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Maybe. But nothing is going to happen to our sweet little gnome buddy. At least not for a little while.
The Chartered Six uses the now beautiful, if in desperate need of repair, temple as a makeshift campground. The night is spent uneventfully, with the group awakening at dawn feeling refreshed and re-energized. Feeling the blessings of Erastil upon them, the group bids Rani farewell and proceeds to finish their exploration of the hex. Everything seems to go their way, with paths opening before them and no hardships presenting themselves. It is only midday when they finish exploring the region. Still full of energy, and ready to make the return trip to Oleg's, the group sets off at a quick pace. It is an hour or so after sundown when they arrive, tired but happy, at the trading post. The first sign that something is different presents itself when the group goes to stable their horses. In the outbuilding, along with the horses, is stabled a mighty elk. Shortly after The Chartered Six's arrival, Oleg steps from inside the house and greets the party warmly. "You have some visitors, my friends," he rumbles. "One of which is...different. You'll see. Come inside! 'Lana has some roast boar left over." The group follows Oleg into the house, where two individuals are sitting at two different tables; one a dwarf, and one, which the party is surprised to see, is a kobold.
Cardon clambers easily down into the dank, musty hold using the stacked crates and barrels as a makeshift ladder. Anything that was once held in the containers has long since rotted and become useless. Spider webs hang from every surface and cover nearly every corner. Thousands, if not millions, of tiny spiders scramble through the webs frantically. A trapdoor with a ladder leading to it obviously lead to the cabin above. Cardon pokes around the hold, and finds an area where the tar and webs that line the rest of the interior walls has been scraped away. Its purpose, however, evades him.
Spoiler: Upon further examination, the area Cardon found is in actuality a cunningly hidden door that swings outwards away from the hold.
Emyralda and Cardon both launch rapid attacks at the spider, but it nimbly dodges both. Unfortunately for the vermin, as it dodges Cardon's strike it steps directly into Kovellus's blow, ending it's life.
Once more, Rani's prayer causes the groups wounds to close. Tyr pulls back his sword, and with a roar drives it into the gaping maw of the grizzly. With a final choked roar, the beast slumps heavily to the ground while Tyr flicks blood from his blade. No sooner than the beast falls, his features begin to melt like wax and reform into something different. A man in a loincloth with a peaceful look on his face lies where once was a mighty beast. After a few heartbeats, the man's corpse rapidly ages and dissolves to dust. Once the bizarre transformation is completed, The Chartered Six notices a marked change in the clearing. Colors become brighter, the rain slows and finally stops, birdsong fills the air as sparrows and other small birds flit from branch to branch, and the algae covered pool in the center of the open area in front of the temple instantly clears and is now filled with clear, clean water. Rani, especially moved by the scene, says after a few moments, "My friends, I believe I have found my purpose. When you move on from this place, I will remain. Please send word to Jhod that we have found the temple, and that I am here making it what it once was. If ever you need my aid, you will find me here. It has been a rare honor to travel with you, and The Chartered Six will always hold a place in my heart."
Eseldra launches a bolt of pure magical energy, striking the beast on its snout and drawing yet another roar of anger. The grizzly continues mauling Tyr, striking the warrior with both claws, but again fails to grab hold of the mighty fighter. Harther, obviously rattled by the creatures crazed demeanor, pulls his strike at the last moment, skipping across the beasts matted fur but failing to draw blood. Karthas has more luck, running the beast clear through with a powerful downward stab. The marauding beast shrieks with insane rage, but still fights on!
Emyralda's orb of acid strikes true, splattering on the spider and quickly destroying it in a splash of acrid liquid and pale ichor. Cardon, Kovellus and Tosk ready their weapons and prepare to strike the oncoming creatures. Kovellus and Tosk easily smash the vermin approaching them, leaving the remaining one approaching Andrezi. Cardon snaps his scarf in the direction of the final spider, but his attack misses by several feet and nearly gives Emyralda an unwanted haircut. The remaining spider moves to sink his dripping mandibles in Andrezi's leg, but the Varisian is too swift.
Harther's arrow finds its mark, sinking deep into the chest of the rearing bear. Karthas is not so fortunate, as his strike fails to connect with the massive beast.
