees completely as he shares in the 'shine. "Yes to that plan, I haven't paid proper rites to Cayden since this morning." With another long swig Quinn starts his evening prayers.

Baknarla accepts your offer of a safe place to stay that night, but rejects Hektir's offer of firewater. In the morning, she departs back the way you came, beginning to airwalk out of the crevasse as she plans to return to her tribe with her relic.

"Be safe, herrroes," she says in farewell. "You have done a grrreat thing for my people and you have the chance to do morrre. Truly, you arrre as prrromised and the spirrrits must rrrevel in your and honorrr you and yourrr strrruggles!"

Once ready, you set out on the other fork of the crevasse, and after a couple uneventful hours find yourself at the southern wall of the moulin, the shaft that contains Ivoryglass. An immense, circular block of smooth, palely reflective white stone more than 3,000 feet in diameter that supports the entire fortress and numerous outbuildings that stand between you and the front gates. Various dragonkin and Triaxians, along with other creatures, move around on undetermined tasks.

"What? Don't be preposterous! I can make a safe place to reset whenever and wherever we like, I'll have you know. I am a very powerful wizard, after all."

"Yes, yes, Mal, I'm saying that I would rest better if we had distance between ourselves and the roper, and possibly other frost worms hunting about in this lifeless crevasse. You are very powerful, Mal, there is no argument there." Tsin gives the old mage a tug on the cheek.

When it's apparent the boys will camp where they will, Tsin doesn't, can't argue, so settles in for the night, taking solace in the fact that once Yrax is dead, they'll likely be done with this hellish landscape.

"Shine, anyone?"

"ACK! I've never drank liquid fire before. Never again."

"Oh ho ho? Did you like it that much, Master Pemsworth?"

Tsin almost accepts the sharing of spirits, but decides better when the halfling sputters uncomfortably. She searches through her items, looking for a little sustenance, and settles for peanut spread on bread, with water soon after to clear her throat.

She's fast asleep soon after.

"Good luck to you, Baknarla," Hektir grunts, finding the noble woman a good fighter and worthwhile companion. After dealing with witches and fey, having a normal good, stout soldier-type was a pleasant change.

Hektir takes first watch so that he can finish up the 'shine jars before passing out for the night.

"Goodnight Tsin. See? You're better with your sword than that blinking bow," Drunktir slurs to Tsin as he begins to fall asleep.

"It was a good wall. Kept the flumphs out. We were safe," Drunktir offers a sloppy hair waggle to Quinn, as a measure of goodnight.

"Goodnight Tsin. See? You're better with your sword than that blinking bow."

Tsin lifts a lowering eyelid, a slow smile on her face. "I do prefer the blade. If only our opposition would do the honorable thing, and get to a position where it's the only thing I need to use, eh? Quinn's been ever the blessing with his flight, so the sword is as good as an arrow..."

...

Waking, Tsin does her best for sustenance, before whispering prayers to Pharasma, and readying herself for the day's march, and finding Ivoryglass, and the bauble left behind by Baba Yaga. She debates exactly where on her body the marionette's string is attached, that keeps pulling them forward, searching for crumbs. Crumbs that lead to witches' houses, where little boys and girls are lured to their deaths.

She waits silently for the others, to depart.

Quinn wakes refreshed and happy and spends the early morning hours in prayer. As the party breaks camp and travels toward Ivoryglass he questions their plan of action. "The war gave us an opportunity to meet the leaders at the last cities, but how do we propose to talk to the powers that be at our next destination? Usually those stuffy leaders of state don't have time for visitors?"

When they arrive at the outbuilding, Quinn scans the various dragonkin for someone that looks approachable.

Perception: 1d20 + 29 ⇒ (4) + 29 = 33

None of the dragonkin or others seem particularly approachable or unapproachable. They all seem to have their own business on mind. You do notice there are some patrols around the area, largely a dragonkin with a pair of war hydras on leashes. (You also notice some drakes patrolling above, but you think they're more likely focusing on threats from the sky, a common possibility in this world with its dragonkin.)

Malavarius tugs his beard as he considers the fortress. "Do you suppose they'll even give us opportunity to speak? Breaching a fortress like this seems awfully difficult from this vantage."

"I don't suppose we have your teleportation skills at our service. Not having an exact destination, and all. No way to pin down the bear skin rug, then jump to it, and slay Yrax still sleeping upon it?"

