Shadows of the Sand (Inactive)

Game Master caster4life

Lol, d30 indeed!

"Okay, I basically know that you can move this stone around and it'll make corresponding movements to the other ahncibel that's presumably sitting in Taldor. That's how they're sending messages back and forth. Once we tear this down, the Taldanes will probably realize that the show's over and they're not going to get any more messages. Though I wonder if there's a way to avoid that fact, to conceal this information from them a little longer. Could you imagine what kind of havoc we could cause if we fed them some false information using this ahncibel?"

Zaza takes notes about how the device works so she can disassemble it. As she does so, she's interested in seeing of they are being sent any messages from Taldor. She would like to know if there is a way to disassemble the ahncibel without revealing to the Taldanes that the ahncibel has been compromised.

<You could send a message saying that they have to move their base because they had to dispatch an enemy patrol.
Maybe that will prevent the Taldan authorities from getting suspicious.>

Zaza doesn't see any income messages at the moment but realizes the Ahncibel would be hard to move. If they were willing to take two extra weeks, the Shadows could take it back to HQ with them. Alternatively, they could destroy it or leave it and report its position. They have accomplished the main aim of their mission in destroying the Taldane spies.

Woohoo! Glad we came out of that in one piece. With thanks to the GM for making us not completely impotent against invisibility!

"Seems like it'll be a couple of weeks to disassemble this. Better if we have others handle that task, now that we know where it is."

"We can leave it behind then. We should probably dispose of the body's before we go." Lo'laan suggests.

2400 XP for the fight and a 2500 xp bonus for completing the mission. 900 each. XP updated.

Agreed. We have a monastery to investigate.

Do we know where the monastery is in relation to our base, and whether it makes sense to go their directly or report back to our superiors first?

You're in the northern desert so everything in Qadiran, base and monastery, is south. Amari, care to pick a spot on the Qadiran map for the monastery?

Sorry for being away was a little crazy over the holidays and Happy New Year everyone.

Sending up a quick prayer and seeming to recall the idea of sending false information.

Do you think they will attempt to send another unit to recover this if it goes dark or just assume their "blades" destroyed the device and are either lost or in survival mode? If they are likely to send a recovery team it maybe worth having another unit sit on the device for a couple weeks at least.

Recalling the new message.

Do you think there might be additional information if we check back in at HQ before moving on or would it be more likely they send us on another mission to keep Amari away from personal endevours?

"I believe the message from Amari was from HQ, so there's no issue with that. But I do see your point about keeping this facility guarded. In order to do that, we probably need to check in with headquarters. Since the monastery is south of us also, that at least won't take us too far out of the way. So, shall we go back?"

Yeah holidays have had me quite busy too.

The Shadows return quickly to Fort Hashbaz (1 day) from whence they travel back to their base by boat, taking their newly-purchased camels with them (6 days). Upon return to the cave in the desert, Shalazat greets them with a serene expression upon her face.

"How have the winds carried you?"

"The winds have carried us well, and Hadha too. We have tracked down all four Taldan agents. The gnome sorcerer, fighter, and druid are dead. The one they call Bishop, a goblin, remains in captivity. Also, the commander of Fort Al-Nayiz was a traitor, bribed by the Taldanes. He has been imprisoned and replaced by his far more loyal second-in-command. Finally, we have located the ahncibel. We chose to leave it intact for further study."

Shalazat nods serenely. "That is well. You will be rewarded as promised. Further, give me your daggers." She holds out her deceptively small and delicate hands to receive your weapons. She then bows to you. "I will have the hilts covered in copper before you leave."

1500 gp each for finishing early. 500 gp each for Bishop's capture alive. 250 gp each for finding out about the corrupt commander. You still have loot to ID, btw. You can try again since it's a new day.

<What news do you have from my brothers?>

Shalazat nods calmly to Amari. "The news is ill. Somehow, the monks have been enchanted. They have attacked anyone who has neared the monastery. We do not yet know why or how this has been accomplished."

"That's terrible! Who would have a motive to launch such an attack on an isolated monastery?"

<Maybe Taldans. The Monastary is law and protection of all our people within one week of travel of its walls.
If the Taldans could conquer it ...
The will have got them a big hole in our defences...>

Once the talking with their superior is done, Amari searches for the dwarf working the Shadows arcane equipment.
He had come up with a lot of ideas for new, magical arrows during the long travel on their last mission he had to discuss with him...

Shalazat nods solemnly to Zaza's question and Amari's response. "That is possible. It is your job to find out." She glides silently into a nearby corridor.

The quartermaster nods to Amari when he returns. "Alright alright. Whadd'll it be?"

Before he heads off, he signs to his comrades:
<I will see the quartermaster.
Rest for the rest of the day, get tools and equipment for a stealthy mission and potential heavy combat.>
A short break, then he adds:
<Get some non-lethal weapons if you can.
I still hope that we can save most of my brothers...>

Amari produces a couple of scribbled-on papyrus with notes and sketches of arrowheads, runes and similar martial-arcane pieces.
<You think these might work?>
Some excuse for my Arcane Archer development and maybe a prelude for first magic-arrow prototypes...

