Gaius and Hamailii are up!
FYI, this has been an epic 15-round battle in about a month of real time, which is quite good for PbP. Glad to see the posting frequency.
Bran is now at 17 HP, prone, and conscious.
Bran can jump into initiative now! Or wait for Gaius to go.
Gaius steps forward and unleashes a swirl of steel against the ettin.
The ettin crashes to the ground, dead.
Bran is up!
Bran wakes up, unsure about what is going on but quickly sees himself on the floor.
"Thanks friends."
Deciding discretion is the better part of valour, takes a defensive move to stand up.
The ogre strikes at Bran, missing wildly.
The ogre strikes at Bran, but fails again.
The ogre holds his hands up in triumph! He made it 15 rounds! He might lose a split decision, but he went the distance! The ogre fades into nothingness.
Or you all kill him effortlessly. You can remember it however you wish.
COMBAT OVER!
All is quiet.
With the last of the foes defeated, the party can take some time to recuperate, heal, and search the place.
Dim light trickles down the stairwells from above into what was once probably a grand hallway, now bare except for shaggy furs piled against one wall. A foul, fetid smell rises up from this place, as if it were the den of some great beast.
A quick check of the pile of furs indicates that this was the ettin's lair.
The chamber to the south is clean and well organized, despite its grim furnishings. Small barbed cages rest against the wall, not quite large enough to stand in and not quite wide enough to sit in. Several barrels of water are on the floor to the north, along with a bloodstained mop. A simple cot and a chair and desk round out the room's contents.
A small coffer under the cot contain 155 gp, 320 sp, and a fine ruby-set bracelet in the shape of a sinuous lion, worth around 200 gp.
The room to the north is decorated with a stuffed and mounted leopard, wild boar, and crocodile. The walls are decorated with a striking tapestry depicting a five-headed dragon in a pose of destructive rage. A cot heaped with fine furs lies to the west, next to a large table. Atop the table lies a dead batlike creature , its abdomen cleaned and stuffed with salt and wood chips, and its wings pinned to the table's surface with several thin pins. An iron chest sits on the floor beneath the table.
It's easy enough to find the key on the goblin's body. Inside are six leather sacks, each with 100 sp and 20 gp. There is also a delicate-looking wooden and silver box. Inside the box is a single folded letter that smells of strange perfume. The indentations in the velvet lining of the box indicate that something once rested there, something the size of a child's fist. The letter, written in Goblin, says,
"Saarvith -
Take great care with the enclosed phylactery. I need not explain to you what the Ghostlord would do if he knew where I had sent his little bauble for safekeeping. Hide it somewhere safe. Perhaps it could be trusted to your dragon friend's keeping? Keep it hidden until Brindol is taken. Should it fall into the hands of someone who could return it to its owner, the consequences for our effort could be dire indeed.
- Ulwai"
There is one more room to the west, and of course the loot from the bodies, but I'll let you digest all of this first.
Unable to read goblin, Gaius leaves the letter to others and continues with his thorough sweep of the surrounding area. Specifically he wants to locate the dragon's lair and see whether it has anything worthwhile - even more so if someone explains the letters contents to him!
On to the last room in the Town Hall.
This large room might have once been a well-appointed library, but now its shelves lie in disarray along the east and west walls. No sign of any books are apparent. A large portion of the ceiling is missing, as is a corresponding portion of the floor, which opens into the dark waters of the lake below.
Coins and gems are piled in a mound. A quick estimate is somewhat over 10,000 coins, mostly silver.
Set in the southwest corner are a set of what Tal'ariel and Hamailii can tell are magic items.
First are a pair of spiked gauntlets engraved with a bear motif. The casters are able to determine that these were made by a Gorumite priest centuries ago. They are Gauntlets of Ogre Power (+2 Str) that also function as +1 Spiked Gauntlets.
Then there is a set of boots with a stag motif. These are Boots of Striding and Springing that also grant +2 Dex.
A cloak with runes on it is buried under the pile of coins. This is a Cloak of the Hedge Wizard (Abjuration), although it is so well-made that its Resistance spell is constant rather than at-will.
There is also a pair of Spellguard Bracers.
Finally, in a small iron coffer, lies a delicate adamantine chain decorated with a lion's claws and teeth. This radiates a strong aura of necromantic magic.
Under direction from the spellcasters Gaius separates the magic items from the more mundane horde, although his eyes gleam when the effects of the various items are described to him!
Do consider that you and Hamailii came in with custom-picked gear for L6, whereas Bran and Tal'ariel do not have that.
