The Forgotten God (Table 1) (Inactive)

Game Master Rednal

Midfoviing promptly wrapped her arms around Hadran in a big hug - the idea of getting meat was clearly appealing to her, and she stayed right behind him as he headed into the markets.

The Captain of the ship - a handsome Andoran man - just grinned slightly as he saw Mak's expression. "Not enough stone beneath your feet, friend?" he said, lightly slapping Mak's back. "Have no fear, we're big enough to be steady, and some tack will do wonders for your stomach. I'll see if I can rig up a big hammock for you, too - you won't notice the swaying so much at night."

Spent 3gp on 2 blankets, and 2 extra cushy bedrolls as well as some meat on a stick.

Once on the ship Hadran finds a good spot to put down the bedrolls and blanket for he and Midfoviing. He walks among the crew and offers any aid he can if he sees someone struggling with something. When he comes across the captain.

"So captain, How long will this trip take?"

Beseth had little issues with boats, her people had used them for countless years, indeed the Ulfen that were ready for their end in this world would often set sail for Valenhall, a trip that Beseth strongly suspected she'd likely never make.

She also had very little need for the comforts that her human companion did, if she needed to sleep, she had her bedroll and she needed very little beyond that. She would however need to eat, and wondered how she would get food on a ship.

One could fish of course, although Aer'Besethir had no fishing line she did have rope and a longspear, perhaps she could rig something up and catch a fish or two. However, she had never been a good hunter, but perhaps one of her companions were. Knowing Hadran seemed very skilled at many things, she placed a hand on his shoulder and said to him. "If you don't mind, I need to borrow your skills, it will only take a moment." And then without saying another word, she casts a spell, Borrow Skill before going off and attempting to catch a fish with her longspear tied to her rope.

Survival: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (9) + 6 = 15

The plan Beseth has is basically to use her spear like a harpoon, I imagine this has some sort of negative attached to it, so let me know if she manages to catch anything. She'll tie one end of her rope to the spear, and the other to her waist. Also note that borrow skill only lasts 3 rounds so she may not have much chance to catch anything.

"A little more than eight days to the port." the Captain answered with a smile. "Assuming we don't hit a big storm or anything, of course, but the seas are good this time of year." It was well after the ship had set sail that Beseth finally had the chance to fish - it didn't seem to be allowed for visitors in the harbor, only locals with special permits - but she did manage to catch a few small fish along the way. The sailors looked more amused than anything else - the ship was very well-provisioned, but they did offer to have their cook prepare the fish for her along the way.

Midfoviing, on the other hand, was simply sitting at the front of the ship and seeming to enjoy the wind, returning to Hadran's room (or rather, the big chamber where most people slept each night, plus a privacy curtain) and curling up each night to sleep.

The trip took the promised time, and the sun was shining brightly overhead as you reached Almas, capital of Andoran and locally regarded as the birthplace of freedom. It was certainly a unique concept - most nations seemed to be under the impression that the average citizen needed to obey the law, not make it, but the nation hadn't crumbled yet. Perhaps there was something to the whole 'democracy' idea - a more relevant issue was whether you wanted to remain here and search around, or continue as rapidly as you could towards Nirmathas and, ultimately, Fangwood Keep.

"We are here, lets have a look around town. We should ask about trade between Falcons Hallow. We should be able to catch a river boat or provide guard duty to a caravan. Once we know when we are leaving we can enjoy what this city has to offer."

Gather Information: 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (12) + 12 = 24 Doing this for rumors and to find a way to falcons hollow.

Andoran seemed odd to Beseth, people were equal here, and even lowly peasants were "privileged" people, but still although a little different, the idea seemed a bit...romantic.

"Then we'll split up I suppose, and find out what we can." Beseth agreed, wanting to take in a bit of the sights as she looked for information.

Gather Information: 1d20 + 9 + 1d6 ⇒ (20) + 9 + (2) = 31 That roll is too good to not use a mythic point on, besides it's very likely to return before I need it. Looking for a way to reach Falcon's Hallow, preferably as a job.

Makallun'abad agrees with his companions, attempting to gather information on his own. He is met with little to no success, however.

Gather Information: 1d20 - 1 ⇒ (6) - 1 = 5

Most of the trade with Falcon's Hollow was one-way - Falcon's Hollow sent logs downstream to Almas (or, occasionally, other towns), and in return picked up coin at their office here in Almas, some of which actually got back to the town.