Later:
<And how about that adjusted magical quiver, Alric?
That one with lots of room for arrows and my bow?>
Efficient quiver with the javelin compartments replaced with additional arrow-storage.
RAW price 1800g

Hadha nods and strides off to gear up.

With no pressing material concerns Lo'Laan and Serenity find a quite place to rest after a hard fought mission.

I'll wait until everything is sold and divvied before working out stuff to buy. If someone needs a bit extra to afford something pressing let me know and I'll pitch in.

This was, by far, the most money Hadha had ever seen at once. He didn't know what to do at first and simply stared at the heavy coin in his hands. Then it disappears into his pockets and he strides to the store.

The dwarf looks over Amari's scribblings with an expert eye. He nods "Indeed, indeed they appear as if they would perform adequately. As for your request" he draws out a very finely-made quiver "This should prove itself useful."

Thankful to complete another mission without losing anymore comrades...though there were a couple of close calls. Agaban walks off clicking a few of the coins together and hoping some of the masters can provide some guidance what might be a worthwhile investment.

He feels like avoiding melee is always the goal but so far in his limited experiences it has been hard to stay outside the chaos, and staying alive to heal the rest of the group is his ultimate objective but unsure if spending all his gold on another suit of armor is the best path forward.

It is going to be hard to fight the monks without killing them if they are the ones that trained Amari and they are even close to his skill.

After spending a little time in solitude praying, Agaban seeks out Zaza.

Question do you think you can draw a symbol for Stillness while hiding a couple smaller spirals within it? Also, that spellbook that we recovered...do you think someone would trade another with a better selection of spells for your use?

Spending a while with Zaza working on a sketch he then walks out trying to find the quartermaster.

Sir, do you...I mean...can you make a suit of mithral mountain pattern imprinting this symbol onto the armor?

The quartermaster nods. "Aye, certainly. Making a new suit of armor will take about a week. Does that sound good to ye?"

You spend a day resting, training, and preparing for your next mission. Then you begin traveling to the Al'Fahd monastery. As you travel, Amari fills you in. The monastery is set in the hills of a desert near the only water source. The 30 or so monks present at any given time protect the surrounding area. The monastery is governed by three elders. The building itself is a two-story stone compound with private rooms, store rooms, a front and rear entrance, windows, and several outlying buildings including an outhouse and a watchtower.

Amari, propose a relevant skill check to see how exactly you can remember the layout.

During their first day en route, Amari tries to think about a way to remember every last detail of the monastery that may be a lifesaver in the mission ahead of them.
Then, shortly after having set-up camp, he comes up with an idea.
He closes his eyes and controls his breathing in the way he was taught by his tutors.
He imagines, being back in his sparse cell inside the monastery - during one of the many challanges presented by his tutors: finding his way to a specific place with his eyes bound by a thick, black scarf.
He stands up, turns left to the only door of the room, leading out into the great hallway. His feet finding their way themselves by now, allowing his mind to recall the details more vividly.

Non-Visual Perception, Muscle memory: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (16) + 10 = 26

It probably is quite strange to see Amari carefully, slowly walking around the desert sand with his eyes closed and whispering - remembering windows, hallways, rooms, doors and chambers by mentally walking through the monastery.

"I think we should try and capture one of the monks to understand what kind of magic has a hold of them. That could help us understand what to do next."

Amari thinks back to this days in the monastery. His intense concentration and well-trained muscles allow him to recall the majority of where he wandered there.

Map of the monastery added and closeby surrounding area added. Basement map is the nearly the same as above-ground map. See notes on slide 1.

Content with his order Agaban decides to go watch some of the new recruits train a little and to see if there is anyone in the infirmary that needs a little extra healing. Afterwards he mediates some before crashing for the night.

***

Amari is the monastery self sufficient or do the monks leave periodically to enter town and buy various items? Is there a chance you can approach one/small group outside the monastery instead of us going in blind and being unable to support you?

<In my times ... small groups were sent out whenever there was a problem in any of our area of influence.
Bandits, wandering monsters, blood feuds, spies, invaders.
And of course there where those that took the tribute of those under our protection once a year.
In those times ... we could have started a disturbance in any of the small settlements and simply wait for the arrival of a small group of Al'Fahd monks.
And for supplies ... The order has a lot of supplies stored deep inside the monastery. Fresh fruits and vegetables are grown in a small garden (M14?) within its grounds.
It is common to gift the order with some of your products for a year and a day after you where protected by one of the monks.
We have to question the farmers and hunter tribes how things are handled nowadays...>

Diplomacy: 1d20 + 14 ⇒ (10) + 14 = 24
Going to pretend we learned this already, so the conversation can continue flowing.

"Well, we know from chatting with the locals that everything was normal until three weeks ago, when the monks stopped coming in and out. And that a local elder went to check on the monks but hasn't returned. So I guess isolating one of these monks outside the compound is going to be hard."

Zaza considers further. "Do you have a sense of which entrance would be least guarded?"

