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DM dahn's page
461 posts. Alias of xdahnx.
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In response to Jon's question, the guards consult each other using worried glances before shaking their heads. "Not that I know, Sir. But some say the Baron himself practices magic. I've heard rumours, you know, but not much. Some say he talks with demons, but I think that's just an exaggeration. You don't think he has that kinda power, do you? I mean, if he did, couldn't he just wipe out the Andorans right now?"
While Pae and Andrea explore the battlements closer to the keep, they note the stillness at Shenk's Dog Yard. Despite the commotion throughout the town, the dogs do not bark and there is no movement there.
The opposite is true for the gatehouse. A great creaking sound marks the upward winching of the large gate. A number of soldiers begin to push a large mechanical contraption into the middle of the town. Other soldiers travel between it and a nearby shop, laden with a small cart filled with sealed casks.
They begin to load the contraption with these casks; a few turns later and the machine is loaded. The cry of "Fire!" signals to one of the soldiers to release the cask. It sails far above and beyond the town, and lands just short of the Andoran forces, smashing and igniting in very real flames.
The Baron's soldiers seem to make some adjustments to the catapult, and begin to load it again.
Re: the placement of Pae and Andrea; You’re not officially posted to any one section of the walls. Rather, Jon convinced the Captain to allow you to move freely between them. That gives you both an opportunity to help out at each battlement if necessary, or to escape to scout out the rest of the town more easily (as you are not expected to be in any one place). It would certainly be easier to move about the town while most of it is asleep.
Re: keep details; The walls that form the gated in area are about 20ft higher than the city walls, with no clear connection for a soldier to transition from either part. One would have to either scale the side of the second wall, or go through the gathouse and up a rampart. The gate is, of course, currently barred. Jon was able, however, to give a quick scouting account of the inside of the gated area before the keep when he went to the stable. It’s a fairly large building, and would seem to accommodate around 25 horses. A quick count reveals only about 16 animals currently being taken care of. One wing of the stable seems to be avoided completely. A number of well armed guards are stationed outside of the stable. Two other buildings dominate the courtyard. A rather long and large barracks contains the rest of the Baron’s fighting force. Not being able to go inside the building does little to help Jon estimate its contents. A third building, located behind the Baron’s keep, is patrolled by guards leading mastiffs. The large double-doors on the front of the building remain closed. In terms of guards, all of the soldiers on this side of the wall, including the gatehouse, appear armed and armoured with better quality gear. Their eyes also follow Jon a little more vigilantly. Additionally, a few more soldiers appearing like the sergeant met earlier dot the gatehouse wall. A rough count of visible guards numbers around 40.
Jon’s treatment of the guards has a discernable effect on their morale and their performance. They are attentive, respectful, and energetic. They do not hesitate to refer to Jon as Sir, and take to his training with enthusiasm. The training, though exhausting, has a tonic-like effect on them, and those assigned to scout and keep watch scour the horizon, seemingly itching for a fight.
I’d like for the following to occur before you decide to head to the gates. If you still intend to head there, this will provide enough of a distraction to go there.
Several hours into the shift, before daybreak, a tremendous screeching sound fills the air around the town, before it explodes into a blinding flash of light and flame, just short of the town’s walls. A moment later, another one crashes into the mountains behind the town. If the Andorans are taking shots at the town, they appear to be adjusting their aim.
Andrea, Guligak, and Pae will notice an interesting detail about these blasts. They don’t seem to be leaving scorch marks where they land, indicating that there probably isn’t any heat or force created by the ‘blasts’. Jon’s focus is elsewhere, probably on his troops, but the alertness installed in them by his command allows them to point out the fact to him. “T’aint natural! What kinda flames are those?”. It would appear to you that the Andorans are ‘pulling’ their punches as it were. The spellcasters among you could fairly easily identify the blasts as the work of illusionary magic.
The castle walls erupt into activity; all resting guards are now at the ready, crossbows levelled at the horizon, anticipating more blasts. After several tense moments without more attacks, the guards look to their respective commanders for advice.
“What do we do now, Sir?”
Sorry! My bad! He'll stay in your room (you hope). I read: "take your leftovers and come with me" the wrong way (also known as re-reading the posts by scanning; doh!)
St. Caspieran’s Mission
Your conversation about Marzielle is unheard of by her. No worries.
The young boy follows Ozbadin obediently, mimicking his disguise as best as possible. Neither of their disguises or silent movements are good enough to keep them hidden from Angvar and Mordecai.