That actually made it quite hard to place an item for Gaius - he's got weapons, armor, stat-booster, and pretty good saves (with +4 on most Will saves on top of his normal +4). He is at his armor's Max Dex bonus (+4 with Armor Training). What do you give the man who has everything? The Cloak of the Hedge Wizard is Cloak of Resistance that can cast Shield 1/day (great for a non-caster who normally has his hands full). Theoretically Bran could also make good use of the cloak.
The division of these is up to you, though I expect you can see some fairly clear thoughts behind the others as well.
Bran sits down and waits for the enlarge spell to expire. "Another escape from the Lady's judgement. I wonder if I'm cut out for this afterall." He laughs and gives a smile before continuing, "What I mean is, I should be more careful, your miracles won't always be there."
He walks up to Hamailii and gives her a massive embrace before pulling Trellara in. "And you as well, you fight with such passion. If ever you both need anything I'll be here."
His spirits seem high despite the fatigue and he slams Gaius on the back, "You! One day you must teach me that blade dance. It was exhilarating and more effective than I imagined it could be. Where did you discover such a style?" The brawny man seems more focused on stories and celebration then the items nearby but on hearing about a phylactery his interest is piqued.
"What manner of evil have we stumbled across where a phylactery is important?"
Hamailii reads the letter to everyone...
Do you know something about a ghostlord? This phylactery seems very important. We should find it!
"Where is it? Also even if we do find it, what does this have to do with the Ghostlord? Is returning it even an option?"
Bran does know what a phylactery is. It holds the soul of a lich - an undead spellcaster of immense power.
The Ghostlord story as it is (somewhat) widely known
Rumors of another account
Trellara's knowledge of that other account
The Ghostlord was a lion-druid of some sort who delved into necromancy. Possibly after his death in seeking revenge for an assault by nobles of Rhest - or possibly much earlier, embracing undeath decades before he fought the forces of Rhest.
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Hamailii embraces Bran back, smiling happily.
I'm glad we could keep you alive. In between i thought we - especially i - would not make it, but we did it, together.
Her hand still around Bran she extends the other one to grab Trellara.
Thank you so much Trellara for helping me out there. I was really afraid that lizard thing would eat me or one of those goblins would come at me. This shows what we can accomplish together.
She pinches both in the back and goes to look at the lion medallion.
If the dark side of the story you tell about this ghost lord is true, this isn't good. I can sense a necromantic aura here, which together with the lion ornament fits that darker story. Maybe they discovered that ghostlord, got his phylactery and tried to use him to tear down another city? What a sinister plot! But then this person must have been evil before and tempered with undead, seemingly successfully.
Finally, in a small iron coffer, lies a delicate adamantine chain decorated with a lion's claws and teeth. This radiates a strong aura of necromantic magic.
Hamailii can't tell for certain that this is the Ghostlord's phylactery, but the evidence seems to suggest that it is.
So... what to do now?
So it has a strong necromantic aura you can't identify, a lion motif, and it was in the dragon's keeping as the letter suggested. Seems a pretty strong candidate to be the Ghostlord's phylactery.
Just waiting for you guys to go over this information and decide what to do next.
You might want to read that letter a couple of times.
You are fine to rest here for the day and leave the next day if you wish. Trellara is out of spells and bardic performance, and I think Tal'ariel is quite low as well.
And resting will mean you all level up! Or rather, gain a feat.
Bran takes a moment and looks at the trove of items they found.
Eventually he walks toward Hamailii who's examining the bauble and asks, "Is that it? The phylactery?" Not being able to sense the magic on it, Bran continues, "That letter. It said that should it be returned to the Ghostlord, the consequences would be dire for them."
He pulls out the old map, "The Ghostlord swore an oath against this Rhest. He embraced his undeath..." He thinks back to what Trellara said, "A member of a cruel lion cult he forsook his oaths to his orders, became an abomination." The flowy words sound strange coming from the large man's mouth but he continues, "We should return this item. As much as it pains me to give such a powerful artifact back to an undead creature, we need all the allies we can get."
Facing Trellara he asks, "The Thornwaste, do you know where it is? Where we can find this Ghostlord Urikel Zarl?"
Looking toward the others with tired eyes, "What say all of you? I think in dire circumstances we need to do what we have to. However I have to wonder, why would it only be dire if it was returned before Brindol was captured?" He unfurls the invasion map and looks at the written date, "I don't want to find out, and our time ticks away."
Bran puts the maps back in his pack and looks ready to move out, though he suddenly begins to sway, "Maybe rushing headfirst into this isn't a good idea. This phylactery will do us no good if we're dead tired." The warrior leans against a crumbling wall, "I think we should rest the night, maybe take a fortified position on the high ground. We can head back to Starsong Hill and restock in the morrow."
