DM Carbide runs *! Rise of the Runelords !*

Game Master John Woodford

No problem. I'll use a level 3 spell for the casting. The challenge will be getting the rats into the alcoves. I can say where I want them cast for one end but then getting 1 of the rats to walk to the other end might be harder. I can try using Wild Empathy to improve the rat's attitude. What does the GM want?

Wild Empathy would work. The rats will start out Helpful.

Erond can cast summon monster and the creatures are smart enough to be reasoned with.

For summon spells, they will either a) attack your opponent, which is what you want 9/10 times. Of b) follow instructions IF you can speak to them. Which is why taking elemental languages and such is often useful for summoners.

Cutting to the chase, since you have the right idea:

Someone summons a couple of appropriate creatures and gets them into the alcoves. The ancient spells woven into the structure of the dam come alive, draining the creatures of the vital energies needed for the floodgates to function, and with a grinding sound more felt than heard they open. The sound of the gates opening is quickly drowned out by the rushing of water through the spillways, a controlled flow that is easily handled by the people of Turtleback Ferry. The next time the waters rise volunteers may be needed, but that's a problem for another day--as is the repair of the dam where Black Magga was carried over it.

With that, the town is saved, but there are still mysteries to be plumbed--who was the woman in the fortress, and what was she doing running a gambling den? What was the fortress commander doing when the ogres attacked? And why have the ogres of the area suddenly become so militant? For the answers to these and other questions*, tune in next post, or whenever you pick what you want to look into.

*Why does your phone always ring when you're in the bathroom?

Woot!

Trox shakes his head.

"Seems like this should be manageable for them. Either prisoners or pay someone to do what we just did. Honestly, makes the whole devil thing seem kind of silly and, I guess, cruel." He thinks a moment. "That person with the clearly evil name must have been a real sh*t."

I don't remember do we need to find the fortress commander ow just where he was? I don't remember that bit and kind find it scanning back.

You have indications (see HERE) that he wasn't in Fort Rannick when the ogres attacked, and might still be alive. The other Black Arrows would be glad to have him back.

Dangit, so we need to go find this guy and a nymph?

I went back and scanned the posts. I think that we went to Turtleback Ferry in search of the Paradise floating gambling hall. We have a scented scarf that someone there might recognize and I think that might lead us to the nymph which might lead us to Lamatar. At Turtleback we dealt with that flash flood. That indicated a dam problem. That's why we came here. Now that we fixed the dam problem, I think we do go back to Turtleback and find the Paradise floating gambling hall. Did I miss something?

Works for me!

You did locate the gambling hall...it had sunk not long before you got there. That was when Reynard rejoined the party.

So we need to figure out where Commander Lamatar was going on his walks most likely, thanks for the reminder. Hard to remember what happened in March at this point.

One of the downsides of PbP, although the boards make it way easier to find old posts than Discord does.

Ok, we need a plan!

What about the nymph? Did we find her? I agree. We need a plan. If we haven't found the nymph then maybe we start by asking around town about her. At the same time we can ask about Lamatar.

That makes sense, maybe they are related since it fells like they are both lose plot threads.

If we have two dangling threads hopefully they are related. The Captain seems more approachable to me, at least we have people we can ask questions who we know knew him. I am good to start with either.

"We need to tell people what they will have to do to power the damn, lets at least start with that."

The people of Turtleback Ferry are grateful for the party's handling of the flooding. It doesn't take much investigation to learn that Whitewillow (see the post HERE) is part of a nearby marsh known as the Shimmerglens. Based on what you hear from the locals, the Shimmerglens is rumored to be inhabited by all sort of unnatural fey folk--a path known as the Wicker Walk is supposed to be the safest way to travel between Sanos Forest and the hamlet of Bitter Hollow, but stories abound of travelers baffled by nixie traps, or plagued by petty theft by unseen hands.

The final slide in the link above has been updated to label the Shimmerglens and Whitewillow.

Skarn shakes his head, "in my experience, the safest way to travel in any forest, is not to travel in it. Perhaps under it, or over it, but through the forest can not hardly be the best."