Rani asks for a quick blessing, and the party feels their wounds begin to knit closed. Tyr launches a vicious counterattack, opening a huge gash across the beasts throat. Miraculously, the beast presses the attack! The bear swipes his paw at Berenkor as he begins his spell, but the nimble gnome easily avoids the attack and finishes his spell, bringing more relief to Tyr's grevious wounds.
Lily's arrow thunks into one of the barrels, illuminating the dark hold and casting the matted webbing that cases the walls in stark relief. Though she misses with her arrow, the sudden light causes the spiders to shriek in an eerie, human-like cry and scuttle up the walls towards the open hole in the deck.
1d20+4=24
Dark and dank, the ship's hold smells of mildew. Several barrels, crates, and other containers lie stacked here and there, and a shallow layer of river water has collected in puddles.
Spoiler:
A soft scratching sound comes from behind a few of the crates.
Spoiler: As soon as the board with light cast on it strikes the shallow water pooled on the floor of the hold, several spiders the size of small dogs skitter backwards out of the light.
Wow...this was incredibly tough to decide. I actually read them all again last night and slept on it. I reread them all tonight, and I had to pick only one, which was not a fun prospect. So without further ado, congratulations to Euron One-Eye, the druid. I will work you into the story as soon as the group returns to Oleg's. Thanks again to everyone, and I almost want to run another Kingmaker so all of you can see playing time! But I'm not completely crazy. Thanks, guys, and keep lurking! Keep the characters around in case someone else needs to leave the game in the future. Happy gaming! To Euron:
Spoiler: Congrats, mate! The elk is fine with me. You begin with the standard character wealth for level two. See you in game.
Andrezi throws himself backwards, narrowly avoiding falling into the hold of the ship below.
Rani's arrow flies true, but bounces off the thick hide of the bear, drawing another frenzied growl of surprise and anger from the massive beast. Tyr quickly advances and swings his greatsword in a high arc, but slips on one of the moss covered steps and nearly loses his footing. Berenkor sends a crossbow bolt in the direction of the grizzly, burying the bolt to the fletching in the bears flank, the flame enchantment singing the fur and filling the air with the rancid stink of burnt fur. The bear shrieks in pain but remains standing. Eseldra's beetle "Glow-y" tries to attack the creature, but it's mandibles fail to pierce the bear's hide. Eseldra mutters a few words and covers the ground under the bear. After a few moments of slipping and sliding, the beast is able to maintain its footing. Roaring wildly, and with a crazed look in it's eyes, the grizzly swipes two claws at Tyr, rending his flesh and attempting to pin the warrior on his back. Both claws dig into Tyr's shoulders, but the bear fails to knock the man off his feet.
Andrezi gingerly steps onto the rotten wooden deck of the Kraken's Folly. No sooner do both of his feet touch the weathered boards when they suddenly give way!
So my PbP Kingmaker campaign has lost our (sorely missed and awesome) cleric of Erastil and is looking to fill a spot. I had a bunch of people excited to join at the beginning, so this is my call to you guys, but anyone is welcome to throw their hand in. Technically, it doesn't have to be a cleric, but one would certainly help. Give me an interesting concept, and I'll choose the best this weekend. We are taking a break from posting until Friday, so time is on our side, so to speak. Please at least skim over the Discussion and Game threads so you can see what we're all about. Hit me with yer best shots!
@Rani - I'm sorry to see you go! You will be missed. To the rest of the group, Mikmek will be joining soon, but not really as a combat character. Do you all want to fill Rani's spot? @Tal - Nice catch. We all love the classics like AC/DC, of course Deep Purple, Ted Nugent, etc. Thanks for listening!
I'm cool with the spell-less ranger, Harther. I thought it was kind of overpowered at first, but upon further review I think it's cool as it just really makes you a beast against your favored enemies. Also, just in case there is any interest in hearing my band that's sucked up so much of my time, we've got our demo up where you can listen to it: Band's Info: www.myspace.com/devaultrock (You'll have to copy and paste...can't get the link to work!)
