Red Hand of Doom PBP

Game Master Tanner Nielsen

Ah, cool. Thanks for informing me. I stopped lurking on that thread when I got into my own game.

Why, yes! We were flooded! We lost power for six days, our sump pump blew a fuse, and our basement had five inches of water for three days. Between that and finishing up finals, I was not a happy camper there for a while. But thank you for your patience and I will get an update up tomorrow morning.

ROUND 11 SUMMARY

Maysalkirii moves across the rooftop. His spiritual weapon continues to attack the unseen goblin.
Shalani ....
Dragox heals himself and moves into the second building.
Tahllana crouches low and tries to find shelter.
Narses smacks himself with his own blade.
--------------------
Ogre 1 (89 damage, dead)
Ogre 2 (97 damage, dead)
Ettin (93 damage, dead)
Mnag (??? damage) ???
Regiarix (12 damage) circles the building several times, climbing in altitude and roaring challenges and imaginitive profanities in Draconic. He disappears in the fog above the town hall.
--------------------
Initiative
Maysalkirii 24
Shalani 15
Dragox 13
Tahllana 11
Narses 4
Regiarix 3
Mnag 2

One ladder is in square K24.

Dragox flies into the second building. This large room might once have been a well-appointed library, but now its shelves lie in disarray along he 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.

The goblin spellcaster lies still, floating in the water. A growing pool of crimson surrounds him.

ROUND 12 MAP

Dragox quickly scans the room, looking for any signs of pursuit from either the dragon, or some other as yet unseen enemy.

Perception 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (16) + 12 = 28

Assuming he doesn't detect anything, he quickly casts Detect Magic and moves to Mnag's corpse. He will grab any magical items and hastily depart, trying to get back to his companions before the dragon or something worse returns.

1d100 ⇒ 57 Damage self

1d8 + 7 - 1 ⇒ (8) + 7 - 1 = 14

Smacking himself again over the head Narses scores a heavy hit against himself.

Tahllana continues to hunker down next to the tower wall and keep her gaze fixed westward, peering through the fog for any sign of movement. Perception 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (16) + 12 = 28

Until she sees something or feels the spell wear off, she'll most likely just keep Stealthing and Perceptioning.

How far did the dragon move? How high above the roof does the fog begin? By the way the spiritual weapon attacking Mnag won't stop until its target is changed to its still methodically hacking Mnag into bits.

1d100 ⇒ 74

Maysalkirii appears to concentrate deeply, flicking his sabre up into the air with an expert flourish, catching it back handed and plunging the blade into his knee, blood flowing freely from the wound.

Grumbles that my weapon's base damage is higher now i'm confused.

1d8 + 2 ⇒ (4) + 2 = 6

Meanwhile both spiritual weapons continue to attack their respective targets.

1d20 + 11 ⇒ (8) + 11 = 19
1d8 + 7 ⇒ (7) + 7 = 14 Force Dmg, ignores DR

Won't bother rolling for the one cutting Mnag apart, it will only miss on a 1 now I expect.

Active Effects-
Bless (+1 attack and save vs fear)
Divine Favor (+2 attack and damage)
Destruction Judgement (+3 damage rolls)
Flames of the Faithful (Flame Burst on Iyandrosa)
Bane (3/7 used)
Spiritual Weapon 5/7 used.
Spiritual Weapon 2 2/7 used.
Confusion rounds- 6/? used.

The draconic form of Regiarix fails to materialize in the thick haze of the fog. You hear the beating of his wings disappear in the cloying mist. The glowing weapon continues to hack at the insensate form of Mnag as various members of your party continue to suffer the effects of his spells. No one, whether at the town hall or the bell tower, sees any signs of danger.

The dragon is gone, so combat is effectively over right now. There are two rounds of confusion left, so please go ahead and roll for both rounds.

1d100 ⇒ 79 Damage Self

1d8 + 2 ⇒ (3) + 2 = 5

1d100 ⇒ 3 Act Normally

Narses? Tahllana? Dragox? Shalani? Maysalkirii says tentatively, unsure of the fate of his allies.