Tsin looks across the way, not understanding how to crack this nut.

"Oh, that would be terribly risky, I'm afraid. We'd be much more likely to wind up inside a wall or a hundred miles back the way we came than right in Yrax's bedchambers. Now, if i could see the destination and study it before hand, that's a different story altogether. I haven't the means to scry like that though."

"I can scout if needed," Hektir mentions, scanning the land for local birds or animals. "We can probably learn a lot from the skies."

Is there a bigger picture map that might help us see things better? I'm having a hard time envisioning our options.

"Just so long as you're careful, Hektir. Those drakes up there look like they're expecting trouble from on high."

adjusted spell loadout slightly from previous status (-3 scorching ray, +2 locate object, +1 spontaneous immolation // -1 teleport, +1 passwall)

Unfortunately, there's not (until/if you get into the fortress). Literally, this is all it says: Once inside the glacier, the PCs must make their way to Ivoryglass itself. Surrounding the palace are numerous outbuildings for the servants and subjects of Yrax, including guard posts, barracks for both dragonkin and Triaxians, drake ghettos, servant and slave quarters, smithies, storehouses, and wolliped pens. I'm honestly not even sure HOW far it is from the edge of the moulin to the fortress, but I'm going to say about half a mile.

Your easiest bet is probably to sneak over, though how exactly you want to do that is up to you. You could also try a distraction or something your GM hasn't thought of.

"These look like servants and common folk of the fortress. We could get a few drunk and hope they share some knowledge of the fortress with us, maybe even help us enter amongst their work crews?"

Quinn has create alcohol at will, and these fringe folks don't sound like the picky types

Remember you may well be the only humans and gnome on the entire planet. You probably can't just stroll up to folks.

In before Pemsworth gets offended at being called a gnome again! lol

Is there any common animals around? Birds? Any rodents: you know, mice, rats, gnomes, or rabbits around? How about snow owls, snowy foxes, or snowy egrets? Edward Snowdens?

Hektir spits and keeps his eyes open, looking for a way in.

REALLY having a hard time picturing this entire set up, sorry. :( Is there text that you can copy in that re-describes it from scratch? If it's inside a glacier, there might be other options.

Remember you may well be the only humans and gnome on the entire planet. You probably can't just stroll up to folks.

Et tu, GM? ET TU?!?

Having somehow made it through the camp outside the fort, you approach Ivoryglass. The sole entrance -- barred iron gates -- stands in the palace’s eastern wall, flanked by two stone guardhouses.

Overall map is updated.

"What if we just walked up? Maybe tell them we're here to speak to the lord of the manor? I mean, he's a ruler, right? They must get visitors all the time."

Does anyone have the ability to tell how thick walls are? Like a stonesense or icesense kind of mojo? We can make a door wherever we please now that I have passwall, so long as the wall is no thicker than 15ft.

"Oh! Oh! I think I read about this before, Pemsworth. If I recall, guards across all of Golarion are susceptible to the 'surprise inspection' trick. You- you tell them their leader has called for a surprise inspection and then they open the doors for you and let you go about your business, just like that. I'm sure it's the same on Triaxus."

Quinn wears a dubious expression at Mal's suggestion. "Aren't those stories from thousands of years ago when the desert kingdoms flourished? I'm not sure that tactic is the wisest approach." He taps the iron headband for emphasis. "However, the fake prisoner approach is a timeless gambit that never grows old. We just need Hektir to put on some manacles, then turn to Zephtyr once we're inside."

Tsin keeps looking back over her shoulder, as they begin their approach towards the iron gates. She's reasonably sure several of the dragonkin could sense their purpose, the way they looked at them, threading their way through the camps. Hopefully enough dragonkin-in-heat pheromone rubbed off on Hektir in order to mask their 'otherness'. It likely won't serve them in any negotiation at the gatehouse, but it served its purpose til now.

"Can we not announce ourselves as foreign emissaries seeking an audience with Yrax? No, that would give it time to ready itself. Perhaps we simply siege the gatekeepers. We'd need to be quick about it, to avoid an alarm being raised. I'm alright with Hektir-in-chains, as long as it doesn't impair him, if our bluff is called."

"Sure, put me in chains," Hektir grumps, but is fine with it, mostly. "And if you just *give* me the chains after you put them on me, then they will just magically disappear when I change...such is the nature of my manly magics. Not that any of you would understand that."

