The chest is locked, but opens easily to Maysalkirii's careful ministrations. Inside are six large leaather sacks, each containing 100 silver pieces and 20 gold pieces. Wedged between some of these sacks is a delicate-looking wooden and silver box. Inside the box is a single folded letter that smells of a strange perfume.
Wymlord 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.
- Wyrmlord Ulwai
Under the letter in the chest you find a delicate adamantine chain on which are threaded a lion's claws and teeth.
I couldn't tell if you put down the information as a reminder to yourself for when you are raised/resurrected, or as a way to dissuade the party from trying since you would be so weakened.
That caught me by surprise. Are you happy with the game? I'm at work right now so I can't use chat. Were you interested in rolling up a new character?
"Do you elves have the power to resurect? Do you think your elders would spend the power for her?" he asks Tahllana regarding Shalani.
Tahllana shakes her head. "The lizardfolk killed our high priestess decades ago, long before you were born -- ambushed her party with their poison bombs and slit her throat like the murderers they are. Her acolytes have not yet achieved her level of communication with the goddess, as far as I know." She shrugs. "Then again, I have been ... away from Starsong Hill much of the time these past years. It's possible one of them has progressed far enough to be able to return the soul to its vessel. You would be better served pleading your companion's case yourself, however, than trusting me to sway them. As I said, I have been ... away."
The chest is locked, but opens easily to Maysalkirii's careful ministrations. Inside are six large leaather sacks, each containing 100 silver pieces and 20 gold pieces. Wedged between some of these sacks is a delicate-looking wooden and silver box. Inside the box is a single folded letter that smells of a strange perfume.
Under the letter in the chest you find a delicate adamantine chain on which are threaded a lion's claws and teeth.
Tahllana looks over Maysalkirii's shoulder at the letter with a snort of derision. "Fancy perfume for a hobgoblin to be wearing," she comments. She will translate the letter for anyone who doesn't read Goblin.
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.
- Wyrmlord Ulwai
"To whom might this 'phylactery' belong?" she questions the others.
** spoiler omitted **
Know. History
Know. Religion
to see if Dragox knows anything about the Ghostlord.
At first I was like, "Nooo! Alex is one of my favorite Paizo people!" But then I was like, "Whew! He's still here!" :)
I think the background of your new PC will determine how quickly we can introduce a character. An elf could be introduced as early as tomorrow in-character. Any other type of character could be introduced in a few days when the party restocks and sells their loot.
Did you have a new character already in mind?
"Where is this Wyrmlord Saarvith?" Tahllana asks. "Was he riding the black dragon?"
No.
The Ghostlord? Think I heard a couple of rumours about him... Maysalkirii says, scratching his head in confusion.
|
If a Half-Elf is acceptable, I have an itching to make a bit of an anti-hero Wizard/Rogue/Arcane Trickster with a possible dip into another class so I don't end up with more CL than my HD. At best hes a necessary force the Tiri Kitor respect for his prowess and at worst hes something of a boogeyman among the Elven children. Alignment will be Chaotic Neutral. Despite his dubious status among the Tiri Kitor he is loyal to the tribe and has offered his services to help against the Red Hand threat that he sees as threatening the tribe that brought him up. His father is a stern elder of the tribe and publicly disapproves of his son while secretly a little proud of him. His mother passed many years ago, and her last request was that he go live with his Elven family.
Thoughts?
You recall campfire tales of the Ghostlord, a once-proud druid who dwelt in the verdant plains south of Rhest and led several tribes of nomads. These nomads were said to have built a massive lion of stone in honor of this great druid, who taught them the ways of the lion and how to live at peace with these proud creatures. Yet when dark times fell on Rhest, their shadow also fell upon the lion's plains.
It began when nobles visiting from Rhest arrived in the region. The nomads befriended the nobles but were betrayed by them when the visitors hunted down and killed a lion monarch for his pelt and claws. The nomads reacted with violence, slaying the visiting nobles to a man. Rhest answered in kind, and its army marched against the southern plains. The disorganized nomads stood little chance against Rhest's military might, and the tribes were slaughtered despite the fact that the lions rode to defend them. The warriors of Rhest confronted and slew the druid between the paws of his own massive stone shrine.
But the night after the warriors returned to their city, doom came to Rhest. Ghost lions prowled the streets, stalking and killing anyone they came across. When the dawn came, the entirety of Rhest's cavalry, including families, servants, and squires, lay dead. Rheset never recovered from this night of terror, which marked the beginning of the decline of that once-proud nation. In the years since, the once-verdant hills to the south have grown horrid and tangled. The Thornwaste is all that remains.