After several tense moments filled with cracked boards, creaking timbers, and a shark spotted swimming through the scummy water below the group round the corner of the building on the walkway and follows it until it abuts next to an old rotted ship that barely stays afloat. The rotten deck of the ancient barge seems to be barely intact, its hull worn and thick with seaweed and barnacles. The ship is held together primarily by the layers of old rope that lash it securely to the pilings that support the fishery and the boardwalk on which the party stands. A single wooden door leading into the aft cabin bears a crude painting of a red fish on its surface. Faded letters on the side of the barge proclaim it to be the Kraken's Folly.
Lily hears the sounds of the wharf and the river, remembering that she saw the other side of this door abutting the walkway that leads around the outside of the fishery out over the water. No items of any value are found in the room, but the slate boards detailing what look to be legitimate business dealings. As far as can be made out, the fish slurry is sold for several purposes, including bait, fertilizer, or even as the main ingredient for a dish known as "dock-dumplings," a local favorite among poor stevedores and dock workers who can't afford a fresh fish fillet. It appears to be the office of the blonde, weaselly man, who by all accounts is named Yargin Balko if the name on the ledgers and invoices is to be trusted.
For Harther:
Spoiler: Harther's keen senses detect a low rumble coming from the darkened mouth of the temple. It is difficult to say how far into the mountain the cave goes, and unfortunately is it equally impossible to tell if the noise is wind blowing across the cavern mouth, rocks settling, or something more sinister.
The exploration is plagued by the rainstorm. Several times mudslides block the path the party tries to follow, and heavy rain severely limits the visibility. Try as they might, their best efforts at mapping seem doomed to fail this day. Fortunately, the Chartered Six are aware of the mistakes they are making, and decide to call it an early evening and hope for better luck on the morrow. When the group decides to look for a place to camp in earnest, Harther spots a tangle of briars that seems to lead to a clearing beyond. Pushing through the tangle, the groups' hearts nearly stop in their chest at the sight beyond. A large clearing in the woods lies here, its border partially defined by ruined stone pillars. The western face of the clearing is dominated by a looming, upthrust ridge of rock, nearly three hundred feet across and rising to a moss-topped height of at least a hundred feet at the center. The side of this towering boulder facing the clearing has been carved in the likeness of an immense elk, its antlers drooping down from its weathered face to frame a fifty-foot-wide cave entrance. A flight of stone steps leads up to the mouth of the cave from the forest clearing. Both the steps and the elk carving appear quite old and are thickly encrusted with layers of moss and forest growth. An oval pool about twenty-five feet wide and twice that amount long sits in the middle of the clearing, its waters thick with algae. Rani immediately recognizes this as a temple of Erastil, and a lost one at that.
Andrezi easily remembers the nearest Desnan temple, and after Lily tosses each of the children a gold coin the children make a beeline for the door that leads outside. At the door, the oldest turns and says, "Bless ye kind folk. We'll not forget this kindness. And, oh, if ye want to find Gaedran, his quarters are underneath the fishery here. Ye'll need to go through the boat anchored on the river. Best go outside and around the walkway, but mind yer footing. The boards are pretty weak through there. G'bye! And thanks again!" With that, the last of the children flees the fishery. Kovellus's booted foot breaks the doorknob mechanism and sends the northernmost of the two western doors slamming open. On the other side lies a small corrider ending at a door, which after a cursory examination proves to lead to the front office. Backtracking slightly, the group moves to the other door leading from the chum factory's floor, and finds it opens into a small office. A wooden desk sits in one corner of the room, its side preventing a door to the west from opening all the way. This western door leads back to the front office where the party entered. The table is heaped with dozens of slate boards covered with chalk scrawls, while to the east a cabinet slouches against the wall. To the south, a few moldy boards have been nailed over a door. Daylight seeps from under the southern door.
The Chartered Six begins their exploration of the next territory amidst a heavy rainstorm. Rain drips and drizzles from the thick trees overhead, puddling in the dense foliage below. More than once a curse escapes the intrepid explorer's lips as they step into an unseen hole and find their boot filled with water.