I also added another slide with better/clearer labeling. How do you want to approach the Shimmerglens? You can cut across to Bitter Hollow and take the Wicker Walk; that's probably the most straightforward way to get the whole party there together.

"I don't have strong enough magical blessing to get us over the forest. but I can us an invisible scout to keep us as safe as possible."

"What kind of weapon works best with fey folks? My blade is strong but adamantium might not be the right choice."

Trox is less concerned about the journey but would prefer to be well armed.

"Cold iron."

What are you going to do? Cold iron weapons are available for purchase in Turtleback Ferry.

"Walking it is then!"

Is Trox still negative leveled? Can we help him to clear that up?

I thought Erond fixed that before you went to the dam.

I thought Erond fixed that before you went to the dam.

I asked because it is still in his banner.

See the posts starting HERE. Trox, please update your banner.

"Cold iron."

Druamin nods. "Yep. That's it. Those fey can't handle the stuff. I'm going to check the shops here and see if I can't find an axe with a cold iron blade."

Since you said that cold iron weapons are available, I'll assume he finds one. Looks like it costs 20gp.

Druamin examines the new axe. It isn't as well made as the one he normally carries but it will be better against any fey they may encounter.

"I'm ready to head out when the rest of you are.

Also, I assume that I was able to do the healing and restoration necessary to heal to full and remove my 2 DEX dmg. Let me know if that's not true.

Yes, you had time to heal everyone up to full health.

Yes, you had time to heal everyone up to full health.

Answers like that can be scary. That's the GM saying "oh sure, get all your toys back, it won't help you any. Muahahahahaha!"

Moi? *blinks eyes innocently*

Et tu Carbide!!

Header updated.

Trox finds a cold iron long sword to add to the collection and beyond that is ready to see what the group gets into.

While the group's in town, Reynard will try to find a cold iron weapon for himself as well. Preferably a spear, since alchemists only have simple weapon proficiency, but I'm open to other possibilities. Dagger? Mace? If I'm proficient I'll take it.

Any of the listed weapons are available.

Lol, just realized I already had cold iron.

As Cordwin is falling asleep, a thought crosses his mind: Why would anyone try to destroy Turtleback Ferry?

The next morning, the party sets out for the Shimmerglens by way of Bitter Hollow. It's a cool fall day, the louring clouds promising more rain to come. There's an inn in Bitter Hollow that pours a decent enough ale, so the group doesn't cross the Willow River into the Shimmerglens until mid-afternoon. The party's clear militant competence does not go unnoticed, however....

You're only a quarter-mile into the swamp when a lone figure, a winged humanoid only a couple of feet tall, flits on multicolored wings through the scrub foliage towards the Wicker Walk.

"E-excusemeIneedhelpplease...."

Knowledge (nature): 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (11) + 9 = 20 +3 to identify creature abilities and weaknesses

Skarn shifts his gaze to the flitting figure, brow furrowing beneath the brim of his hat. He takes a chew on his stogie, then glances at his companions. “Aye, that’s a pixie. Not so surprising to find one in a place like this, given their knack for the forest.” He pauses, his expression a mix of curiosity and caution. “Now, I may not know much about pixie folk, but if this one is leading us into some forsaken muckpit, I’ll be none too pleased.”

He clears his throat, raising his voice to the tiny creature. “Right, well, you’ve found yourself a capable bunch here. I’m Skarn Hornfels, follower of the Drunken Hero himself. So, what exactly is the nature of this help you’re needing? No tricks, mind you.” He gives the pixie a pointed look, eyes narrowing. “Swamps like this are tricky enough without us marching headlong into fairy foolery.”

Skarn glances back at the group, muttering to himself, “Can’t say the lack of rats here isn’t a welcome sight, though.”

Knowledge(Nature): 1d20 + 14 ⇒ (1) + 14 = 15
As the flying creature approaches, Drumain stops and leans on his axe. He doesn't know much about pixies but he recognizes it none the less. Skarn seems to have more familiarity with the fey creatures so Druamin relaxes and waits to see where the conversation goes.