Scouting out the mission reveals a few details from the outside. Not having a description of Beltias, and little more than his alias, will make it more difficult to locate him.
The mission is not far from the Golden Goblin, and is easy enough to locate with Marzielle’s information.
Squatting halfway down this muck-smeared alley, sandwiched between a derelict wainwright’s shop and a bakery, stands a dilapidated tenement. A crooked belltower rises from the building’s rear, and a half-dozen grease-smeared, cracked, and boarded-over windows gaze out from walls that might have once been white. A small sign hangs over the building’s battered oak front doors: “St. Caspieran’s Salvation—All Welcome.”
Map Here.
Behind the mission sits an overgrown courtyard surrounded by a low stone wall. A path leads through a rusted iron gate and up to a pair of boarded doors. A lone oak stands in the corner.
An elderly man dressed in dirty robes stands near the large oak tree.2 A younger man accompanies him, dressed in similarly styled robes. He appears to be speaking to a dirty young boy in the courtyard. The boarded up back doors mean that there is only one other way into the Mission proper, and that is up the steps and through the double doors. 1
Flagstone steps climb to an open foyer hung with a pair of weather-beaten double doors. Two smaller doors flank the main entrance, both covered with graffiti. The southern door has a sign that reads “Flophouse: upstairs and take a left.” The word “left” is crossed out, and scrawled next to it is the word “hike.” The other door has a homemade sign that reads, “All rooms taken.”
Yes, please, Team Huddle all you want. I'm trying to not push the story along too fast, but I don't want to drag it out either. I want you guys to form whatever plans you'd like. The soldiers on the wall are armed with light crossbows, spears, and chain shirts. The Sergeant is armed in a similar manner, except he has a well made falchion instead. In terms of how many troops are set to siege the town, it's difficult to tell. At times there appears to be little more than a few hundred troops visible, escalating all the way to a thousand. A scattering of tents, troops, and machines of war block any kind of exit from this mountain pass, and appear to be a sufficient force to lay siege to the town. Backup, in case your plan fails, you imagine.
The guards are listless, but otherwise attentive as Jon speaks to them. They don't appear to be particularly well trained, but they head to their posts with relative ease and order.
Night begins to set in as you get acquainted with some of the men on your teams. Most of them are a part of the local standing militia, and few have seen any real combat up close. Some of the guards are legitimately nervous about the coming struggles.
As the night passes, I'm going to ask for some Perception checks, please!
If there's anything you'd like to discuss, as a team, now would be the time to do it.
There are a total of six watchtowers dotting the perimeter of the outside wall; heavy reinforced wooden doors allow access to the towers from 'street level', while the same doors spill out on either of the towers at the 'wall level', allowing one to move throughout the entire length of the walled town.
The guards are switching just as you begin to make your way up to your positions. Tired, hungry, and anxious, these soldiers are relatively indifferent to you as they pass.
Rather clumsily the 'fresh' watch comes to fill the spaces on the battlements. The night crew is split into three squads of fifteen soldiers, with a single sergeant for support. He introduces you to the crew;
"Listen up, men! The Captain has brought in some specialists here. You're gonna submit to their leadership and you're gonna like it. This is the first real night of the siege; it may be dark enough that you can't see 'em, but the Andorans are out there. They've fully assembled, and they're gonna make a move. I can feel it. I need you all to be sharp, and keep your wits about you. They could rush us at any time. When that happens, I'll need you to make a hell of a racket."
The sergeant salutes and defers to you.
Go ahead and introduce yourselves at this point. Feel free to take this as far as you'd like. I gathered that the main intention of this little exercise was for you guys to find an excuse to get to 'the inside'. Through the guards is one way, for sure. Pae, Andrea, what are you going to do? You're all going to be spending several hours together; here is the oppurtunity to impress, intimidate, charm, teach, sing, or otherwise modify your relationships with these soldiers. How you interact with them here will affect things in the long run.
Andrea
Whoops! My bad on interpreting the action, sorry. You still lead him upstairs, and he still resists you, except there is no audience. I like the use of Laughing Touch here, so let's go with that.
Though he releases his grip and begins laughing maniacally, he looks at you with strange, paralyzed eyes. There is something of fear in them, as you would expect from a conscious but immobile surgery patient.
You take it as your cue to escape the rowdy tavern, and he doesn't try to follow.
Bounding out of the Blade, you almost knock Rose over on the other side of the door.