I am checking Mnag's corpse and then want to immediately get back tot he squad, o what is left of them, DM.

Shalani's sliced, diced, and chargrilled corpse remains silent.

1d100 ⇒ 66 Damage self
1d8 + 7 - 1 ⇒ (1) + 7 - 1 = 7
1d100 ⇒ 95
Jump around, looking for an enemie to attack but sees none.

Coming out of a haze Narses looks around the area he's in, not fully grasping how he got there or whos blood is covering the front of his shirt. Shaking his head to clear it sends blood flying and a splitting headache throuh his skill, moaning he makes his way out of the tower.

Coming upon Shalani's body Narses stops and stares at it, images of the people lost in this campaign flashing through his head.

"Hello? Is anyone there?" Narses looks for his companions.

Gathering the equipment from Mnag, Dragox obtains the following:

(1) circlet
(1) cloak
(1) amulet
(2) ring
(1) beltpouch

Dragox gathers the magic, and quickly looks around again before flying back to the group.

Perception 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (7) + 12 = 19

The swamp and cloying mists are quiet and still. It appears that danger, at least for now, has departed. Shalani still lies on the ground and Tahllana is no where to be seen.

Seeing Dragox come flying toward him Narses waves at him to let him know where he is. "Dragox! O'er 'ere!"

Maysalkirii joins the other two, looking down at Shalani's corpse and shaking his head sadly.

You did not belong this close to the fight my friend...

Noticing the deep slashing wounds Shalani took in the fight, Maysalkirii frowns.

None of our foes used blades- could the lizardfolk ninja have broken their promise?

Couldn't help the closeness, I don't think. The angle was wrong for line of sight from further away, so I had to use non-line of sight abilities, like the bombs.

"Poor Shalani, broken yet again by this war..." Dragox's voice numbly trailed off. "Your magic killed the goblin, Feek, and I have collected it's magic for our use. I haven't had time to look at them closely, but perhaps there is something there that could help her. Speaking of which, has anyone seen Talhanna? Hopefully she got away before we were routed."

Couldn't help the closeness, I don't think. The angle was wrong for line of sight from further away, so I had to use non-line of sight abilities, like the bombs.

But I thought you had fly prepared right? It wasn't meant as a OOC or IC dig at you anyway.

I am glad of that much at least Dragox. Perhaps...

Maysalkirii will use the message spell (presume its still active) to tell Tahllana-

You may come back, elf-friend. The foe is in retreat, although we paid dearly.

Pretty sure the bell tower is more than 170 feet away, based on our approach to the town hall, so she's out of range: That's why she hasn't contacted all of you. Once the spell on her wears off, she'll come back to see what happened to you all, but hers is a minutes/level rather than rounds/level spell, I believe.

Hmm... Well shes not close if shes here at all. Maybe she was captured? Did you see anything, I was consumed with fighting the goblin and then by his spell.

"Once I saw the dragon, I headed for cover, following your foe. While it has left for the time being, I doubt we should stand around here swapping stories. I don't think we are in any shape to fight such a beast right now."

Dragox does a quick channel as he sees his friends are in as rough a shape as he is.

Channel Energy 4d6 ⇒ (4, 3, 6, 6) = 19

Shalani Mistoreth wrote:

Couldn't help the closeness, I don't think. The angle was wrong for line of sight from further away, so I had to use non-line of sight abilities, like the bombs.

But I thought you had fly prepared right?

She had it prepared in an alchemist slot, so she only had one of them and had already used it.

Btw, Shalani, I like your profile:

Shalani is currently dead.

You ought to just make that a toggle box so you can select it on or off, as events require. :)

"Once I saw the dragon, I headed for cover, following your foe. While it has left for the time being, I doubt we should stand around here swapping stories. I don't think we are in any shape to fight such a beast right now."

Dragox does a quick channel as he sees his friends are in as rough a shape as he is.

Channel Energy 4d6

Hrmph... The dragon was a coward, just like the goblin. If I had means of flight I would have pursued him myself... Maysalkirii grumbles sourly as his wounds close over, nodding his thanks to Dragox.

