DM Voomer's Age of Ashes

Game Master Voomer

Lisi spends time sitting on a fallen log, cross legged, silent, with Guba as his companion, who is still as a stoneplant, his gaze out to the night forest with its cries and chirps and rustling.

When he returns to the main part of camp for an early watch, anger is written all over his half elven features.

After an arduous jungle trek, Yasamina sits down by the fire after preparing her bedroll. She pokes the fire with a random stick, gently sending ember wisps into the air above.

Once Lisi returns, she perks up. "Right! All of us here, I wanted to-" and she stops, looking at the half-elf and his mood. "Something wrong, bud?" she asks as her hand instinctively lands on her weapon belt.

"No. Yes." He lets out a sigh. "Just thinking about Joran and Cevendyll."

He sits down in the circle. "Sorry, you were saying." Lisi's voice doesn't shake, but he looks ready to put his head in his hands.

Catalina settles in by the fire with her gun-cleaning kit, taking apart the pistol and cleaning it carefully as she does every evening, despite the fact that it hadn't seen action in quite some time. The routine brought comfort--a way to occupy her mind from thinking about far less pleasant things.

She looks up when Yasami speaks, not having noticed Lisi's return at all, so engrossed in her little routine. She nods empathically, feeling her chest tighten with sadness. She reaches out and pats the man gently on the arm, trying to convey comfort.

"I'm listening," She says quietly, turning her attention to Yasami.

"That makes two of us. But..." Yasami tosses the twig into the fire. "that is what I wanted to talk about. I saw Joran. Alive, but shackled or tied up. I'm not sure. He was covered in what may have been soot, and illuminated by an orange flickering light with a tinge of gold hue. He said him and Cev were held by Belmazog, and mentioned a clay golem and a red dragon before something struck him. From. the looks of it, for speaking."

She pauses and looks around the treeline, as if expecting to see something, then back to the camp. "That may be good news. If they are held captive, Belmazog might need something from them and won't kill them. Might. We also kind of knownwhere they are..." this time Yasami give Oren a glance. "And I could be wrong, but the place from your dream... The gold pouring from a dragon skull? I suspect that is the place. Now, Hezle did mention a young red dragon that failed to resist Belmazog. That is... probably?" she shrugs unsurely "The drake you thought was your grandfather's junk. she gives Oren a light shoulder punch.

"Aaand a clay golem... No idea ,but if it's anything like Alak's doorman, that's trouble."

Lisi looks up at Yasami, his eyes full of hope and sadness. "They may be used against us," he says, meaning, our friends.

He rubs his chin and pats Catalina's hand back with a small smile. "Golems. That rules out spells. Incapacitating it in a trap or pit might help slow it down."

Catalina sits up straighter, eyebrows raised. "Oh, thank the gods..." She murmurs at the news, setting down her cleaning supplies.

"Golems, eh?" She leans forward to rest her elbows on her knees pensively. "Let me think..."

Recall Knowledge (Esoteria): 1d20 + 18 ⇒ (15) + 18 = 33 Esoterica covers haunts, curses, and creatures of any type, so I figured golems count? Seeing if she knows anything about strengths/weaknesses/etc. She has some knowledge feats: Dubious Knowledge and Know-It All

A retcon: I decided it makes sense that the Ekujae would have freer movement with so many totems destroyed, so they report that they have been able to resume patrolling most of the areas North of the river, although they have not been able to approach the river bank except to the far West (where the Thornscales camped). They report that they have stationed fighters at the mine -- and are shocked by the damage to the land at that location. They also report that they were able to find signs of struggle in the middle of the jungle that could have represented Joran's capture. From the evidence it looks like he was attacked by a group of charau-ka, although the corpses of any slain charau-ka were taken away. It looks like Joran was taken in the direction of the river after capture (which, of course, aligns with him being held in Belmazog's fortress).

The group leaves Akrivel and heads towards the former Thornscales camp, which is the most convenient access to the South side of the river -- if for no other reason than that the raft is there. The Ekujae have left guards at that location, and they hail you from the trees as you approach. Kakena, the Ekujae warrior who was there with the Thornscales, is leading the outpost.

Kakena greets you and suggests you camp there for the night (it is, indeed, about time to camp for the night). Because the site is already pretty set up, it is easy to settle in. Kakena offers you a hot meal -- some stew with nuts, fruit, and bird meat. As you talk over the meal, she informs you that the Elephant People have moved on. She tells you that, before they left, Adare, the Elephant People scout crossed the river and informed Kakena that most of the lights around Belmazog's fortress were out and that it looked like there were more guards around the fortress than she had seen before.