Survival: 1d20 + 14 ⇒ (7) + 14 = 21

At Skarns mention of the lack of rats Druamin takes a look around. He doesn't see much evidence of any of the small forest animals he'd normally see.

Druamin doesn't like the feel of the area at all. It's not really that bad where you are, but the prospects ahead seem worse.

The pixie wrings his hands in agitation. His eyes are swollen and red, apparently from crying, his clothes are disheveled, and he seems to have neglected to groom his wings. “My mistress, she is… ill. Very ill. Death would have been a kindness. The land sickens with her heart, and it cannot be cleansed until her misery is purged. I cannot do this myself. Please, you must help her! You know of her human lover, yes? He wouldn’t want her left like this! I can take you to her—maybe you can do something. I have tried everything to cure her forlorn heart, but to no avail. She wails and moans in Whitewillow, and the trees and plants and nixies and frogs and everything are dying or worse! I can take you there! Please!”

Knowledge(Nature): 1d20 + 13 ⇒ (17) + 13 = 30

Reynard quickly identifies the creature as a pixie, and exactly where to put his new cold iron spear, should the need arise. Fascinating anatomies, such creatures have. Amazing that such tiny organs can even function. I would like to dissect one, if I ever get the chance.

Torx watches the interaction not convinced it is not a trap but at the same time not opposed to helping as long as someone else does the talking.

Always assume it's a trap!

Skarn takes a deep breath, his gaze softening just slightly as he takes in the pixie’s clear distress. He removes the cigar from his mouth and tucks it into his pack, then looks back at the creature with a nod.

“Alright, lad. We’ve seen enough suffering in these parts already, so we’ll help your mistress. Just lead us to where she’s been resting.” He pauses, frowning as he wrestles with the names. “We understand this all has to do with her human lover, this… Commander Tamalar? Or was it Tamadar?” He scratches his beard thoughtfully. “Aye, I think it was Tamadar.” He nods as if certain.

Skarn looks back at the pixie. “And your mistress… Miryala, was it?” He frowns, muttering to himself. “No, no… I think it was Mylara… something along those lines.” He waves a hand. “Anyway, you’ll correct me if I’m off, but tell us, what happened to the fellow? I’d heard he vanished, but do you know more about what came of him?”

His expression turns resolute as he readies himself to follow. “Take us to her, little friend. If anyone can bring some relief to the land and your mistress, it’s this crew.”

Please note, the name mixups are intentional, to draw out the pixie a bit.

Cordwin is excited to see the pixie.

The pixie looks a little doubtful. "Are you sure you know her human lover? That's not his name, and that's not her name, either."

Cordwin's greeting in Sylvan seems to help your credibility, but there's still some lingering doubt in his expression.

Skarn shifts his weight, rubbing his beard as he chews over the pixie’s words. He lets out a short chuckle and waves a hand dismissively.

“Aye, you’ve got me there. Names like that don’t come easy to a dwarf. Human and fey names—no offense meant—always seem like they’ve got too many flourishes and not enough good, solid consonants. Now, give me a name like Durnak or Grimslog, and I’ll remember it clear as a mountain stream.” He taps the haft of his heavy pick against the ground for emphasis, a wry grin curling under his beard.

“But truly, we’re here to help. It’s plain as day you’ve been through a rough time, and I can see your mistress’s suffering has spread to the land itself. If we’re going to set things right, though, you’ll need to help me with these names.” He gestures toward the pixie encouragingly. “Remind me, what are they? The commander and your mistress? If I’ve got them wrong, I’d rather know before we meet her.”

He straightens, his expression softening just a touch. “Lead us to her, friend. We’ll do what we can to ease her pain and bring balance back to this place.”

Druamin shifts his weight to the other foot and keeps leaning on his axe. Skarn is pretty good at talking with this pixie creature.

That being the case, can I use a slightly modified version of the Quantium University Graduate trait? As is, it provides a +2 on concentration checks for arcane spells. I'd like to apply the bonus to psychic spells instead. It's also a nice explanation of where I've been: across the Inner Sea studying in far-away Nex.