Pae went back to the other inn, I believe. You were chatting with Lucky Ben. In this time-instance, the others are finishing up chatting with Guard Captain Blacklock; Rose is about to come gather Andrea and you, and debrief you on everything that's happened so far. Then you'll head to your stations on the battlements. I wanted to give Andrea the chance to get out of this mess by herself, so I'm not pushing it along forecfully. How the interactions with the guards go here will affect things later on, so I want to let that develop before having Rose 'save the day'.
The Conqueror's Blade
"Hey! Just what do you think you're doing", the soldier demands, shaking off the effect of Andrea's Charm Person. "Don't try any of the mojo-mojo on me! I'm not gonna fall for it."
He grabs Andrea's arm, and twists it back painfully, preventing her from using that hand to cast spells. "Besides, I already bought you. You're gonna start acting like the cheap whore you are. And I want to get my money's worth."
A number of the other soldiers are silent, but there are some who cheer him on.
The Gold Goblin
The Northman responds to your hail and approaches the Gold Goblin, which seems a whole lot smaller now with a man this size inside.
Mordecai
The Gold Goblin
(Mordecai, Angvar, Dank)
The thug attempting to rob Dank thinks better of making a swipe at the brute, and simply sidesteps to avoid him. Dank's large axe comes crashing down on what appears to be the ringleader of the crew, nearly severing the man's right arm, the bloody appendage dangling by a fragment of sinew and bone. His crossbow clatters to the ground and unloads harmlessly.
The thief's screams fill the street now, and even as the crowd begins to flee, more people flock to the scene to watch the fight. A flurry of movement erupts around you, and the remaining thugs use it to their advantage, [url=http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/2159759/] swiping harmlessly again at Mel as she clambers toward the Gold Goblin, before fleeing into the street with whatever chips they managed to hold onto.
They're taking off into the streets, using the buzzing crowd as a way to blend in. You're welcome to take off after them if you'd like, but there aren't any more hostile figures approaching you.
Ozbadin
You spend your afternoon scouring the poorer districts in town, and it is fruitful. There are plenty of destitute children and youth, most of them running around in mock gangs, all of them hungry. A few loners are about, wandering aimlessly, sleeping or panhandling.
One such youth catches your eye; he sits crosslegged on a quiet street, with a dirty empty jar in front of him. As people pass and ignore him, he can barely utter the word "...please..." from his dry and cracked lips. A tuft of dirty red hair juts out from under his filthy torn cloak, obscuring most of his face. Numerous scars run the length of his visible body, covering his arms and legs in dull red markings.
Mel/Dank
The would-be thief is surprised by Mel's quick and accurate throw, the knife catching him on the arm as it sails past. He grits his teeth, barely flinching as he begins to bleed. The crowd begins to thin out as people try to steer clear of the combatants.
"Whadda we do now?" asks one of his accompanying thugs looking around nervously, but he is answered only by the leveled raising and aiming of the crossbow. It was not just for show, apparently, as a deadly accurate bolt flies toward the tumbling Mel, striking Mel in the leg in return. If she wasn't tumbling, the bolt easily could have ended her life.
"Knock him out, boys" he says cooly, as reloads his crossbow.
Obediently, they move in and strike with solid fists, [url=http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/2159150] cracking them soundly against the young rogue's face.
A third supporting thug moves about the crowd, bullying onlookers and collecting the silver tokens in a small sack. He stops short in front of a large fur-covered brute.
"Hey...you...gimme your token too!" he mutters. He brandishes a shortsword with confidence, and seems bolstered by the success of his friends.
Well Dank, you gonna give it up that easily?
So it seems that we have everyone on board, except for Pae (who I believe is being used in another game?); I have no problem NPCing him at all. If Xaaon sees this, he can pick up the slack at any point; either way, Pae has just left the group to head back to the Inn anyway.
I figured a few people would drop out, but I'm glad there's still some enthusiasm for this game! I appreciate you sticking with me, for sure.
Let's do a little roll-call;
Bexilarius, tiefling monk, played by Rob
Mordecai, human cleric of Urgathoa, played by Set
Ozbadin, human factotum, played by Scranford/Steve
Gierixa, half-orc druid, up for grabs
Angvar, human wizard, up for grabs
Mel, human rogue, up for grabs
For those of you interested in joining into the game, feel free to make your own character, but recognize that there is a certain cohesiveness to this Adventure. If you'd like to take and/or modify any of the above 'abandoned' characters, feel free. If not, I'll NPC them for a time. I'll make it work, either way, especially if you give me something to work with in your character backgrounds.
I'm going to post a little more in the discussion thread, let's continue it there.
