GM Silbeg's Age of Ashes AP (Inactive)

Game Master Silbeg

"Do you mean the monsters in the basement." Davian looks around for the goblin that mentioned the basement monsters when he notices all of the groups injuries. "I can't speak for the group Warbel, but I will help if they are willing."

Warbel runs up to Davian, and gives him a BIG hug.

I am going to assume at this point you are going to heal up and head back to town? If so, everyone is back conscious.

Checking Calmont's body, you find a few interesting things, once you take the time to check it out. For one, his shortbow appears to be magical, with a +1 potency rune on it. He also has two lesser healing potions.

Note: I have added the treasure you have found so far on the treasure tracker. You should consider dividing out what you have found so far.

"We would be happen to help you reclaim your home, once we've rested."

The gods have strange plans for me, indeed.

"Oof. Yes, definitely after we've rested."

Gideon nods, too exhausted to talk meaningfully with the goblins about his original purpose here at the moment.

Assuming the party goes back to get Ingraham.

The dwarf's eyes flutter open as he comes to. "Ughhh.... How long were I out'fer?"

"A little while, Ingraham, I'm sorry. I'll make sure in the future to have more ways to get people up. That is, if we want to keep working together? I think we all make a pretty great team!"

"Me very glad you gonna help out. My Brumblebrashers is gonna need all the help they can get." says Warble, obviously quite happy that you are going to help out.

Helba turns to the Heroes, "So you gonna go back in now, or do you need to deal with him?" she asks as she kicks Calmont's corpse in the ribs.

You have time to talk to the Brumblebrashers, and can decide where you are going to go next. It's about 1 mile back to town, but over a long set of switchbacks. Or you could camp out here, and rest up over night.

"I don't think he's going anywhere" Edjarha groans, prodding at a bruise. "I think we should rest up for now."

I vote we camp out here for tonight, get fully healed.

"Me can watch over the corpse. At least until he is gonna start to smell. Then we gonna see, so don't take too long." says Warble

Camping sounds good.

"Aye, I feel I may no'be good for hikin' right now."

Davian pulls Calmont's body further away into the woods as they don't need to stare at it or smell if throughout their rest. "Thanks, Warble." He sits down for a moment and before he even realizes what is happening his body begins to relax and he falls asleep. All of the days physical activities and stress have left his body drained. He falls asleep quickly on the soft grass.

Having had a stressful day the party sits down to relax. Some fall asleep immediately, while others sit around, contemplating what’s been going on with them.

Meanwhile, the smell of whatever it is the goblins are cooking up reaches them, and the realization of wheat they have accomplished so far hits them.

Aragelda kneels down to pray.

Folgrit. I do not know what you and the rest of the gods have planned for me, but I feel I did some good here today. Thank you for your blessings, and I will work to make you proud.

As the smell of cooking dinner wafts over, Aragelda gets. "What do you have there? I'm starving!"

Ingraham's stomach also rumbles. He decides to join Aragelda in checking out what they are doing.

Gideon rolls over, snuggling his little clearly goblin made piggy plushie.

Wow... had a nice full post done, and got swallowed up by the goblins.

When the heroes check out the goblin's pot, the find a stew made up of what appears to be rabbit, forest mushrooms, some greens, and some tubers. Somewhat surprisingly, it smells DELICIOUS!

The party relaxes and heals up, as the Brumblebrashers stand guard for the night. The next morning comes with the smell of some sort of porridge, likely made from a mix of grains and peas, along with a healthy bit of rabbit fat.

Davaian wakes as his loud snores startle even himself. He shakes looking around for such a fright before wiping his face. The sell of porridge filling the air smells sweet. "I hadn't realized goblins were such good cooks, guess I only saw them rummaging around for scraps like raccoons." He looks over his face turning red. "No offense Warbel."

He grabs his bowls and sits over near the fire for a bit of warmth. "So what's the plan? We nearly got killed in there yesterday, who knows what 'monsters' are in the basement."