However, there was only one subject that people in town seemed to be focused on right now - news had come in from Darkwood Vale that Piren's Bluff - a small holding in western Andoran, near the border with Cheliax - had declared for the infernal nation. The army of Andoran was already preparing to march - apparently, Piren's Bluff was a strategically-critical area, or at least widely believed to be such by the people you talked to - but the change seemed to have caught everyone by surprise... up to and including the people of Piren's Bluff, who were reportedly scrambling to come to grips with their leader's change of heart. A long siege - as planned - would almost certainly cause significant suffering within the town, but the only way to avert a small civil war would likely be to dethrone the town's leader (Baron Vendikon, a very rare individual who'd kept his title of nobility after Andoran had switched to democratic rule) in some fashion. The person in charge of the assault was General Dakovya - definitely the person to talk to if you were interested in getting involved.

Assuming we meet back up for lunch/dinner.

"So I assume you found the same information as I. It seems it is all the people are talking about. On one hand we can ease a lot of suffering that would be caused by civil war. This would be a valorous act and save lives. On the other it seems like and assassination mission which carries not glory or honor. How do you two feel about it?"

"I care very little for the politics of this country. Not to mention that we just assisted a Chelixian, it may not send a good message to Lady Dacilane if we were to go against her country right after taking her daughter to the wrong priest." Beseth responded, expressing her concerns.

"A noble of Absalom is no more then that. A noble of Absalom. The power of her reach would matter very little outside of the city. It is not the politics that concern me here Beseth, I would think you the shield and protector would be keen on preventing a civil war and the needless loss of life that comes with war. It matters little to me as war and battle are my arena. Much glory and valor come from deeds performed in times of war."

"I am not capable of protecting everyone, nor is that my wish. While civil war may be a real possibility here, it will be Baron Vendikon bringing the entire country onto himself, bloodshed should already be minimal. If we were to go into this Piren's Bluff, it would be to remove Baron Vendikon from power. If Cheliax wants Piren's Bluff, they will ultimately send troops to support Baron Vendikon, and then it will not be a civil war, but an actual war between Cheliax and Andoran, if the Cheliaxians do not come to Baron's aid, then he will quickly fall to the Andoran armies. I see little reason for our involvements in such a diplomatic matter, as we hold no position or interest in either the Chelish or the Andoran governments."

"The position of interest is war. Has it been so long you have forgotten those that prayed to you for protection. You would send so many to there death when you have the power to save them, and not just them but the suffering that would carry through their families at their meaningless passing for political moves. Piren's Bluff betrayed their own here. I thought the goddess of Love, Loyalty and Protection would care more for betrayal witch spits in the face of both love and loyalty and puts many of innocent at risk. This make me wonder if you are who you say you are. With no memories I can't be sure."

He takes a long draw from his cup of mead.

"What do you say Mak?"

Makallun'abad crosses his arms and presses his lips into a fine line as he considers the options. "I must say that I agree with Beseth. This is a small regional spat at best, or could lead to all-out war at worst. Either way, it is unlikely that we should stick our noses into it," the dwarf admits. "I've no interest in letting Cheliax crush Andoran with its superior military might, but I also don't see the benefit in antagonizing them."

"Very well, I can't say I'm not disappointed. Let us continue upon our course then."

Is there anything else you guys would like to do in Almas, or are you ready to proceed? Honestly, since you've passed on this adventure, there's nothing else in your way, and we can probably fast-forward to Nirmathas rather than making you write down literally every part of this trip. XD

Yep sounds good skipping ahead.

Sounds good to me.

I'm fine with it as well.

It was often said that the only thing faster than teleportation magic was the rumor mill - and that certainly seemed to be true, given how quickly rumors had been spreading by the time you reached Nirmathas and made your way through the city of Tamran at the mouth of the Marideth River.

Forest Marshal Weslen Gavirk had heard of the Molthuni incursion against Fangwood Keep through his Chernasardo scouts, and was looking for a small group to fix the problem before it gets out of hand. Much blood had already been spilled over Fangwood Keep, and Gavirk hoped that by sending a neutral party (i.e. the three of you and Hadran's companion) to reclaim the castle, he could stem further violence surrounding the fortification.

Gavirk had learned that a rogue Molthuni commander had taken Fangwood Keep and slain numerous Nirmathi soldiers in the raid. The Molthuni soldiers bore the sign of a mailed fist grasping a broken arrow, but Nirmathas otherwise possessed no clues as to the troops' specific station within the Molthuni military.

His scouts had report that the force was about 30 strong, and that its apparent commander was frequently seen alongside a changeling spellcaster of some sort. Gavrik's advice was to use stealth during your mission, since taking on the entire Molthuni force all at once would almost certainly result in defeat. (Though he didn't have any idea how powerful the three of you were, either - and who knew what a direct assault might do?)

Finally, he explained the location of secret entrance and the rune marking it. Once you've cleared the base, he hopes you'll be able to hold it for a few days while he assembles a group of men who can take it back - and Nirmathas was willing to pay 2400 GP upon the success of the mission.