I'm totally willing to give it a week or so; I want to give all the players a chance to see these threads re-vivified! I'm surprised your dot showed up at all. Must be fate. Think we're just waiting on Pae now.
I'm back! (And tried making this thread twice already; boy did I miss these boards)
I've posted on the gameplay and discussion threads for our old games, but in case you didn't see them, I'm trying to wrangle up the old players and see if anyone is interested in taking the game off 'pause'.
Let me know!
*YAWN!*
Whoa! That was a long nap! Feels pretty good to be up and stretching my bones!
*CRACK*
Err...Well, I'm back, at any rate. (haw haw)
Now seriously folks; we left this game on pause as a 'just in case' I came back and had some time to run the game again. Well, consider this the official "I'm back and if you are too, I have all my old notes and maps still and I'd like to press 'play' again" post!
I'm going to post it here and in the game threads, give me a shout if you'd like to start it up again. We'll gauge interest, and if you people are still around, we'll go from there!
*YAWN!*
Whoa! That was a long nap! Feels pretty good to be up and stretching my bones!
*CRACK*
Err...Well, I'm back, at any rate. (haw haw)
Now seriously folks; we left this game on pause as a 'just in case' I came back and had some time to run the game again. Well, consider this the official "I'm back and if you are too, I have all my old notes and maps still and I'd like to press 'play' again" post!
I'm going to post it here and in the game threads, give me a shout if you'd like to start it up again. We'll gauge interest, and if you people are still around, we'll go from there!
*YAWN!*
Whoa! That was a long nap! Feels pretty good to be up and stretching my bones!
*CRACK*
Err...Well, I'm back, at any rate. (haw haw)
Now seriously folks; we left this game on pause as a 'just in case' I came back and had some time to run the game again. Well, consider this the official "I'm back and if you are too, I have all my old notes and maps still and I'd like to press 'play' again" post!
I'm going to post it here and in the game threads, give me a shout if you'd like to start it up again. We'll gauge interest, and if you people are still around, we'll go from there!
*YAWN!*
Whoa! That was a long nap! Feels pretty good to be up and stretching my bones!
*CRACK*
Err...Well, I'm back, at any rate. (haw haw)
Now seriously folks; we left this game on pause as a 'just in case' I came back and had some time to run the game again. Well, consider this the official "I'm back and if you are too, I have all my old notes and maps still and I'd like to press 'play' again" post!
I'm going to post it here and in the game threads, give me a shout if you'd like to start it up again. We'll gauge interest, and if you people are still around, we'll go from there!
*YAWN!*
Whoa! That was a long nap! Feels pretty good to be up and stretching my bones!
*CRACK*
Err...Well, I'm back, at any rate. (haw haw)
Now seriously folks; we left this game on pause as a 'just in case' I came back and had some time to run the game again. Well, consider this the official "I'm back and if you are too, I have all my old notes and maps still and I'd like to press 'play' again" post!
I'm going to post it here and in the game threads, give me a shout if you'd like to start it up again. We'll gauge interest, and if you people are still around, we'll go from there!
*YAWN!*
Whoa! That was a long nap! Feels pretty good to be up and stretching my bones!
*CRACK*
Err...Well, I'm back, at any rate. (haw haw)
Now seriously folks; we left this game on pause as a 'just in case' I came back and had some time to run the game again. Well, consider this the official "I'm back and if you are too, I have all my old notes and maps still and I'd like to press 'play' again" post!
I'm going to post it here and in the game threads, give me a shout if you'd like to start it up again. We'll gauge interest, and if you people are still around, we'll go from there!
Yikes. I promise I'm not going to pull any LOTR things. I'm playing fair, I swear. This amulet is not gonna bring down the hells upon you just for picking it up. You'd have to actually try to let the dude out before I start complicating things. Also, Starlan, the creepy voice in Iri's head is 'Dahl'. I'm Dahn.
Sim spends some time trying on Delphis' clothes and corroborating with the few portraits at his disposal. It's not difficult to come up with a considerable likeness to the clean-cut older gentlemen pictured. But looking the part is only half of the job.
The bank seems busy enough this morning, as a steady stream of customers pass through the outer gate. Guards stationed periodically around the compound nod as you walk by them. One pair of guards flank the entrance to the bank, stopping each customer to speak with them briefly before passing them through.
If you join the queue, you'll be asked the same questions as the others, in the same gruff manner; "Your business today with House Kundarak?