Edjarha wakes with a moan. After a few moments of prodding bruises, he stands and performs a more lengthy version of his normal stretching routine, trying to work the kinks out of his battered muscles. "Let's hope today is a better day."

Aragelda spends a while in prayer with the dwarven gods.

"I have asked the gods for as many healing spells as I can get. I hope that I can make them proud today."

Aragelda helps herself to a heaping bowl of porridge.

Gideon eventually awakes and gets himself a bowl.

"Well, that'll be well worth writing an epic over!"

If you are sickened, please give me a fort save!

Warbal turns to Davian, ”Oh, my Brumblebrashers are AMAZING! Some of the goblin folk that are in the city don’t always have a place to stay as nice as we have.” she looks to the assembled goblins, ”well, had. But we try and be civilized goblins. That why I learned to READ! It not so scary once you try.”

She moves closer to Darian with a conspiratorial look, whispering, ”Maybe the old goblins were right, though, about reading. It changes you. Makes you aware of other peoples than just yourself. You not the same goblin you were after you read.”

She winks at Darian before addressing the group. ”You gonna go back in and clean out the citadel? Helba says she think all sorts have come in through the walls. And the dragon-dogs collapsed the stairs down. Maybe she know another way down, but they don’t wanna go down until the heroes can make sure it safe.

“Me sure all sorts of treasure must be here. Longshanks law knights were here, and they were prosperous. That what Breechhill records always say, until they up and leave a generation ago. ”

When she hears Darian asking about what drove them out, Helba gets a panicked look at her face, but then she glances back to her tribe mates and conspicuously rights her posture. “Cultists—at least I think they're cultists. They called themselves the Cinderclaws, and they said our home was their home now. They threatened to roast us! To peel us and eat us! Ack! And they had dragon monsters with them! So of course we ran from the vaults. Then so many monsters on the ground floor, so we ran up here, to the battlements. That dragon thing down in the courtyard kept us from getting away! It wanted to eat us!”

Fort Save: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (6) + 4 = 10

The porridge smelled better than it tastes. Davian's stomach turns for the worse once again and he shoves the bowl away. "Cultists?! What would cultists want with this place?" He tosses his finger up a moment and walks away to vomit behind some trees.

Fort save: 1d20 + 7 - 1 ⇒ (12) + 7 - 1 = 18

Aragelda digs in to her bowl.

She frowns at the description.

"Cultists? Oh, dear. They must truly be an affront to the gods for them to have sent divine intervention. And you say they had dragons..." Aragelda drifts off for a moment, visions of dragon fire running through her head.

Fort save: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (14) + 6 = 20

"Yes, tell us more of these 'dragon dogs'."

I was probably sick: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (14) + 5 = 19

Ingraham's beard is covered in food as he eats what he can with his stiff arms. "Cultists, Dragon Dogs, and in a place held by 'Longshank Law Knights'. Afte'all that, what would convince'ye to stay in a place such as this?" He seems creeped out by all the prospects that the citadel offers.

Actually, Ingraham had made all of his saves for that!

Before the party heads out, all but Davian have recovered from the nasty itching disease caused by the Goblin Dogs.

Helba describes what she called "dragon-dogs", which you realize is the creature that you killed in the courtyard before climbing up to the battlements.

"Cultists come from below, and drive poor Brumblebrashers out of their nice safe home. They took our home down below, but maybe not forever — right?

"We not ask questions when they threaten us. We just do smart thing, and come up and call for help!"

In reply to Ingraham, ”It is our HOME!”

"I nae mean'ta offend, but blast me beard, you got guts l'right. Me own clan be used to the nomad life underground."

Helba runs up to Ingraham, looking up at him with “puppy dog” eyes, ”So you gonna help us get our home back? We never done nuthin’ wrong, we not bad goblins. We always be nice with Longshanks, and never eat no one!”

Ingraham thinks before answering.
What would a HERO do?

He then nods. "Aye, we'll get it back."

Gideon ponders for a moment I just write about heroics... is now my chance to actually be a hero? I'm sure that's worth a lifetime of inspiration...