Gaius observes as Brann speaks, interested in the hidden depths the man is showing.
"Forgive me Brann, but I'm behind somewhat. I don't actually know what your goals are. I was sent to help you and deliver a message, told that the gold would be good. The gold certainly is!" He sweeps his hand across the accumulated treasure, "And I'm glad I've been able to help, but what's the long run here? Apart from this dragonrider what is the big thread we're actually dealing with? And how does returning a lichs phalactery help us with that?"
Bran looks embarrassed. "Sorry. Let me start from the beginning. I forget at times that this threat hasn't become that far flung yet" He smiles as he takes a seat, pulls out a map and clears his throat.
"I'm Bran O'Dimm. What seems like a lifetime ago, I escaped Cheliaxian chains and tumbled job for job until I ended up with Tal'ariel and a few others." There's a wistful look on his face before he continues, "We were dispatched to deal with some hobgoblin raids... No that's not exactly right." He rummages around for anything with the Red Hand's seal, "This is a sign of the Red Hand, an organized and dangerous hobgoblin army; or so we thought."
Handing it over, he shows the map. "Eventually we uncovered plans for a full scale invasion of the Vale, but it wasn't just gold and land they wanted and that is when we heard her name." Bran nearly spits the name out, his distaste showing, "Tiamat." Holding a hand out he gets up and returns a little later with the tapestry depicting the five-headed dragon before throwing it to the floor.
"The imprisoned queen of the evil dragons, Tiamat. The hobgoblins were just fanatic foot soldiers for a larger scheme. They intend to bring their patron into the flesh." Scratching the back of his neck, he gives a breath and continues, "We found these plans and while we don't have a true idea of what they need, we know for sure that them conquering the Vale is a key part of this plan. We've been striking at wherever places seemed to be of value to them; if we can disrupt them enough maybe their ritual or plan will fail."
Shaking his head he keeps to it, "We don't have much else to go on Gauis. I wish we did. Right now our best bet is to keep running forward and keep destroying whatever they set up; because none of it is good for us."
Nodding his head over to Hamailii he tries to explain the mystery phylactery, "That lion headed talisman, that belongs to the Ghostlord; and judging by that letter he didn't give it to these dragons willingly." He gives a knowing nod, "The enemy of my enemy is true enough even for vengeful undead. Truthfully, I refuse to let any creature from any hell impose their twisted will on this world so I would stop it, no matter the cost."
"So, in short. Tiamat is being resurrected by a well organised army known as the Red Hand who need to conquer the Vale in order to do this. This Ghostlord has apparently had his phalactery and we hope that returning it to him will gain us an ally of power?" Gaius shrugs, a languid and fluid gesture. "You have testes the size of an ogre's head Bran O'Dimm. I like it! And even if I didn't this threat from the Queen of Dragons is too serious to ignore."
He nods and then holds a hand out to Brann. "I'm with you friend."
Bran extends his arms outward and pulls him in. "If we are to fight together for such a thing, a mere handshake won't do!" He lets go and asks, "So you must regale us about yourself, we will have plenty of time this evening while we rest."
Tal'ariel, who has slipped quietly into a corner for quite a while, returns once more in surprisingly good health.
As she happens upon a conversation summarizing the current thinking, she decides to chime in. "Are we really sure we should return the phylactery to this Ghostlord? If we return it, he will be free to do what he wishes. If we keep it, we could force him to serve us, in the same way he has been forced to serving the Red Hand." Tal'ariel seems keen as ever to meddle with dark powers.
She considers what she knows about phylacteries-how the Ghostlord would be reborn if slain, how the phylactery might be destroyed, and the consequences of its destruction.
Tal'ariel knows that only an extremely powerful spellcaster could become a lich. More powerful than any being in the Elsir Vale.
Bran knows that, according to legend anyway, the lich's body reforms at the phylactery if the lich is destroyed. If the phylactery is also destroyed, the lich cannot reform.
Trellara also weighs in. She knows of no legend that destroying a phylactery weakens a lich. You definitely prevent its ability to reform. But can it make a new one? Can it sense that its phylactery was destroyed and who was responsible? These things are not known.
"As I see it, holding the phylactery is an effective threat if you can also destroy the lich. The Red Hand, a mighty army with dragons and giants, and possibly the help of Tiamat, might have been able to threaten the lich in that way. For us to try that... I don't know. We could consult with the elders at Starsong Hill. And tell them what we have accomplished here. The humans you are helping in Brindol might also know what to do."