Hektir spits, ready to be bound.

"We can just walk through any portion of the outer wall, too. No need for gates if we don't care to bother with them."

"if we can walk through the wall that sounds like the best plan, lead the way Mal."

Hektir spits and is happy to follow Mal.

"Yeah, lead the way unless you want me to lead the way," Hektir offers.

"I presume we'll find conflict no matter which way we siege the fortress, but avoiding the gatehouses and obvious fortification seems a more reasonable approach. Do we kill anything that crosses our path? This could be more of a purging than simply slaying Yrax."

Tsin follows Mal closely, worried for the old man's forward position.

Is there a section of perimeter wall that's around a corner and out of view of the guard station? Are there patrols along the exterior? Do we want/need to be invisible and sneaky with this?

"Well, over there looks good, I suppose." The old man gestures toward the northern face of the building with the head his staff. "Or would we prefer the far wall from the gate? Or the roof? Any bit is just as good as another, I suppose."

If we want any other precautionary steps/spells, I'll wait until those are in place before trundling off.

Tsin understands that conflict is inevitable, but avoiding unnecessary conflict will conserve their strength as they burrow for Yrax.

"This is their heart, but it's not necessarily a hive of activity, where all drones will come to the rescue of the queen. I suggest we move around the side a bit, out of sight of the gatehouse, and begin our infiltration... wait. How many levels do we think there are here? If we can head to the roof, where dragon creatures are likely most comfortable, I'd not object."

Tsin waits for the powerful magic-wielders to plot their course into the hold.

OK, guys, I'm back and I think I should be around and posting for a while now, so let's make winter great again. (Or are we trying to make summer great again? I've lost track.)

I've updated the overall map to try to give you a better sense of the shape of the fort; it appears to be about 100 feet high. There is plenty of area out of sight of the guardhouse at the front. There are some patrols as well -- you can try just being Stealthy, but obviously invisibility would increase your chances of avoiding a fight outside. Quinn can see through a little more than a foot of the ice if he wants to try, but you have no other way to judge the fort's walls' depth beyond that, I don't think. (I might be willing to listen to arguments for echolocation if you want, though I think that'd be a stretch.)

'Allo?

Malavarius looks up at the top of the dome and huffs, his beard bouncing with the breath. "They've got all manner of drakes and such flying overhead, let's just slip around back, shall we?"

If anyone has any invisibility to offer (Malavarius has none), I will heartily accept!

I'm stealthy, but no invisibility, sorry!

Can we see anyone manning the guard houses out front?

You can see four heavily armed Triaxians standing outside the gatehouses. You're not sure what if anything is inside them.

"Mal, can't you now see enough of the inside to pop us within?" Hektir makes the poppy-pop sound that can accompany teleportation effects.

Tsin braces for anything abrupt, eyeing the front guard warily. "Whatever you think is more efficient, I suggest we hurry. Our loitering is likely going to draw undue attention."

"I was thinking of saving that singular trick for getting us out in a hurry if need be, Hektir. The way in I have will make a lovely little corridor through a wall. No teleporting, in that case; just walking. Remember the wards in Spurhorn? What if something similar is at work here?"

I have 1 teleport, 2 passwalls, and 2 dimension doors.

Quinn has dimensional hop as well, but also thinking the wards would be in place

"Let's make a hole in the wall and walk through if we can. "

Someone pick a spot where you want to try it and I can let you know what happens...

Presuming the guardhouses are on the east side of the map and we're even further east, can we walk around the north side of the wall all the way 'round to the west?

Malavarius gestures toward the north with the head of his staff again and nods. "Let's try that way, hmmm?" He begins moving quietly toward the north, looking to swing wide of the exterior wall by a fair margin.

Stealth: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (5) + 1 = 6

Hektir follows Mal. He continues to look for wildlife that he might emulate to scout around. It is strange that there is so few birds, penguins (dire or regular), snow fox, or the like that might be helpful.

1d20 + 22 ⇒ (15) + 22 = 37 Perception - wild life

"Yes, that way."

Sure, Mal...

Mal casts the first of his passwall spells, opening a tunnel into the hard ice. About 15 feet in, it ends in more ice.

Hektir, you think most of the natural fauna has been scared away by the bustle of the camp itself, which is fairly crowded. Any birds on this frozen planet have no desire to become a drake snack. That said, you've probably noticed some small furry rodents at some point that you could emulate.