The night passes easily enough with you engaged in your tasks. There's plenty to keep you busy. Sim spends the night trying to glean as much of Delphis' personality from his personal writings as possible. He certainly picks up on a few turns of phrase that Delphis seems to use repeatedly. With some help from Merrick, and her own magic, Iri manages to piece together one of the constructs. She'll need to get more key pieces specially crafted by a smith to repair the other one.
In the morning, Merrick has to be intentionally woken up from his sound sleep. Groggily, he acquiesces, and sets about making some breakfast for everyone, asking Starlan for help.
It's still early morning, but you are refreshed, full, and have plenty to do. What's your plan?
So I'll take that as a decision to spend the night here. There are enough lounges and sofas spread around the place to accommodate you. The bed is obviously the most comfortable, and can support two people. Whether or not any of you feel close enough to share a bed is a different story.
Spending enough time pouring over Delphis' various libraries turns up some useful information:
*Delphis spent a considerable amount of time studying the amulet while it was in his possession. This intimate knowledge is one of the reasons why he wanted it to be put away safely. Fortunately, he wrote down a great deal of what he found into his personal journal. A specific entry holds the most pertinent facts, wherein he refers to it as The Tigerbreath Crucible; "It appears that the casing of the Crucible is made out of solid adamantine. It is carved in the terrifying visage of a wild feline. In the great cat's mouth holds a glittering red gem. That must be the focus for the magic that is holding Tyrankalis inside. This beautiful prison would be worth 20,000gp for the gem alone, with another 2,000 just for the metal used in making it. Not to mention the meticulously crafted adamantine detail. It's not an easy material to work with, by any means. The large and elegant warning on the back is written in ancient Giantish, clearly marking it's long-dead creators. A collector of Xen'drik artifacts could pay even twice that for such a specimen. I'm afraid this piece of archao-historical-crafting must stay lost to the world. What a flight to think: if I possessed even half the craftmanship these ancient sages did...[the next few lines are scratched out]. No matter. I am sure that whoever is following me at night is looking to make some quick coin by robbing me of this thing. I can't risk it; the Tigerbreath Crucible must be kept safely. It can stay here no longer." It's clear that Delphis has handled the amulet often in the course of his studying it; he makes no mention of a sinister force affecting him.
He also included a rough sketch of the thing.
*In some of his more business-related notebooks, Delphis has clearly laid out a number of businesses and merchants who he has relations with. There are more than enough individuals listed here, many in Aundair, to act as contacts to purchase the fruit-based alcohol. The addresess of a number of merchants located in Passage can be found readily. You gather that he is the kind of person who likes everything laid out and explained in great detail; like clockwork even. There are more than enough notes concerning everything from harvesting the fruit to preparing it for shipping. It's clear that he made effective use of Unseen Servants to assist with some of the more menial labour tasks. That magic was meant to assist him in his solo efforts, and is not necessary with several people working on the task.
*Delphis' notes on his construct provide you with enough details to repair them. The damage is severe enough, however, that you'll need to salvage parts from either of them to repair the other, meaning you can only get one of them up and running. Other magical supplies worth a total of 500gp need to be procured in town, and the person attuning themselves to the construct will need to donate a full pint of their blood. Magic is in the blood, after all.
*Cleaning up the place is a good task to undertake. Even Merreck joins in, and manages to help find a decent store of unperishable food stuffs. As long as some effort is put into making meals, eating is not an issue so long as you remain in Delphis' home. Merreck also sets about rigging most of the windows and shutters into a locked position, giving you all the privacy you will need.
Mel; Your tactic works well, and a crowd is soon drawn. A few passers-by are wary of the offer, as very little comes for free in this hard luck town. Even more, however, clamber over each other for the opportunity to get a silver tooth. Soon a large group of people form around Mel; like the swarms of fish the town depends on, a frenzy of activity builds up around her. Greedy hands grab at her, and each other, for a chance at more than their share of teeth. Mel manages to spot a particularly vicious man elbow an old woman out of the way to get a tooth. She falls to the ground and is soon trampled by other desperate people.
The frenzy dies down a little when a man draws a hand-crossbow from his cloak and aims it at Mel. "Backup, everyone. We're taking the rest of these chips, so don't even bother. Get outta here. Scram."
The Conqueror's Blade;
"A whole silver.", he says proudly, flipping it to Andrea. If she takes even a moment to inspect it, she'll notice that it's of recent Chelish mint.
"Come with me inside, I've got a drink I need to get back to." Placing his hands on her arm, he pulls Andrea inside of the rowdy bar.