<We could try the small backdoor of the kitchen.
But the problem will be, that guards are positioned on the watchtower day and night in four eight hour shifts.
Actually ... we might just try to capture them first.
It will be risky but I fear that approaching the main building without being spotted by them will be very hard too.>

You're the expert here. I'll follow your lead.

"Okay, then we will need to hit the nearby watchtower first," agrees Zaza.

I see 5 watchtowers on the map, is that accurate?

Ah I forgot to label those buildings. Fixed that. Only two of them are watchtowers. Two are storage buildings, and 1 is an outhouse. Maybe next time I'll make them different styles. ;)

Just wondering Amari...how would the watch react to a magical fog cast into the watchtower? They wouldnt be able to see anything and assuming they would sound the alarm...but how would that impact the rotations/shifts especially if nothing happens the first or second time it happens?

Looking towards the sky.

What phase do you think the moon will be in when we get there...wonder if it is worth slowing down a little to have more cover to approach...and do many of the monks have the advantage of darkvision?

<Most of the monks are humans but there are a couple of halfbloods in our ranks too.
As soon as an alarm is raised, we would usually search the area around the monastery for any intruders.
Guards will stay on their posts though.
If nothing is found and that repeatedly ... no idea. Never happened before.
But evading the searching parties will probably be not too easy.>

Hmm...doesnt seem like that would be a very good option...would give us some more targets but with them out in force doubt we would be able to successfully subdue them...guess lets make our way to the closest village and see if anything else sticks out after talking with them some...doubt we could sneak into a storehouse to cover most of that open ground.

After completing this almost rambling thought Agaban decides to pick a spot by the fire and start to settle in for the night.

Guess I will have the morning watch like normal?

Flipping over quickly.

Wait how is the alarm raised Amari...could we potentially silence the alarm to give us a window to take out a watchtower?

Amari knows the alarm would be raised by shouts or gongs from the monks in the watchtowers. Not all of them take a vow of silence.

"It seems like Agaban might be able to silence the area around the watchtower with magic as we attack. That could suppress the alarm long enough, even if it's only for seconds."

Cast Silence as an opening salvo while we attack?

"Ordinarily I might also suggest having me try and distract the monks, but I'm a little worried these monks will be harder to fascinate and distract."

Amari cracks a short grin at Zatinya for her last remark.
<Probably true.
Especially if they are under some kind of mental influence already.
But yeah, if we could silence the gongs and take them down quickly, that might work.
We still have to sneak up on them first though.>
After a few seconds of thinking, he adds:
<I could approach them openly, allowing you to sneak up on them in the meantime.
That might increase your chances, but bears the risk that they raise the alarm on sight and before you can get close.
Another option for a distraction could be to send Serenity forward openly while approaching from the other direction. Such a fine creature is due to draw at least some of their attention...>

Do the watchtowers have locked doors? How high are they?
It probably a gamble to use any kind of distraction. Best-case it only draws some of the attention of the guards without causing them to get suspicious or to raise the alarm. Worst-case they are ordered ro raise an alarm on any uncommon sight...
But with so much stealth synergy around, we are about certain to score a high dice roll... did anyone pay for a fancy stealth suit for the nifty +2 btw?

Lo'Laan speaks his mind in an uncharacteristic speech for the half-orc hunter. "This mission is to uncover the source of their madness correct? I think an assault should be our fallback option in this case. Our priority should be to gather information and I think a non-combative infiltration would be the best course of action. Perhaps we visit the surrounding communities and see what information they have to offer?"

It's up to you guys how to approach. Regarding info from the surrounding communities, I'm fine with a simple diplomacy roll to gather info where you specify what kind of info you want. If you wish to RP talking to the villagers, we can certainly do that.

Amari, the watchtowers have an exterior door at ground level and a staircase 10 feet up to a platform on the inside. Generally, the monks wouldn't raise the alarm at the sight of a lone person but who knows what their operating procedure is in this circumstance?

"It'll take time, but we can try to continue gathering information first. Let's figure out what kind of information we can hope to get."

Here are some thoughts for questions.
Did you see anything out of the ordinary relating to the monastery?
Did anyone strange travel through your town to the monastery?
Have the monks shared any information about anything new they were working on recently?
Are there any local legends or tales that might somehow seem similar?
Did anyone you know travel to the monastery recently and come back? What did they see?

Diplomacy: 1d20 + 14 ⇒ (20) + 14 = 34

As the townsfolk see one of the silent monks from the monastery, they seem to have sympathy for the plight of the monks. Folks try their best to help.

With a roll like that, yeah it's pretty fair to assume you get info!

Zaza very calmly and kindly inquires of the townsfolk, asking how they are doing with the crisis at the monastery and only occasionally asking for details after earning the trust of those she speaks to. She hears many pieces of information worth having:

A religious pilgrim from Taldor visited the monastery shortly before it was cut off.

The monks have developed a new meditation to learn a ki power that taps into a monk's inner wisdom.
By spending 2 ki points, a monk can use his wisdom in place of any other mental modifier for 1 minute. A monk must be at least 8th level to select this key power.

There are no legends or tales that point to a similar event.

No one who has approached the monastery recently has returned.