I haven't filled in all the precise details yet, but this is the alias that I (Ouachitonian) will be using. The appellation comes from the fact that he dresses in blue robes because it's a sacred color of Yuelral, elven goddess of magic. Definitely not that I'm recycling an alias that seen previous use as an undine (among other blue-skinned races). No, definitely not. :)

Quantum University mod is fine. Not a fellow that many will care to know... not sure how you will be part of the group. We’ll have to work on that...

Otherwise it looks good.

You do have a discrepancy between your profile stats and the hero labs ones. Actually, I saw red box had that too but haven’t double checked.

Yeah, he’s no face. But that just means he has opportunities to grow and develop as a character, and learn how valuable the short-lived races can be.

I have a mindblade magus as one of my PFS characters and they're quite fun. You just have to watch out for the spells with the thought component having penalty to concentration checks... it's a large penalty and best to just play around it i found.

Look up the thought component here

I've decided on an Investigator and will will use the Empiricist archetype. I'm working out how they work which will guide me on who they are and help me make their background and make them fit in.

I've also started to add some complications by being a half elf but taking a large selection of shadowy drow related alternate racial features. They're going to be a bit weird yet very clever and able to use their smarts to talk their way out of trouble (they hope).

OK, looks like we are getting there. Some extra background for characters:

Blue Lucien (do we call you Blue or Lucien or do I have to type it all each time?) - You were sent from your college of psionics at the university to look into the possible connection of Sandpoint to age-old Thassilonian secrets. You have been informed that a former classmate of yours, one Belini Tortelo, with whom you had a bitter rivalry, has been sent to do the same for the arcane college. The two colleges have an ongoing rivalry as well, so this is a race for points of pride, it would seem. You are supposed to contact a scholar named Brodert Quink. Your professors suggest he is probably a crackpot, but he might just be on to something. They did say you should take your time and not hurry back. (They consider you somewhat expendable, and likely very annoying, so they don't mind sending you on an extended wild goose chase. Oh yeah, that low Charisma will be coming into play...)

Luthor - Empiricist Investigator is one of my favorite classes in PFS, so I am interested to see your take on it. I will wait to see what you come up with regarding drow traits before giving you Sandpoint hooks...

He’s normally go by Lucien, Blue is more of a nickname. Different people might use either/or, but I wouldn’t expect anyone to call him both. Probably few if any call him Blue unless they’re elves from Crying Leaf who knew him growing up or something.

And here is said light-grey skinned half-elf.

I hadn't decided on gender or even a name until i looked at portraits and this one jumped out at me as being perfect.

I decided to take a trait to always use Int for diplomacy as the 'only for gather information' bit of empiricist was more restrictive than i liked.

I think she was found as an abandoned baby in Magnimar and spent a lot of her very early life there, mostly getting into and out of trouble because she was too much of a smart ass for her own good.

As someone who has to rely on her own skills i think she is someone who prides herself on being the best at whatever she turns her hand to.

As she has no idea where she came from and why she is different to most folks she is much more curious than is good for her. I think by chance this curiosity got her noticed by a minor scholar who found her reading a complex history book in the Museum of Ages. He realized she was of above average intelligence and took her on as a (very) cheap assistant. That is where she learnt some new languages and found her love for research, reading and learning about the ancient ruins of Varisia.

The scholar's name is Professor Valoran - a middle aged human who is constantly caught saying '..i was just researching that very subject. I would have got there in a couple more days...' whenever someone released a new research paper. Sometimes it's actually true. Syrix left on good terms and hasn't seen the professor in a couple of years since he headed off on a research trip to a hush-hush location that he didn't share with her.

From there i imagine she has traveled around the west coast of Varisia between Magnimar and Riddleport more than a couple of times. She'd tag along on caravans and pay her way by doing translation work With Sandpoint being a major stop off point, plus with 'Old Light' right in town, i think she will have got to know Brodert Quink. She now makes a point of visiting the old scholar and brings supplies or delivers packages for him whenever she can. She doesn't have any family so she thinks of Brodert as the scholarly Grandfather she never had.