After one last week of hiking, the forest thins out ahead, revealing a wide river valley cleared of trees. The path descends for a quarter mile to a single stone bridge that spans the river, and then continues up a small hill. Atop this barren hill sits a small, two-story fort surrounded by a thick, partially collapsed outer wall.

"I care little for stealth and treachery. I would prefer to meet the enemy head on upon the field of battle. It is possible with we approach they will send a small group to deal with us. Perhaps no more than ten, but we would need to be prepared to face them all. I will not endanger the two of you though if you feel a different course of action is prudent. The Marshal did not speak of the item of power found. I hope it is still here."

Hadran takes a seat and looks at the keep. He thinks on what is to come ahead and waits on his companions to respond.

"I would be inclined to agree, Stealth is...not my strongest card to play." Truthfully, between her armor and the shields it was honestly quite surprising that the half elf didn't make more sound then she did already. Had she actually bothered to learn how to be quiet and approach people with stealth, she might not actually be that bad at it, but as it stood, she couldn't help bringing attention to herself.

Makallun'abad doesn't look terribly broken up about their statements. "It cannot be helped, I suppose. If we must, then we shall simply take the fight to them."

Midfoviing's tail flicked eagerly as the three of you discussed your plans for dealing with the fort. Subtlety was... not one of her strong points. With the decision apparently made, your group carefully proceeded forward along the main road.

The land immediately around Fangwood Keep is predominantly low grass and bushes that slope up with the terrain's steady grade, and all foliage and obstructions appear to have been cleared from the hill long ago. Countless shallow pits have been dug into the dark river valley soil. More alarming, however, are the signs of recent combat all around - dozens of corpses are littered throughout the courtyard, most human, but some of hobgoblins as well, and all bear signs of an intense battle. The human bodies have been stripped of their equipment, and if not for the broken swords and bows lying about, one might be inclined to think that the dead soldiers fought with the shovels and pickaxes leaning against the inside of the outer wall.

There was once a gate in the front wall, but now all that remains are rusty hinges - and a pair of hobgoblins, along with a trained goblin dog. Even as you approached, one of them blew a note on a horn of some kind, then both of them darted inside the hall (taking their canine companion with them) as the gate slammed shut.

Makallun'abad sighs. "Ready yourselves, my friends. This is about to go much as we expected."

"Mak charge the gate with me. We may be able to burst it open before they can drop a bar."

"This is only if it is in charge range, trying to charge/bull rush it open"

Not sure if you need a strength check or a bull rush hoping Mak can aid.

"Sounds like a plan to me." Beseth says, confirming the two men's plan to rush the gate.

That being said, Beseth did not like the possibility of the two failing to reach the gate in time, but she had no magic to allow her to increase their speed.

As he clenches his fists, the stone surrounding Makallun'abad's body seems to solidify. The Stalwart Peak readies himself to rush the gate.

It sounds to me like you're trying to simply charge and break it open. In this case, that would be a Strength check (versus its Break DC), and there is enough room for three people to use Aid Another here.

...It's a preeeeeetty sturdy gate, by the way. It is, after all, the front door of a fortress, and is obviously visible as such. You may want to activate some sort of bonus before you begin to up your odds.

It was more of trying to do it as we see them going in like trying to bull rush it open and knock them out of the way before they can lock or bar it witch would need a break DC. If we are too far away then it can't be done as they would bar it and I agree you would need a battering ram or siege device, but yes I plan on surging if we are close enough to try this.

Likewise. If it's not doable, we'll at least be closer to the door and more capable of responding to hostilities.

Closer to the door is better then far away from the door, it's harder for archers to attack us right next to it.

You weren't close enough to force your way inside before they got in. Like many forts, this place was specifically built to allow seeing people coming from quite some ways away, allowing the defenders a chance to respond somehow.

For future reference, though, that strategy might be a good one if you can hide your approach with invisibility or some kind of illusion. ^^ It's not a bad plan in and of itself - you'd just need to be closer than you were to make it practical.

Makes sense, that's what we get for not using stealth.

"Quick to the walls, we can boost each other up and over. Midfoviing fly to the top to help up the others as I boost them."

Hadran runs to the wall as he outpaces the other two once there he turns and cradles his hands to catch the foot of the others to boost up to Midfoviing.

Midfoviing looked a bit perplexed, but was willing enough to help everyone up and onto the roof of the fort - which, sadly, didn't seem to have an entrance of its own. (Though that certainly wouldn't stop you from making an entrance through the stone roof if you could figure out a way of doing so - and it would also keep you protected from archers inside the keep, since there were no ways of shooting onto the roof from within the fort.)