Urikel Zarl, the great druid of the story, was in fact the leader of a cruel lion cult based in the southern regions of the kingdom. His people were not the noble nomads legend recalls, but feral cannibals who believed tat in death their bodies would transform into lions and thereafter live forever. Urikel Zarl was their undying lord and master, who had long before turned his back on the natural world for the tainted promises of eternal undeath. When the Rhestian lords sought to challenge his power and subjugate the region, their cavalry and the cultists destroyed each other in the years to come, both Rhest and the Thornwaste fell to ruin as a result.
That sounds fine to me. We can make the switch when the party visits Starsong Hill to rest. Maysalkirii can announce to the party that he is parting ways, when all of a sudden a brash young half-elf from the crowd volunteers his services. He is the son of none other than Killar Arrowswift, Chief Hunter and Keeper of the Owls. Sound alright?
The phylactery is an unusual example of its sort and is probably the work of a druid.
The creator of the phylactery was a blighter, an ex-druid who has turned his back on the natural order
The Ghostlord's lair is somewhere near the eastern end of the Thornwaste, just north of the Hammerfist Holds.
Know. Religion
"I've heard of a lair in the Thornwaste, at the eastern end, just north of the Hammerfist Holds."
"Tahllana, do you think we could go back to Starsong Hill and rest for a day or so, to figure out what to do next? You could tell them that we cleared out the lizardfolk, and kiled one of the Wyrmlords. We need to try and get Shalani raised, the poor thing, and we have several baubles we need to identify as well. I don't want to be here when the dragon returns."
I agree on all counts, except i'd like the cowardly lizard to dare face me... Maysalkirii says, a little absent mindedly. I have an announcement to make however. Once we return to Starsong Hill, we shall be parting ways. I will continue to fight the Red Hand and help in my own way to destroy them, but I will do it alone. I will not have yet another death on my conscience.
The Silversong Champions decide that they have had enough of the Blackfens and make their way back to Starsong Hill, carrying with them the equipment of the fallen and the chest belonging to Wyrmlord Saarvith.
Nothing of note occurs as you travel back to the elven enclave.
You are sighted by owl riders wheeling overhead as you enter the treeline. A series of horn calls echoes through the woods heralding your arrival. You are met by a party of hunters, led by Killar Arrowswift, who guide you back to the canopy-homes of the Tiri Kitor. A busy crowd of elves surround you as you make your way toward the elders' hut. Sellyria Starsinger herself approaches, trepidation on her face and in her voice. "What has happened? Were you successful against the Red Hand?"
"We fought them, but we suffered heavy losses. We managed to resolve the lizardfolk porblem. They will bother you no more. A Wyrmlord, or general of the Red Hand was there and we managed to kill him and several of his ogre-kin bodyguards. The dragon turned tail and ran. I doubt it will return to these parts. But as I said, we have seffered losses. Would you permit us to rest here for an evening, so that we might plot our further strategy? And mourn our dead," as he points toward the cloaked corpse of Shalani.
Sellyria claps her hands together in mixed emotion. "You mean Saarvith? The goblin? Calistria be praised, we are freed of his malignance! We had heard from captured lizardfolk that he was leading the Red Hand forces, but we never had an opportunity to engage him in battle. It is sad to hear of your companion. We have a cleric of some power who could assist in raising her, and we would be happy to allow you to stay until you are rested."
"The goblin is the exact general I was speaking of. Our friend Feek personally dispatched him. Thank you so much, Sellyria. We are in your debt."
Dragox excused himself and approached Feek otu of the earshot of the others. "Are you sure you wish to leave, friend? We have done much good, but there is plenty left to do. I would be proud to continue fighting at your side, if you would reconsider."
Once Dragox has the opportunity to have a moment's pause and break, he examines the items taken from the corpse of the Wyrmlord.
Spell craft circlet
Spellcraft cloak
Spellcraft amulet
Spellcraft ring One
Spellcraft ring Two
Spellcraft beltpouch
Circlet = unidentified
Cloak = unidentified
Amulet = amulet of natural armor +2
Ring 1 = ring of protection +2
Ring 2 = unidentified
beltpouch = Wasn't magical to begin with, but looking inside reveals 20 gold pieces!