About two dozen guards lounge around the bar, a number of them with women at their sides. Several games of cards and dice are going on. Three shrew-like woman mill about the bar, serving customers. They whisper to each other and point in your direction when you come in the door, but otherwise ignore you.
A greasy rat of a man is working behind the bar, whistling a horrible song. His thinning black hair is greased back with some kind of sick-smelling wax, and he's overdressed in what appears to be Chelaxian court-garb that has long gone out of fashion.
When the drunken soldier sits you down with him, his whole table erupts in a chorus of cat-calls. "Where did you rope that one in, I wonder?" one man calls out. "How are you gonna afford her?" calls another. Dagger-filled glances are all you receive from the other women seated at the table, or on the laps of the soldiers.
Can I get a game plan from you guys? Are you going to spend the rest of the night in Delphis' home? Go back to the airship and chat with the twins? What's the plan of attack? You paid Rurin some serious coin for his help, are you going to take it? Are you going to try and get it back? Let's start a little discussion, if anything, to get this running again.
Saul references some business he has to take care of today, and so leaves you to your own (de)vices, hoping you'll generate some more workers to staff the Goblin.
Mordecai/Angvar;
Your errands are completed rather quickly, on account of there being no bodies to take care of. You find it rather strange, especially considering Mel mentioned sending a particular cretin to his grave the day before.
In a town like Riddleport everyone carries a dagger, or at least, they should. It's not difficult to find a place that will sell a decent and easily concealable blade. Any mention toward the shopkeepers method of acquiring the merchandise in the first place is met with a 'Nothing like that here, Sir' response.
Everyone else;
What are your plans for the day? How will you keep busy until the evening? Everyone but Gierixa has a reason to go to Zincher's tonight, but she could easily follow up with Mordecai and Angvar's plan to find Iskish in there.
The Conqueror's Blade;
Not far from you is a tavern called 'The Conqueror's Blade'. There's a number of guards flowing in and out of the place; it's obviously the local watering hole for thirsty militia men.
A lone guard, his uniform removed and draped lazily across his shoulder is urinating on the side of the building. When he finishes, he lights a dirty smelling cigarette and catches your eye contact and flirtatious advance.
"Hey baby, I just got my day's wages. I'll give it to ya, and all you've gotta do is spend some time with me. Easy money. I could use a gal like you hangin' around. We'll have a fun night, for sure."
What is your appearance? Are you in 'standard' Andrea form? Do you have any more castings left to change it up?
You'll get more out of the journal the longer you read it, obviously, but the most recent entries are dated near his death. He reveals that he feels he is being followed and watched; the entries give the general feel that he was slightly afraid for his safety, but due to the nature of his concerns, he was unsure of who to contact for assistance. He mentions "not wanting to draw more attention to the amulet than is necessary". Scanning a few pages back reveals the entry where he explicitly mentioned storing the amulet in the lockbox with the password "Avorton".
Delphis' wardrobe is also located in this room, full of evertyhing from casual to formal wear, all in last year's style typical of wealthy Aundairians.
Ok, I'm just going to push you into the next room.
You sift through the room's contents for some time, but find that most of the material here covers Delphis' work life, both magical and mundane. For more information regarding Delphis' personal life, you decide to explore the next room.
Pushing open the big double doors, you enter a bigger room. A large mechanical apparatus spans the length of the eastern wall, and a number of empty barrels stand at one end of it. A number of large vats are incorporated to the contraption. Leaving this chamber is another door at the far end. There doesn't appear to be any trap mechanisms attached to it, so you open it freely.
You've finally arrived at Delphis' private chamber. A messy but comfortable looking bed is here, as are a smaller number of books and notes. Not only are there a few portraits of Delphis, at varying stages of his life, but his private journal is found on one of his side tables.
Very interesting ideas, Starlan. Of course, waltzing right into the bank disguised as Delphis is the easier plan, it still requires the password for the lockbox, and enough details about Delphis' appearance as the guards have met the wizard before, but more importantly, if you are indeed pushing for Sim to reveal himself, it's quite a task, and not something that I think he would agree to lightly. I think the difficulty scales fairly either path you take, and will require some finesse and quick thinking, qualities I have already seen demonstrated in your characters. None of you, Starlan included, hear any sounds or movement beyond the chamber door.
There's a used cup on the desk that could be used for sampling. It's quite a tasty drink, and these barrels are probably last year's batch, currently ageing.
The scrolls are of Unseen Servant x4, Repair Light Damage x2, and one that eludes you.