Ok so we are on the keep. I was thinking there was a wall or something and a keep inside, Is the fort short enough to even pull off what we did?

After getting to the roof Hadran looks around for any access. a chimney or any area's of thatch. He is quite surprised to find the room made of stone.

"We may need to retreat and attempt the secret entrance."

"Unless of course we can make our own entrance, I believe you may be correct Hadran." Beseth agrees with a bit of reluctance.

Two stories. Climbable outer wall for the keep itself. And you have a flying minion. XD Definitely within your power.

As always, there were multiple solutions to any problem. The smooth expanse of the roof definitely necessitated creating an entrance of your own if you really wanted to get inside that way - or, indeed, you could look to use one of the alternate passages into the keep.

So no chimney?

"Midfoviing, if you could scout the area from above quickly. We are looking for any openings that allow light or vents to allow smoke out for fires. Thank you. If she finds nothing we should fall back and try the secret passage, unless one of you can get through stone work easy enough."

Makallun'abad looks about, attempting to detect a place where his powers would allow him to provide the group egress into the fort. Sadly, his magic is not yet capable of allowing him to penetrate the stone roof. "I only wish I could punch a hole in this stone," he mutters in a frustrated voice.

"What if we were to make them think that we left, but actually didn't? Is anyone skilled in illusions?" Beseth asked, she could potentially obscure their presence, but she couldn't make it look like they left.

Midfoviing half-bounced across the roof, searching for holes. There didn't seem to be any chimneys or vents on top of the roof - possibly an intentional design choice, to stop people from easily breaking through via the roof. It was a fort, after all - defense was the paramount priority.

I guess it makes sense for a game for it to be sealed shut, but it is really unpractical. Assuming it was built by humans or used by humans it would need ventilation for touches and and fires. It would probably have a kitchen that has a chimney that spans multiple floors. Oh well.

"I don't understand how people would live in such a place it it is a tomb of stone. We must retreat and take the secret passage."

Makallun'abad frowns as he suggests, "Let us try and find that entrance from here. At the least, they don't seem able to attack us up here."

"What do you suggest master dwarf, Midfoviing has taken to the sky in search for an entrance. Do you have powers that would aid in this?"

"If only we had something heavy which Midfoviing could drop from a great height onto the building, like an anvil or a large chunk of earth. Beseth thought aloud, looking around for anything that might be heavy enough.

Perception: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (15) + 8 = 23

Oddly, yeah, they don't actually show anything going to the roof. *Shrugs* Blame the writers.

The easiest thing to drop would probably be Mak in his Juggernaut armor. Otherwise, you could try to break off a chunk of the crumbling wall surrounding the keep - very heavy, but if you went mostly horizontal, it probably wouldn't be too hard to get a chunk onto the roof, and from there find some way to use it as a vertical battering ram.

"It is worth a try. Midfoviing what is the most you can carry and still fly?"

With this information the God of Knowledge attempts to work out how high she would need to go to cause some damage.

K.Engineering w/ Trance: 1d20 + 27 ⇒ (20) + 27 = 47 oh wow a 20, lets surge this
Surge: 1d6 ⇒ 4 For a 51!

"Midfoviing, upon looking over the roof and doing some calculations if you can drop the rock right here." He uses prestidigitation to form a bulls-eye to aim for. "It should do enough damage for what we are looking for."

The team then works to break off or find a rock big enough to attempt this feat.

This is all of course if the GM agrees with the plan and the godly knowledge check :)

Strength: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (4) + 3 = 7 Beseth will attempt to assist in breaking off stone from the fort, but will fail.

With a roll THAT high? XD Darn right I'm agreeing to it!

Midfoviing nodded, then helped the rest of you as you located an appropriate rock. One by one, you were able to take up positions and start lifting - and as you did so, the girl let out a loud cry. Much like Hadran, Midfoviing was capable of flying into a rage and unleashing a little more strength - but that wasn't enough to lift the rock all on its own, and it took everyone's help to launch the rock onto the roof and towards the place Hadran had indicated. The entire fort shook as the impact opened a hole easily large enough for the three of you to get through - though the rock you'd tossed still had to be rolled away, and that was another task requiring cooperation and exertion. Finally, though, the rock was out of the way and the hole was open... and Midfoviing simply flopped onto the cold stone of the roof, panting. "Be fine." she managed to gasp out. "I'll catch up... soon." Helping lift something that heavy had clearly taken a lot out of her - nothing permanent, but she needed to rest for a little while... and the roof would probably remain safe enough.

You can drop through the hole in the roof at your leisure, though the hobgoblins HAVE heard the noise... XD So, uh, don't expect to be sneaking up on anyone.