How do you want to proceed? As you can see on the map (under the portraits and handouts tab) there is one totem left, to the SE of the fortress. Also, as a reminder, the fortress is surrounded by water so cannot be approached by foot. (I forget whether I gave a final decision, but I have decided to hand wave any totems you didn't get to North of the river and say that you cleared those before returning to Akrivel/Breachill.)

Catalina looks grim after she mulls over golems while the others speak. "Golems are not good," she states simply, aware of the massive understatement she had just put out into the ether. "They can inflict wounds that can't be healed by conventional means - only magic...and sometimes, even that doesn't cut it. They go insane if they're too injured and not put down quickly enough...acid heals them..." She sighs. "Obviously they can't bleed. Can't be poisoned. Magic doesn't do anything to them..." She looks at the others apologetically as she lists the many, many problems with facing a golem. "Cold and water magic do hurt them, though. And just cold and water in general. I mean, they are made of clay..." She shrugs helplessly. "I've never faced one, but Nickolai did. My teacher. He told me a lot about them."

"That is, however, only a problem if we can even get to the golem...Kakena paints a bleak picture of what we're up against at the fortress."

"So out best bet is to dump it into a pool of water and chop it up or something?"

The image sparks the barest hint of a smile and Catalina nods. "It seems like that might be the best bet."

"Well, damn. Better hope the place is actually a mint or forge of some sort. With quenching vat. A big one."

Yasami looks into the fire again. "One thing after another, I suppose. Totems first, yes?"

@Voomer I can't access the maps and handouts link. Can you set up sharing for people with a link? Or do you prefer an email request?

Caiten listens to the conversation regarding the golem with concern, trying to find some effective role to fill if they end up in battle with a construct that is immune to his attack magic and will prevent his allies from being affected by his healing magic.

Yasami looks into the fire again. "One thing after another, I suppose. Totems first, yes?"

"Yes. First we must neutralize the remaining totems."

As per discussion/Discord - Catalina shares the UPDATED info about the clay golems with the group for sure.

"Maybe we can just avoid the Golem altogether?" Catalina says hopefully, piecing her pistol back together again carefully.

"The totem is at least a tangible goal," The thaumaturge agrees, returning her re-assembled pistol to its holster. "We'll see what happens there, then head to the Fortress. It's hard to decide what we'll really do until we can see the Fortress ourselves."

"Does anyone have a bag of holding? We should fill one with water." Lisi thinks.

"Totem first. Let's see what it does. Cold and water, though, those I can do."

Yasami lets out a chuckle. "We have two bags. If you think it will be enough, I am down."

She lies settles onto her bedroll. "Wake me up for my watch. We should head out as soon as we can."

Snoring.

Lisi frowns. "Why does she always get a later watch and I get to sit here and be gloomy by the fire? No, I don't want to play mancala, Guba. No, not even one game."

"No, you can't play 'half a game.'"

Lisi sighs.

"Okay, all right. one game."

The group rests without incident and in the morning moves in the direction of the remaining pillar (which apparently is responsible for a red shield around the fortress, according to the elephant scout Kakena's account).

It takes three full days travel to reach the location of the pillar. You give the swamp a wide berth but move with determination, being careful to watch out for cultists.

The group approaches the pillar's location on the map as the sun is starting to set. The mists ease and reveal a crumbling stone temple jutting out from where the forest has grown around it. Sinister towers, partially collapsed but once carved in the shapes of grimacing dragons, provide support for the cracked walls. A flickering red light pulsates within the hollow of the central ruined tower.

Let me know if there are any particular preparations on this day and how you proceed as the temple comes into view. I will get a map up in the next day or two, as we ease back into activity in the game...

As the group makes camp and prepares for bed on the second evening in the jungle, Caiten mentions to Catalina, "You mentioned being interested in hearing my tales from a previous time." He looks around at the jungle and the others of the group within earshot and starting to settle down for the night. "Now may be the best time for that, if you are still interested."

Daily preparations for the day we arrive at the temple.

As the group makes camp and prepares for bed on the second evening in the jungle, Caiten mentions to Catalina, "You mentioned being interested in hearing my tales from a previous time." He looks around at the jungle and the others of the group within earshot and starting to settle down for the night. "Now may be the best time for that, if you are still interested."

"Oh, very interested!" Catalina replies, settling in near Caiten and Sulee. Her sleeping area was already set up and good to go; the process had been getting much quicker and smoother with practice. "Let me get some water for tea going." The thaumaturge sets on a small camping kettle near the fire to boil some water for tea, waving off any offers of magical means of heating. Part of the enjoyment was in the ritual of brewing.