Not even wanting to look in her direction, Dragox sighs, "Let's collect Shalani, the poor girl, and regroup yet again. Hopefully Tahlanna can locate us. These creatures are getting harder and harder to defeat."

"The wounds are by my hand." Narses admits, hanging his head. "The goblins magic got into my head. I could'nt think straight. Everything was somthing else, I even did this to meself." he says pointing at the wound on his forehead as it knits and stops bleeding from Dragox's chaneling.

"Your right. We need to be somwhere else. Where d'ya rekon we'd be safe?" Narses picks up Shalani's corpse, ready to be somwhere else.

Lets not let her die in vain. The dragon won't attack again, not without reinforcements. We'll go see what was so important they had an outpost here in the first place- or this whole battle was for naught. Get her inside once we secure the first building, and one of us can guard her body while the other two search. If Tahllana has any sense, she'll come to see the aftermath; best stay right where we are so she can find us easily.

Despite the descriptions, the map for these rooms just show bare rooms, so just imagine a lot of gray stone flooring on the map.

Opening the doors past the sunken pool reveals three rooms. The north room 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, along with a blood-stained mop. A simple cot and a chair and desk round out the room's contents.

In the center room, dim light trickles down the stairwells form 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.

The doors to the southern room swing open to reveal three large animals - a leopard, a wild boar, and a crocodile - standing at the ready in the southern portion of this room... but on second inspection, they prove to be stuffed and mounted for display. The walls are decorated with a striking tapestry depicting a dark, muscular being covered in chains. Scores of humanoid creatures prostrate themselves before the chained figure. A cot heaped with fine furs lies to the west, next to a large table. Atop the table lies a dead bat-like 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.

When/if the spell wears off, Tahllana will retrieve her owl and cautiously make her way back toward the battlefield, unsure of what scene of carnage she will find. Let me know at what point she arrives, DM. If the others are taking the time to search the buildings, I hope she'll be able to rejoin them by the time they're done.

We're out of combat, so timing is a bit fuzzy. Let's say you arrive two to three minutes after they begin searching the new rooms.

At long last, Tahllana feels the cursed lassitude imposed on her by the wretched goblin lift. Quickly, she calls her owl back to her and lets him nestle back inside her backpack before setting out quietly across the foggy lake back to the last place she saw the others. The eerie silence keeps her cautious. Stealth 1d20 + 14 ⇒ (6) + 14 = 20 When she arrives back at the ruins of the town hall, she finds it too silent and deserted. She examines the scene, looking for signs of what has transpired here. Survival 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (7) + 7 = 14 Hopefully, she'll be able to find where they moved Shalani and track them inside the building.

She has no problem following them inside the building.

Take 20 to search the bodies of the fallen, and both buildings, using detect magic to sort the loot.

Also, can anyone else take over loot duties for a while? I can post more now but i'm still swamped for a month or so.

Following the trail she has found, Tahllana nudges open the door cautiously, unsure what she will find within. She first sees the corpse of Shalani, left near the door, then catches glimpses of the others searching the rooms. "It is Tahllana," she calls quickly before they can turn on the intruder with weapons drawn. "You survived? What became of the dragon?"

The coward fled from my blades. Maysalkirii says flatly. The spellcaster did not escape the divine retribution of Cayden Cailean either.

Tahllana's alert posture relaxes slightly at the news, and she slings her bow over her shoulder. "You killed the damned goblin, then?" she asks bitterly. "Nasty little deceiver. Where's the corpse? We should sink it well in the swamp, or they'll find him and raise him. He's obviously more valuable to the Hand than he first appeared." She moves to the room with the tapestry and the dead creature, attempting to identify either the scene depicted or the bat creature. Knowledge (arcana) 1d20 + 16 ⇒ (12) + 16 = 28(dungeoneering) 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (6) + 6 = 12 (history) 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (5) + 6 = 11 (local) 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (13) + 6 = 19 (nature) 1d20 + 16 ⇒ (18) + 16 = 34 (religion) 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (8) + 6 = 14 (planes) 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (1) + 6 = 7

The scene depicted in the tapestry is a common motif in the worship of Zon-Kuthon, god of envy, pain, and darkness. From your encounters with the hobgoblin regulars outside of Drellin's Ferry, you recall that clerics of the Midnight Lord serve openly in the Horde of the Red Hand.