The 'Homonculi' manual really is just the collection of Delphis' notes specifically regarding the constructs found in the basement here. The pieces will require some work to get back together, but there are some spare parts lying around this room. Combined with the Repair scrolls, you should be able to get either the mechanical dog, or the hummingbird thing back together again. In Delphis' journal, he refers to them respectively as the 'Iron Defender' and the 'Clockwork Mender'. Through studying his notes, you realize Delphis' intentions for these constructs; the Defender was built simply to defend the place while Delphis was away, but the Mender has a further role. Not only can it magically repair the defender (or any other construct/machine) should harm come to it, but it was charged with the general repair and maintenance of 'the distillery'. You haven't seen any equipment that matches that description, but you haven't explored the rest of the place yet either.
Regardless of the construct you bring back, it will be hostile toward you until you perform a ritual that will align one of you as the Master. The ritual is somewhat complicated, but is detailed in the journal. Most of the work is done, as the thing has already been built once. The repair and re-attuning is all that is necessary, but that will still require around 500gp worth of special materials, and a full pint of the 'Master's blood.
Yeah, yeah, I'm a big sh*t. I'm doing my best to update all my games, and there are many. I haven't forgotten you, and I appreciate your patience through this wait! Jon's assumptions are correct, insofar as they apply to a normal military structure. As you'll see here, the majority of these soldiers are just militia; awkward farmers and ruffians at best.
Jon, Guligak, and Rose saunter up to the guardhouse with an air of authority and a commanding presence. It's that presence precisely that sets the guards into a defensive mode. It's only a matter of seconds before half a dozen crossbows are aimed at the pair. A shaky guard calls out "What do you want?"
When it's made clear that you intend to join the defense against the Andoren army, a chatter erupts among the guards. The same shaky guard yells out "I dunno. We'll have to get the captain."
After a few minutes, another call comes from the towers of the gatehouse. "Step up to the gate."
Detect Magic will show you that the 'rod', the scrolls (seven in total), the book, the pieces of constructs, and something beyond the door, are magical. A Spellcraft check with a DC20+ result could identify them without a casting, as well.
There are a number of scrolls on the desk, and the book itself, which are all written in a similar, yet unreadable script.
You'll need to cast Read Magic or fudge it with Use Magic Device to get anything out of these scrolls and spellbook. Be sure to check out the discussion thread.
A number of documents and handwritten journals are stored in the broken cabinet. They cover a variety of topics from creating homonculi to gardening, and seem to be Delphis' personal notes.
The door leading out of this room is not locked.
As for what's in the barrels, it's difficult to be certain without cracking them open...
Iri sends out a healing wave of power. Thankfully, neither of your foes seem to benefit from the healing.
Sillas strikes a solid blow against the creature, but Starlan's attack fails to find purchase against the creature.
The time is later in the afternoon, but it's not getting dark. I'm not trying to push you into coming back another time or anything. You guys can do anything, with any plan. I should reference one of my other games, where, as part of a break-in to a dwarven vault, they've planned to dress up as crazed animal liberationists, and release bears. Into the vault. I'm cool with whatever you decide to do. So what's your plan of approach? You could easily get the attention of any guards by calling up to them. Don't forget to keep referring to the second part of this map for you visual types (myself included).
Less than a hundred feet in front of you rises the wall that surrounds the keep, and it's only visible entrance, the Gatehouse. Jon's knowledge of architecture and engineering, as well as his experience, can shed some light on the structure here.
The gatehouse is composed of two squat towers capped by merlins and parapets flanking two sets of 6-inch-thick wood-and-iron gates. The two levels under the battlements are riddled with arrow slits facing the bailey between the stout gates — a killing field for the keep defenders, should enemies break through the first gate. The two gates are probably held firmly in place by a mechanism of gears and bars that requires considerable strength or a number of people working together, to operate.
Even a casual count will reveal more than a dozen guards stationed at the gatehouse.
Iri's magic helps the rest of you concentrate your blows; a tiny silver flame courses around your weapons, guiding your strikes like a gentle instructor.
It doesn't prove to be quite enough help, for both Starlan's jab and Sillas' graceful thrust meet only air.
The dog lunges at the intruder in front of it, taking a sizeable bit out of Sim.
The metal bird darts through the room, following Starlan as he tumbles around. It zooms in close to his face, and moves to strike with a sharp sting, but Starlan manages to bring his Tangat up to block, and strike back on his own, causing the metal menace to drop to the ground, broken.
8hp damage to Sim. Iri, Sim, Starlan are up! Merreck needs one more round.