It's a bit of a wall of text and kind of flowed out on it's own but i think that fleshes her out enough to give her some background and some things and people to care about (so the GM can take them away of course :P ).

Had to wait to post this. Just hit 5000 posts and wanted it to matter, used it to finish book 1 of Jade Regent I am GMing, for the record.

So I made a small switch.

Going to go with Pistplero instead of Musket Master. This will let me go straight paladin from level two on which should give us more healing and overall it a better character I think. If I did musket I had to bury three levels just to shoot more then once a round which is a bit too much.

Nothing else changes.

And we have a party!

I don't personally use Hero Labs, so I am assuming some of the odd entries are due to the elephant in the room changes. The only question I have is for Syrix - how do you have both Darkvision and Low Light vision?

For those of you who may not yet have played in my games, I do roll perception and initiative for encounters - otherwise we waste too much time. IF you want to use stealth to approach a door, etc., then go ahead and make the roll. If you want to actively use perception, go ahead and roll it when you describe your action.

I make mistakes. Go ahead and point em out. If I need to retcon something, I will.

We will be using Hero points. Everyone starts with 1.

The material in this AP can be rather dark, but the campaign need not be. Feel free to make jokes and have fun.

This AP has a lot of NPCs. I mean, there are probably over a hundred. I will do my best to give them enough individual flavor to differentiate, but go ahead and take notes - I am!

Any questions before we start? Concerns?

The Darkvision comes from an alternate racial trait from Book of Shadows called 'Blended View' - it's available to Elves, Halflings and Half Elves.

It seems like a rather a good trait for a half-elf and the character isn't losing anything important to get it. If you think it's too good i'm happy to not take it.

The weird entries certainly are from the elephant in the room house rules changes. I've left in some bits to remind me we're using them. I'm glad Hero Lab can do the changes for me as i would probably find them hard to remember.

As you mentioned Hero Points I've clicked that option on for the Hero Lab entry for Syrix. I've used them in the past and they're a nice emergency button when characters need them.

Seems like a fun group. Good thing Tiyuvi and I invested in charisma you other two are pretty unlikable. :)

Cool that you are using heropoints. I already had it in my character sheet because I couln't find the box to turn it off in herolab.

GM are you going to track loot as you do in the other game I am in with you?

Speaking of tons of NPCs...

I recently discovered Obsidian Portal (https://www.obsidianportal.com/) and am considering using it for game tracking for my home game (Ironfang Invasion).

Have any of you used Obsidian Portal? Would it make sense for all of us to use it for our game here? It seems that it can help us track NPCs, keep a history, etc.

For maps and such I'm pretty comfortable using google slides since that allows me to edit me location on the map easily. But for the other stuff, Obsidian Portal might be great.

Just wondering.

I have not seen it before, but signed up and will take a look.

Meanwhile, I have added two links in the campaign header - one for combat maps and one for Notes and such. For now I will be using the latter for portraits and notes but you should have edit capability to add your own notes as well.

Can we get a Doc for writing notes in? I'm in a couple other PbP APs and I find that the biggest problem I have is that I am always getting lost with the thread. I guess I'm too lazy to read back through dozens of pages of posts... :-)

For this game I was planning to create a running history, in brief sentences. Having a notes document would make that easier.

Sounds like a good idea if people use it. The games I GM I was doing that but no one used it. I will try and contribute, my biggest thing is keeping a list of short and long term party goals someplace.

Notes is now a Docs file, and Exhibits is a slide file. Not really sure we need both - but for now it gives us some workspaces to play in.

OK, I think we are ready to begin! I have started adding NPCs (some of them) to the Exhibits slides, and the Festival has begun.

Didn't think to ask this before.

Do we know each other? I assume we have at least a passing acquaintance given the backstories. Did we throw together for the trip home>?

It’s up to you. I would assume you have at least met before today, but the story will work either way.

I'd been figuring Lucien had been gone for decades. If he knows anyone else connected to the party, it'd more likely be parents, aunts/uncles, etc of the rest.