The children exchange another wide-eyed look at the Varisian man as he speaks. One boy, larger than the rest, steps up and appears to take the part of the de-facto spokes-child. "So...we's can go? We, um, we don't have no place to go. This place may smell bad, and these men are all mean, and sometimes children go to visit Gaedran and don't come back, but at least we've got food and a place to sleep when it's cold. What do we do if we leave?" Lily hears the sounds of sloshing water and the wharfs outside the north door, but no sounds emanate from either of the other doors leading west from the top of the catwalk.
The group completes the mapping of the territory, finding the region to be a densely wooded area. The Skunk River flows from the source the party found and leaves the territory to the southeast. By nightfall, the Chartered Six are confident that they have completed yet another portion of the map.
The party's brutal onslaught quickly annihilates the remaining frogs. Despite the horrific smell of sulphur, the clearing is actually a pleasant place. The hot springs would be a great place for a relaxing soak, so long as the bather could stomach the stench.
The group's brutal onslaught makes short work of the remaining thugs. A brief search of their bodies turns up four flails, 16gp in assorted coin, and four sets of studded leather armor (that reek of fish and brine). The children look at the party in horror, obviously confused as to whether they will be the next victims. They stare at the group with wide-eyed gazes. There are three exits to the large fishery floor in addition to the one the group entered. One lies to the north and leads outside, as obvious by the sunlight leaking from below the door. The other two are in the west wall, south of the entrance the group entered, with both accessible from another catwalk which can be reached by stairs along the southern wall.
Hi folks I just finshed reading your game so far and great job and as to odd compaions we had a kolbold camp servant one time called kippers who we fed sardines when he was a good kolbold it was great Hey, Marcus...I might have given in to the temptation for Mikmek to join up...email me at: Spoiler:
bandersnatch1110 at yahoo dot com and we can discuss it out of the thread. I have some ideas...
Eseldra finishes her spell, and a patch of ground between the group and the giant frogs instantly is coated with a slick sheen of oily grease. Berenkor quickly looses a bolt that strikes with explosive force, burying deep into the hide of the creature furthest to the left and blowing off a huge chunk of its flesh in a fiery conflagration. Two of the frogs slip and slide on the grease, and while one manages to leap through with no ill effects, the others webbed feet cannot find purchase and the beast tumbles head over heels to lie in a heap, momentarily stunned. Three of the frogs make it to the group and lash out with their sticky tongues, but even though the attack is lightning swift, no members of the Chartered Six find themselves on the menu of the amphibious beasts...at least not yet.
The half-orc thugs are completely shocked at the parties appearance. It is a few seconds before they get their bearings, and before they have a chance to react, the group is upon them. One falls to Kovellus's brutal assualt while another is brought down by the simultaneous actions of Andrezi and Emyralda. Cardon quickly casts a spell, bolstering his parties capabilities. Meanwhile, Tosk makes his way across the catwalk and down the stairs. An arrow thunks into the wood behind the thugs as Lily pulls her shot to avoid hitting her companions. After the rapid onslaught, the two half orcs draw large flails and attack both Kovellus and Tosk connecting solid blows in turn.
With his massive foot, Kovellus doesn't just knock the door open; it nearly shatters under the force of his mighty kick. The floor in the next room is slick with seawater, bits of seaweed, and fish blood - the air is thick with the accompanying scent. Wooden catwalks to the north and south allow access to the wester part of the fishery, while the floor here is only five feet above the river below. An open bay to the south allows direct access to the sloppy, muddy water, while to the northwest stands an immense ten-foot-tall wooden vat, its sides caked and waterproofed with tar. Inside is a foul-looking mixture of chum, seawater, and who knows what else. To the east are stacked many barrels and crates, each marked in paint with a fish. Nearly two dozen small hammocks hang from under the catwalks, each with its own ratty blanket and pillow. Five more children are working in the room, two upon the catwalks stirring the foul mixture in the vat with long poles, and three around the base of the container filling barrels with the vile slop. Four half-orc thugs stand in a group near the children, hollering out obscenities and threats to keep the urchins working. No sooner has the door been kicked in, Lily sights an arrow at one of the half-orcs, sending it whistling his way and striking him in the shoulder. Cardon's attack fails to strike its mark.
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