Actually, your readied action means that you act immediately before the thing that triggered it. Initiative is Iri, Starlan, Construct. Sim is welcome to act as well. Merreck is going to take a couple rounds. Are you going to read the book now? 6hp damage to Starlan.
The spray of acid hits the creature, and Starlan manages to strike a vital point on the immobilized construct. However, some of the damage begins to repair itself. The buzzing is more distinct now, and a strange hummingbird-like construct detaches from the dog, hovering over it.
Still quite stiff from the adhesive, the dog is no longer completely stuck to the floor. It snaps it's jaws wildly at Starlan, but is still struggling against the binding. The glue cracks and falls as it flexes it's powerful metallic jaws. The thing does manage to snap down quite hard on one of Starlan's arms, dealing a mean blow.
New Map Here.
Mordecai/Angvar;
Through your magical assistance, yet again, Angvar's wounds are mostly looked after. He still looks terrible, as if the poison has done some serious damage, but that should clear up with a few more days rest.
You spend some time looking at the gem, and you figure that around here you could probably get about 40 gold from this rough gem. Citrine is pretty common, and this is not a very good specimen, but it's big enough. A jeweller could work with it and refine it further, of course. You just need to find a buyer.
Angvar's actually fully healed up now, including the 2hp he gained for resting (he's a second level character, but not gaining experience until you all hit second as well.). Unfortunately, he's still down a total of 5 CON (gaining one back each day), putting his total HP at 8 right now. Additionally, the PfRPG BETA has pretty low DCs for Appraising. You met it, actually, and even showing it to Angvar will yield the same answer.
Bexilarius/Ozbadin;
The conversation continues for a bit longer, and Larur and Beyar get considerably drunker. Sam eventually resigns for the night and heads home. The two of you also head to bed, as it's quite late. (Perhaps Ozbadin goes to his father's home instead).
Mel;
My mistake. The above still counts for what the place is like this morning, with some adjustments.
Gierixa;
You wake up from your sleep, presumably on the ground outside the Goblin, and enter the casino, looking around for familiar faces.
Everyone;
The Gold Goblin is pretty quiet this morning. The lingering smell of cooked serpent hangs around the kitchen, but you are otherwise not assaulted in any sensory way. For those of you with hangovers, the silence is appreciated.
Mordecai and Angvar busy themselves near the kitchen, with the remains of some poisonous snakes they found the night before.
What are your plans for the day? You've all been more or less doing things separately or in smaller groups, and here's a chance for some group interaction (over breakfast!)
The desk has a number of scrolls, an inkwell and quillpen, a dirty glass filled with a sour smelling brown liquid, and a book. No keys of any sort, visible.
The cabinet is locked, but it's quite small. You could certainly try forcing the door, pulling it off it's hinges, or using something as leverage to pry it open.
To clarify, you're not sure there's a specific key or control or anything, but a number of things registered as magic to Iri.
Those were some scrolls on the table, and some items in the cabinet on the other side of the desk. That cabinet, as you'll find, is locked.
The construct continues struggling, managing to free one of his four metal paws from the adhesive.
Gierixa;
You manage to get some of the mushrooms cultivated. They're easy enough to propagate, as long as there's sufficient organic material to grow upon. Ironically, the compost you got from Hyram works wonders for this sort of thing. It may take a few weeks, but as long as they are sheltered well enough, you'll be able to harvest them in the future.
It's quite late, and when you return to the Gold Goblin, the others are asleep.
In game effects of taking these mushrooms are in the discussion thread.
Angvar;
In order to harvest the poison, you'll have to have something to collect the venom in. You can use the kitchen easily enough as a workspace.
I'll need a Craft(Poison) check from you to determine success. Alternatively, you could probably take the heads to a poison worker in the morning to get something out of it.
Mordecai; All of the gear has been claimed by the others, or distributed to the new guards by now. You'll have to purchase some in the morning.
Gierixa; You call out to the half-orc hermit, but no response is sent back. After waiting for some time, you get the feeling that he's not around.
Mordecai and Angvar at The Gold Goblin;
The night is calm and quiet, and you all made enough noise to scare off most of the lesser vermin infesting the swamp around you. With Mordecai's help, Angvar is able to hobble his way back to town proper more or less easily and without incident.
It's quite late, and only a handful of oil lamps provide illumination inside the casino. The kitchen is free for you to use, though it's quite messy. Some people already helped themselves earlier, and left a mess. Empty tankards and the smell of spilled ale permeate the space, but with some work, and some magic, you can turn the snakes into something edible.
Sheesh, even in DnD you have to deal with messy roommates.
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