Tahllana looks unhappy about the decision to return to Starsong Hill, but she cannot argue with the logic that it is the safest place to regroup. As they approach the Hill and are spotted by the owl riders, she retreats to the rear of the group somewhat sulkily. "Yes, we killed the mighty goblin," she mutters sarcastically, "while the black dragon whose spawn harry us flies free. Let Trellara write a song chronicling the deeds of the mighty heroes."
Dragox excused himself and approached Feek otu of the earshot of the others. "Are you sure you wish to leave, friend? We have done much good, but there is plenty left to do. I would be proud to continue fighting at your side, if you would reconsider."
I am sure. I have been thinking about it for some time, since... since Adele really. I will do my best to make sure the Red Hand who reach you have been harried and wounded; but I won't have any more deaths on my concience. Thankyou for your kind words, i'll celebrate with you tonight and leave come morning...
headband of alluring charisma +4
cloak of resistance +3
ring of evasion
"Aye, an' we persuaded the lizardfolk ta up an' move as well. They didn' like it, but theyr goin'" Narses says to Starsinger.
"I'll miss ya friend." Narses says to Feek when time allows. "Never thought to call a goblin friend Maysalkirii, but ya've ern'd it. It's been good fight'n with ya but I'll respect ya'r decision. I know ya'll make good yer promise ta keep sticking 'em where it hurts."
Spellcraft Large Longsword One
Spellcraft Large Longsword Two
Spellcraft Large heavy steel shield One
Spellcraft Large heavy steel shield Two
Spellcraft Large Fullplate One
Spellcraft Large Fullplate Two
Spellcraft Large Hide Armor
Spellcraft Three White Potions
Spellcraft Amulet
(2) well-made lassos, I assume are just masterwork
Under the letter in the chest you find a delicate adamantine chain on which are threaded a lion's claws and teeth.
Large +1 longsword
Large +1 longsword
Large +1 heavy steel shield
Large +1 heavy steel shield
Large +1 fullplate
Large +1 fullplate
Large +2 hide armor
(3) potion cure moderate wounds
amulet of natural armor +2
Yes, the lassos are just masterwork.
You successfully identify the phylactery. Additional information may be gained by the skill checks mentioned above.
You successfully identify the phylactery. Additional information may be gained by the skill checks mentioned above.
Sitting around the campfire with the group Narses clears his throat for attention, he's been quiet for some time so the group know somthings up. "So er.. Fe.. eh.. Maysalkirii's decis'un got me thinkin'. I'm eh.. I'm heading off as well. Seems ta me thet anytime one of us fell is becouse I've lost me temper an' am off bashing somthin' or someone... I eh.. I've decided. I'm goin' back ta Wraath Keep. I'm gona find tha forest giants an' see if I can aid 'em in their eff'rts behind the lines. Now don't ya think ta change me mind. I'm set. It's been good, but I rekon I'm as much danger to ma friends as me enemies." he finishes with a guilty glance at Shalani. "So beein' free ta do me thing, like Feek, is tha right thing ta do fer me. I'll miss ya guys but I'm set on it."
Maysalkirii says nothing, but presents Narses with a warrior's handshake (think gripping forearm roman style) and then embraces his long-time companion awkwardly.
I am sure i'll see you soon Narses... I may join up with the Forest Giants as well once I find a target that will require more than my own skills to kill or sabotage. Oh and... Maysalkirii addresses the whole group in a hushed tone- If you... if I fall and you come across my corpse- d... don't bring me back. I'll be drinking with Cayden himself and it would be awfully rude to interrupt the party by popping back to the material plane for a few more years...
Shalani's weakened body was carried back to the group. Her second brush with death had not been any less harrowing than the first.
"I... I... At first you two frightened me. A goblin and a rather rough-looking man. Adele was the only one who even seemed to make sense, and now she is gone too. I think I spoke with her a little in the other place, or was that a dream? She said, 'Give the Deed to Narses'. I'm not even certain what that means, but perhaps you do. Since you are both leaving, I am left with this strange elven woman, but I feel she is good at heart. And the half orc, whom perhaps knows even better than me what mysteries you all were capable of. I shall miss you, but know that wherever you are fighting, you will always be members of the Silversong Champions. And as long as I am alive on this earthly plane, you can find solace at my side."
It is sad to hear of your companion. We have a cleric of some power who could assist in raising her, and we would be happy to allow you to stay until you are rested.
With that being the case, Dragox can cast the Raise Dead on Shalani in a day or two and can bust out a Restoration on her as well, taking another of those pesky negative levels away. We'd need 6000 gp to pay for the components for all that.