"I don't know about Liches, but I'm happy to follow your lead." Gaius offers with an expressive shrug. "As to me, I grew up in the woods. Rescued Flame when I was a boy and nursed her. Our bond is pretty deep, not that it means she listens to me though! I got the swords fighting off hobgoblins with a convoy from somewhere called Tea-en-zee-er. I was headed for Brevoy, to learn from the swordlords but things got in the way and I've ended up here. That's about it really."
He shrugs again. "Can't say I mind though."
"Yes, absolutely, let's go!" agrees Tal'ariel. "We've disrupted their plans and found something valuable indeed."
While Tal'ariel and Hamailii are examining magic items, Bran and Gaius take some time to poke around the razorfiend's lair - that small separate building connected to the Town Hall by the walkway.
Most of the building is flooded. At one end there is a heap of mud and rotting plants. And throughout the water are many, many, eggs... warm, leathery eggs covered in tiny sharp scales. They are attached to the inner walls of the pool by a sticky resin.
It's a razorfiend hatchery.
That is what the Red Hand was doing in Rhest.
"Oh no." Bran pushes some rotting plants out of the way and looks horrified at what he sees. "These razorfiends, they were breeding them." He turns to Gauis, "I... I need a moment."
He doesn't know what to do and focuses inward. Destroying such a thing... Would Kurgess look down on such a dirty tactic?" Taking some time to think about what he should do, he offers a prayer and some guidance.
---
"Maybe we should talk with someone who has more experience regarding these types of things." He agrees that they should discuss the phylactery back at Starsong Hill.
For the moment, Tal'ariel remains blissfully unaware of Bran's moral quandary as she is busy inspecting magic items and trying on a new pair of boots. Though others may suspect that pragmatism would win the day for her. That is, if she didn't believe these creatures could be raised up for use by the elves.
Gaius looks revolted when they find the hatchery.
"I'm all for respecting life but this is unpleasant to say the least! Raising those creatures as beast of war... We need to destroy these eggs. It's not as though Razorfiends are exactly good for their local environment."
Bran nods. "Forgive me if this isn't your will friend." He holds out his chain, takes a breath and moves towards the eggs. "Let's take these spawn out, I will seek forgiveness later if I must."
Destroying the eggs is gruesome but necessary. In all, you find 30.
The journey back to Starsong Hill is uneventful. Trellara spends the journey working the Battle of Rhest into an epic poem. Although the battle only lasted a minute and a half, her tale extends for about half an hour, with vibrant descriptions of the sounds, the smells, the thoughts, and the tremors reverberating through the decaying building.
The thrusts and parries, the near misses and brutal hits, the near-death experiences and whims of Fate all make it into her tale.
Hamailii's wand is the embodiment of Sarenrae's wrath (Trellara has decided), coming to the aid of Desna to smite the creatures of darkness.
Gaius's swords are a 'waterfall of steel, cascading over the foe.' The duel with the hobgoblin is portrayed as being as one-sided and effortless as it was.
Bran, naturally, is a 'great brown bear' crushing the life from the dragon.
While Tal'ariel's swordplay is prominent in several verses, Trellara's favorite verse about Tal'ariel features arrows striking her while she was casting. It is dramatically paced, with the heroine calling upon deeper reserves of power and focus after each wound, only to be struck again and again - and yet complete the spell.
Interestingly, Trellara's own contributions are attributed to 'spirits of the forest' and not to her by name.
You get back to your boats, and make your way through the swamp, arriving that night (around 9).
Killiar Arrowswift finds you with one of his owl-mounted patrols, about a mile from Starsong Hill.
"It is good to see you, Tal'ariel." He clears his throat. "And you, Trellara, Hamailii... um, Bran, was it? And I see you have a new ally. An elf, but not one of the Tiri Kitor. Hello. I am Killiar Arrowswift, Battlehunter of the Tiri Kitor tribe."
Gaius, you get the sense that he is normally a pretty serious fellow, but seems at ease with the other PCs.
"My scouts reported the Iomedan and the gnome having trouble moving through the swamp. By the decision of the elders of the community, we sent them aid. As we will send to you. Come with me."
He takes you to Sellyria Starsinger's home. The old elf woman, the tribe's Speaker, is there, along with the tall and severe High Priest Illian Snowmantle. Tea is set out on her balcony, along with several chairs and cushions. The firefly lanterns flicker.
"You bear good news?" says Sellyria, though it is only half a question. She can tell by your bearing that good news is likely.
"Tell us what you have learned," says Illian, with a pause and a sigh before adding "Please." He glances at Sellyria, and catches the old woman smiling at his unaccustomed and uncomfortable politeness. The High Priest is more used to just telling people what needs to be done.