The animal is a common bat, simply distorted by inexpert taxidermy.

"That's a good idea, Tahllana. We don't want them to be able to bring that goblin back." Dragox helps the group sink the body in the swamp. After doing so, he returns to searching the tower with the others. "Let's be quick about this. Whether the dragon was a coward or not, I am not sure we want to be here when it returns, especially with much of our power again depleted."

Dragox looks at Tahllana, and attempts to determine if she is in need of healing. 'And how are you doing health wise, milady? The Dawnflower's healing is available if you are in need."

"Tch," Tahllana gestures angrily. "I wasn't harmed at all. The goblin used some sort of spell that left me weakened; I knew if I remained, I could do nothing but serve as a target for the Hand. I hoped you would survive until I could return; if not, at least I would remain to avenge you."

She takes a workmanlike pleasure in pouring gravel into the orifices of the goblin's body and puncturing its lungs and gut so that gases will not bring it back to the surface. As she watches Mnag sink beneath the surface of the water, she mutters, "The damned lizardfolk had needles they would use on some of their kills, if they had the time -- some of our greatest warriors, when they managed to ambush and kill them. Push them in, and when our clerics tried to raise them...," she blinks her eyes as if to deny tears, "they would return to life in agony, as the needles penetrated their flesh, deep within, where no one could see them.." She stares into the water for a moment, her face turned slightly away, then pushes back to her feet resolutely. "I wish we had some of them now," she finishes roughly.

Hey uuh.. Feek. Care to see to that chest under the table?" Narses asks cautiously knowing Maysalkirii had an affinity for locks and traps. "Might actually be somthing to make our efforts here worth somthing." he adds, glancing at Shalani.

"Do you elves have the power to resurect? Do you think your elders would spend the power for her?" he asks Tahllana regarding Shalani.

The Silversong Champions sink the body of Mnag into the murky depths of the Blackfens. Maysalkirii retrieves the equipment of their fallen enemies and searches them with magic. He finds the following:

(2) Large magical longsword
(2) Large magical heavy steel shield
(2) Large magical fullplate
(2) well-made lasso
(1) Large magical hide armor
(3) white potion
(1) magical amulet

Information on the chest to come shortly...

Please remind me, how many charges were left on that staff of resurrection?

2 now IIRC.

Maysalkirii will also take twenty to search the chest for traps, and to open it using disable device. Are these the only intact buildings in the swamp? What did we find in the other building? Did anything other than the loot detect as magical? Maysalkirii has darkvision so no corner will go unsearched.

These are the only intact buildings, sans the lizardfolk huts. The other building appeared to be simply a murky den for the dragon; a large collection of swampy vegetation formed a sort of nest in the corner.

Information on the chest will be available in about 2.5 hours when I can access the pdf on my laptop :)

Yep, only two charges are left on the Staff of Life, not enough for a Raise Dead or Ressurection, unfortunately.

Maysalkirii will search both thoroughly just in case as detailed above.

Then it looks like we need a discussion on what to do with Shalani's body.

Then it looks like we need a discussion on what to do with Shalani's body.

** spoiler omitted **

To answer that question, just look at my profile. :)

Actually, if Shalani wants to re-roll this might be a good opportunity to retire Maysalkirii. Hes started to get some really heavy survivors guilt and he blames himself a little when someone around him dies; I was going to have him leave the group in order to harass and hunt the Red Hand alone whenever and wherever he can. Its not even that i'm tired of playing him, this just seems like his time with the group has run its course, particularily with Adele dead. Maybe Brindol could send a pair of agents hired to assist us so our new characters could join? If retiring Maysalkirii is going to be problematic for you DM i'll continue with him- let me know.