Gideon nods "Yes, of course we'll help" he says trying really hard not to let his voice crack.

Davian runs his hands through his short hair. "So where do we start. Finish checking out this upper level?"

"We don't know much about the upper levels... just the underground part. But we know the Longshanks left some stuff... we just never bothered to take it."

"Hm. It would be good to make sure there are no more surprises above before we head down below. Don't want something sneaking up on us."

"That sounds wise. Finish the upper level, then go down below."

The group makes their (temporary) fair wells to the goblins, and head back to the citadel. They easily make it through the foyer, where the goblin dogs lie rotting (the goblins did shed a small tear about this, but it didn't last for long).

Now in the hallway, a decision remains... do they go back and continue investigating the room they were in when they heard the goblin's call, or go elsewhere?

Please move yourselves where you want to go!

"I suggest we be systematic about this. We've already explored a portion of the Southern wing; let's continue there, before moving over to the Northern." I propose a 'left-hand rule', starting with the door the farthest to the South (left) and working our way Northward.

Even though it was just yesterday it seeems like ages ago, rather than carry slate and chalk to note any bits of inspiration, Gideon instead carries his bow in hand, on the lookout for danger.

"Lets go back and finish searching the room we were in before we heard the goblins now, if we don't check it now it'll be too easy to forget."

Ingraham listens to both options presented by his allies. He is now a bit more weary and focused on the best defensive capabilities.

@Gideon Ingraham inquires to the Gnome, "Somethin' that were missed? I nae know what to expect."

Davian nods as he is learning so much. "That's a great idea!" He follows in behind the others "Can't have one of those dogs coming up behind us."

The party moves back to the drill auditorium. To the north of many rows of stadium-style benches stands a wide dais. Garbage clutters what was once undoubtedly a pristine floor. A small corridor near the dais leads to the west, while to the north, an iron gate provides a view into a central courtyard.

A few minutes' search reveals several crumbled Order of the Nail cloth insignias that seemingly were lost or discarded when the Hellknights departed. These insignias were originally tokens for recruits, called armigers, to wear during drills in the courtyard and were stored in the cabinets, though looters have disrespectfully thrown them about the room.

When you investigate the cabinets, they find several loose leather book bindings and leaves of pages strewn messily on the shelves. Looters have destroyed the documents and books that were originally stored here. The titles on the remaining book bindings reveal that they once contained information about the Order of the Nail’s traditional drills and procedures. When you examine the surviving pages, they can find snippets of details about old Hellknight drills— largely simulations between lawless bandits and raiders and the Order of the Nail Hellknights trained to defeat them.

The piecemeal documentation also includes a list of recruits’ names, along with indications of those who had been issued “temporary order badges.”

A dust-covered, black wooden countertop runs along the walls of the southwestern end of this galley-style room. It clearly was once a kitchen, but its cupboards and shelves were stripped of most tools and provisions long ago.

As you start searching, two swarms of fat, red spiders flow out of the cabinets to attack!

looks like I forgot to paste something important

Davian is/are up.
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Davian screams at the amount of spiders that come pouring out of the cupboards. As he takes off running he begins swatting and smacking the insides of his clothes to try and get them all out. As he does so he activates his rune and sends a spark of lightning into the spiders.

◆◆ Cast Electric Arc DC 16 (Sickened) (Red and Purple)
◆ Stride

Note that electric arc is not an AOE

Then, the purple spiders swarm out, and then start biting.

attack 1 piercing damage: 1d4 ⇒ 1
Aragelda reflex: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (10) + 4 = 14
Gideon reflex: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (16) + 6 = 22

attack 2 piercing damage: 1d4 ⇒ 3
Aragelda reflex: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (4) + 4 = 8
Gideon reflex: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (16) + 6 = 22
Aragelda Fort vs poison: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (4) + 7 = 11
Aragelda takes 1 poision damage, and is enfeebled 1

Gideon, Ingraham, Aragelda, Edjarha is/are up.
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