Caiten sits down and gets settled. He stares into the fire while speaking.

"When I first left the home of my youth, I settled to the north in Varisia. I worked as an apprentice to a couple of crafters. They quickly tired of constant questions, and I think they became concerned for their own financial security as my aptitude for crafting began to show. Whatever the reasoning, they both discontinued my apprenticeship. By then, I had learned the basics and gotten some of my own tools. I rather quickly learned that adults often do not treat me kindly, or with equitable business dealings, because I am different than they expect. Children do not have as much prejudice. So I focused on crafting toys for the children in the area."

"That worked marginally well for almost a year. I probably could have continued in that capacity for longer if other events had not happened. During that time I was often forced to relocate to a different section of the city. The reasons varied, and I think most of the time the reasons were superfluous. I am not sure why people so often don't like me. But clearly they didn't."

"One day, an adolescent human boy came to my booth. He had several bruises in places that are not common to be caused by the typical rough play of boys. Or evenly matched fistfights also typical between boys. I gave him an additional bauble and told him to return often. I watched him carefully for several weeks as those bruises faded only to be replaced by others."

"I followed him to his home once. To see where he lived and who he resided with. I could not get fully up to the house. The boy, Roen is his name, comes from a family of reasonably wealthy merchants. I also spoke with Roen to try and learn about his family and why he would be gaining bruises like that. He would not fully answer me. I offered any to assist him and any other members of his family in any way that I could. He did not take me up on the offer. Perhaps not expecting that I would be able to do much. Which, granted, was probably a reasonable expectation."

"But perhaps my efforts did have some influence on him. One day, he did not appear at my booth as he usually did. The next day a rather distraught woman named Bianca did. It turns out that Bianca is Roen's mother and Roen had not arrived at his home the day previous either. And Bianca had been forced from her home."

Caiten pauses for a bit and stares into the fire in silence. "Bianca's story is much worse than mine. I was treated in a manner without consideration and without justice - but by people who did not know or understand me. Bianca was treated most horribly by people of her own family. Her story is not fully mine to tell though. It is sufficient to know that she was estranged from her own parents and family through no fault of her own. Married to a human monster not of her own choosing. And now desperately wanted her one child back."

"I could do very little for her. I did not know where Roen went on typical days when he was not at my booth. I certainly did not know where he was at the time."

"After Bianca left, I closed my booth and did something that I had never done before and have rarely done since. I prayed. I have not had much interest in a personal relationship with any of the gods or the organizations that proclaim their virtues and power. So I did not pray to any particular god. But to any god who would listen and cared at all for the welfare of a young missing child, I would offer my service to find and rescue this one if only they would give me some information and a place to start looking."

"When I opened my eyes again, I found that one of my toy dolls had climbed down from the shelf and now stood before me. I was quite surprised."

"That is why I chose one of your dolls. I figured it would be less surprising to have something of your own making talking to you rather than any of the other forms that I could have arrived in."

Caiten nods in agreement, apparently having heard this explanation from Sulee before.

"I spent several hours that evening learning the basics of magic. And at least the basics of this new remarkable companion that I found myself with. It was most definitely not the assistance that I was expecting."

"But it was effective. After a couple of days of having Sulee snooping around the city we found that Roen was being kept in a small warehouse. And kept there at the direction of his own father. I am still not fully sure what the reason was, but it involves more of Bianca's story."

"But with his location known, it wasn't very difficult to sneak in there, free him, and leave with both child and mother. We left Varisia entirely. I settled in Breachill and Bianca and Roen went into hiding in a different nearby town."

"So yes, my treatment from the people in Breachill has been markedly better than the treatment that I experienced in Varisia. I am as yet uncertain if it is because of changes in my own understanding and behavior, if the people of Breachill are above the standard for their acceptance of others, or if the people of that city in Varisia are beyond the norm for their exceptional mistreatment of some of their own citizens."

Catalina listens quietly while Caiten tells his story, passing out tea to those who desired it and sipping her own once she is settled in. Her expression changes from stoic, to angry, to sad, to stoic again throughout. When he is finished, she sips her tea slowly and lets out a long breath.

"Once, Nikolai, my mentor, told me of a time when he was asked to hunt a monster that was terrorizing a small village--children going missing in the night. Turns out it wasn't a mythical monster, it was just a monstrous person kidnapping them. He managed to save those who were alive, thankfully. We didn't run into that when he was training me, but I hear stories of such things often." She frowns, shifting her position to avoid legs falling asleep.