Due to various personal issues i dropped off the internet for a few days. I don't really want to go into details but i want to post that i'm now working my way through ongoing games i'm GMing or playing in and getting them back on track.

Specific to this game - I've just caught up reading the posts i missed and put up a catch up post with an AoO against the charging goblin. I'll do a combat action post next.

Thank you everyone for being patient.

No problem - hope all is well now.

I am going to be without a computer for the rest of today and tomorrow, but should be back in the game on Sunday. Feel free to RP a bit while I am gone. After this goblin, you have a couple rounds to relax until the next event.

If you've never seen folks hunting boar with dogs and knives, it's....something else. I've never been, but I have friends who hunt them that way. A friend invited me just a couple of weeks ago, in fact. Told him if I couldn't bring a rifle, no thanks. I have seen video, though. This gets pretty graphic, be warned.

SO my most recent post boarders racial issues which a feel a half-orc, no matter how noble, would feel. If anyone hates that sort of thing let me know.

Just checking in. Seems like it's been a few days since anyone posted.

GM Fuzznet seems to be missing on multiple fronts. Hoping that everything is ok for him.

Sorry - I am back. College trip for kid #1, and I didn't expect it to slow me down, but then I ended up offline for the last 4-5 days. Will be catching up today.

Hey gang - Syrix seems to be off the boards for 2 weeks now. Since this is a small group, we need to bot her for now, and I have PMd him - but don't have an email address, so if he isn't checking boards, he won't see the PM either.

We'll give him another week or so, but then I suggest we recruit a new player. I can go back to my list, but if someone has a friend that they would like to recommend/invite, I am open to suggestions.

I may have a college friend, who has been playing for over 30 years, interested. He is considering the format because, unlike me, his life allows for IRL play.

I would say his interest is 50/50.

Sami - is your friend interested? If not, I am going to recruit for another. Luther hasn't reappeared, so it is time to find another player to keep things moving.

He was but his wife put her foot down.

I would say grab from the outside.

I have a lead on someone. He's new to PbP but not new to PF. He responded with interest to my initial request and I'll get more info tomorrow.

Of course, he has to pass muster with the GM.

Send me the details once you have them. The person I reached out to is willing, but has already done 2/3 of the campaign before - which is more than me.

I'm trying to meet up with him today or tomorrow then I can get you the details.

Sorry guys, I’ve been away from home and limited to phone posting since last week. Just assume I’m busy talking esoterica with Quink during the hunt. I fly home Saturday and should be back to normal then.

Fair enough. Have a good trip back.

Hello everyone! I'm the player GM Fuzzfoot has been mentioning talking with. :D I'm currently debating on whether to make a rogue or an oracle--it looks like the party could use either.

Either works well I would think. We are short on some skills so a rogue is good. An oracle that can heal would fill a needed roll as well. Your decision will probably impact young Sami's development greatly so I look forward to seeing what you do.

Well here's what I'm currently thinking. Going with the Oracle idea, but with some rogue-like skills. No trapfinding, though.

So, the boards have been a mess, and it sounds like this week may be rough too, but rather than trying to move, I suggest we just hold tight until regular posting can resume.

Hopefully now is that time. :D

Well glad this is back up, hopefully.

Tomorrow I leave for a long weekend wedding with a lot of scotch and no computer. I would expect little before Tuesday.

We seem to have dropped off... probably because there is no defined action. Any questions for the elf ranger? If not, we can probably move on.

Speaking of delay of game, I will be travelling Sep 20-23 (Thur-Sun), so I won't likely be posting during those days.

Yeah, Vulpidin doesn't have much to add or ask at present.

I am going to be offline Thursday-Sunday. We have a little more RP to wrap this part up, but I am happy to announce that you have made it to level 2! Let's try to have everyone updated by Sunday or Monday.

Woohoo level two, think it is time to grant Sami's wish to be a paladin.

HP: 1d10 ⇒ 4

1d8 ⇒ 1

Uh...are we doing rerolls or half+1 minimum or something?

You get to choose 1/2+1 or roll. Personally, I prefer the half+1 method.