"On first impression, Breachill seems uncommonly accepting. But I have also spent a lot of time in places that are not the most accepting...including the Ekujae, as much as I am grateful to them for my life."

Caiten ponders for a bit. "Yes, it could be a very different response that we get from the Ekujae if they did not so critically need our assistance."

Sulee pads over and pipes up. "Speaking of only knowing the basics about me, I have a new trick to show off the next time we get in a battle. So if story time is over, hurry up and get to bed. Tomorrow may be an interesting day."

Catalina chuckles at Sulee's enthusiasm for the coming day. "The faster we sleep, the faster the next day comes. I understand. Caiten, thank you for trusting me--all of us--with your story. Because of you and your willingness to put yourself in danger for the welfare of others, Roen and Bianca have a chance at safety and a normal life. We can only hope that what we are doing here ensures the same for others."

Once all conversation dies down, Catalina climbs into her cot and settles in to sleep until her turn at watch.

Catalina has no special prep.

The next day, Caiten trudges through the jungle while Sulee flies around with her feathered cape keeping an eye out for anything dangerous.

The group approaches the pillar's location on the map as the sun is starting to set. The mists ease and reveal a crumbling stone temple jutting out from where the forest has grown around it. Sinister towers, partially collapsed but once carved in the shapes of grimacing dragons, provide support for the cracked walls. A flickering red light pulsates within the hollow of the central ruined tower.

As they get within view of the temple ruins, Caiten calls Sulee closer and briefly confers with the others. "This appears to be the correct place. It is unlikely unguarded. Any suggestions for approach strategy? Stealth reconnaissance has not always worked well for us, but neither has being swarmed by multiple enemies."

Yasami wakes up for her watch and keeps the fire burning in silence as she watches the surroundings for any movement. She occasionally glances at the dancing flames, and cracks a smile as she pats the ropes hanging from her belt.

In the morning, she packs up, and walks with the group. Arriving at the towers in the middle of the jungle, she observes the place.

"This doesn't look ominous at all." she whispers as she looks around for signs of movement. Perc 12

"I can go check the place out. But I'm not going anywhere near that pillar alone. Could be another death trap, like the stone one."

She pats herself a few times as leaves and little twigs, and some mud falls off her shins. "If I am to be a statue, these are not suitable accessories."

No special preparations

Oren takes up next to Yasamina, maul in hand. "I'll go with you then."

You have learned the hard way that the pillars have a very big range (essentially anywhere on the map), so Yasami initially just does a very broad sweep, staying under the cover of the jungle. She discovers it is not really possible to approach other than from the South or the East -- the jungle nearer the ruins becomes so thick as to be impassable, and the Northern and Western parts of the ruins appear to be buried under mounds of earth that impede approach from those directions.

Once both of them return to the group, Yasami sighs. "Still don't know what it does. But we have an approach. There is a bridge leading to the totem. and it MIGHT be a way to approach it while remaining behind a wall. I'm honestly not sure. And then there's a series of ladders that allow scaling the cliff on which it sits. But it seems the moment you poke your head up, you will have a direct line of sight." she looks around. "I'm not sure if there is a way to test what it does. The totem, I mean. Any ideas?"

Caiten listens to the scouting report and considers options for a moment. "No plan is going to be perfect. I think if we can get on the bridge, that would be our best option. At least then we wouldn't risk having enemies throwing things at us from above."

"In terms of testing, from what we've experienced, I think the only way would be to tempt it to fire..." Catalina says, grimacing slightly at the prospect. "But I think approaching via the bridge would be the best option, too. If we want to test it, I could tempt it... I know, Yasami, that you're quicker on the dodge, but you're also who we rely on heavily for medical aid on the field. I'd rather not put you in too much danger."

Yasami shakes her head. "Absolutely not. Not much for me to do with a statue, for example."

She looks around. "I was thinking we maybe find some forest animal? Something like a rabbit or whatever lurks around this place."

"Don't look at me. Flying dog isn't native to this area."

"I wonder if an illusion would trigger it instead?" She glances at Lisi, whom she imagined would probably not be thrilled about sending a poor jungle creature into the line of fire. "Unfortunately, that is outside of my expertise."

Yasami chuckles at Sulee's note. "I would never. We need a dragon slayer for this, after all.", she gives a playful wink to Sulee. Her face returns to a pensive expression soon after that. "I remember..." Yasami's eyes narrow. "I recall Mr. Pendergrast disabling the stone pillar by cracking the gem. But that boomstick of yours is pretty loud, Cat."

With her index finger on her chin, Yasami thinks on it more. "Anyone has a sling? Or maybe we can just try to topple it with rope? I won't lie to you, I don't want anyone to go near that thing if we don't have to."

Although it is hard to take in the details from this distance, from your observations of the scene, it looks like the platform where the tower is located is about 20 feet up. It seems as if the bridge (at the same height) might offer partial cover but looks unlikely to offer full cover during movement. You guess the pillar can’t target someone climbing the ladder and for some distance in front of the ladder, but that it could target someone in the open ground during much of the approach to the ladder. In your prior encounters/testing you determined that the range of the pillar is 120 feet, and, although not shown on the map, there is about that much open space between the edge of the jungle and the pillar (it looks to Lisi as if the jungle has been hacked/burned back from the ruins in the not too distant past). Also in your experience the pillars fire upon noticing a target and then only fire once every six seconds or so. In past encounters the danger has come from the combination of the pillars and the other guardians.

"I imagine I could crack the gem or at least, if I could get close enough, take some precise shots." Catalina narrows her eyes thoughtfully, subconsciously mimicking Yasami's chin-tapping gesture. "No sling, but did you happen to see if there are multiple gems that could fire off something? Maybe we can sneak up on the tower. Can any of you turn invisible?"

Yasami offers a shrug in return "No idea. But we can fire off from a distance." she points out the clearing surrounding the temple. "I have a bow, you have pistol."

"Or we could go around it again, tie some rope over the top, and just pull it down."

"Or maybe fire?"

Is it made of stone or wood?

Oren just opts to take the simpler approach, walking up to the pillar and smashing the damn thing.

Lisi moves up behind Oren. "Oren, if it smacks you with energy, I can help alleviate the effects. Ah, thanks for volunteering to find out what kind of energy it is."

Lisi makes a show of cracking his knuckles and neck. "I feel like I've been sitting around for a week. Let's do this."

Her eyes filled with a strange combination of dread and anticipation, Yasami watches as Oren just walks up to the pillar with malicious intent.

Pistol in one hand and esoterica in the other, Catalina follows Oren at a distance to try to avoid whatever ray might be readying to shoot the barbarian.

His maul hefted over his shoulder, Oren marches boldly into the clearing before the temple and heads for the ladder -- the most direct approach to the dragon pillar. Soon after he exits the cover of the jungle, a blast of fire projects forth from the pillar, but it fails to penetrate the barbarian's defenses.

After the pillar activates, a large black form emerges from somewhere behind and below, deep within the ruins. It flies up into the air and then hovers above Oren -- a terrible black-scaled creature with a long, serpentine body and bat-like wings. It appears to be some sort of dragon, but with smaller legs and a long undulating coil of a body. Hovering 15 feet above Oren, it hisses at him in common: "The punishment for intruding upon these sacred grounds is death, but I will show you mercy. Cease your attempts to intervene in the works of the followers of Dahak and bring to me the leaders of the elves who destroyed this temple, and I will reward you with wealth beyond your imaginings."

The rest of the party should declare any actions during this first round, and then we will proceed during the second round in initiative order (I will be rolling initiative, but go ahead and post anything for round one). Remember that the rest of the party is actually another 70 feet back from the location of your tokens at this point.

"Oh crap." Yasami's eyes go wide as the creature makes its presence known with a booming voice. "That doesn't look good at all." She runs full sprint towards Oren, running through the underbrush and stopping near the treeline. "Hey! What claim do you have on these lands?", she addresses the thing.

Seeing Oren in sudden peril, Yasami sprints forward and joins him at the bottom of the ladder. As she runs across the open space, a blast of fire shoots out at her from the pillar, but Yasami ducks out of the way.

In response to Yasami's query, the creature hisses, "I am guardian of this temple."

Yasami may take a third action if she wants.

Catalina, esoterica and pistol already in hand, rushes forward behind Yasami. She stops at a slight distance and narrows her eyes at the creature, searching her mental knowledge base for anything regarding what this talking beast might be and how she can get an advantage.

Exploit Vulnerability: 1d20 + 18 ⇒ (8) + 18 = 26

Actions: Stride, Stride (50ft total), Exploit Vuln

Catalina strides forth as well, keeping her eyes on the creature and searching her mind. She believes this creature is called a "bida." She does not recall that it has any particular weaknesses, but she believes it is resistant to acid and poison. To recall more about the creature will require additional recall knowledge checks (which I understand are slightly different than EV, but I try to give you a little knowledge with a successful EV roll), either by Catalina or by someone else.

Catalina is not blasted by the pillar as she crosses the open area.