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The sound is maddening and as it continues you watch Amigail, Cassandra and Boros all take a step back as they move into the plaza. Yndryssa ignores the animated head and looks back at the group. Seeing the look in some of their eyes she comments to Innis, "You travel with such weak minded companions. Are you sure you expect to reach Azrenar?" The open area of the plaza must measure at least 160 feet long by 120 feet wide. Other than the set of stairs on the western end of this plaza you see no other way exit.
Thank goodness ut was minor glad you and tge family are alright. Hoping for your water to get the water fixed, but glad you got family close by.
Leaving the tower Yndryssa takes you back up the path to the forked path and then leads you down the other path. She is completely quiet during this time and keeps her distance from Xaeen. After about an hour's worth of walking you finally enter a twisting labyrinth of scorched stone buildings and sunken plazas. You have no idea how far these ancient ruins date back, you must imagine it must have been well before Cassomir was built. "This is Hrazhad-Kul," Yndryssa says in dry, emotionless voice, "Know we are not invited here be prepared." These ancient crumbling ruins are obviously haunted. Softly whispering shadow-shapes dance at the corner of your vision as the empty streets and crumbling
Along the tops of building and flying about you see the rotting bodies dozens of ravens. It seems that they might be the only inhabitant of this haunted city. As you walk through the city they stop what they are doing to watch you. No cawing sounds come from them and it leaves you with an eerie feeling. The road directs you to what you believe is the center of the ruins where you find a large sunken plaza. The plaza is surrounded by buildings to the north and south with set of stairs in the western part of the plaza where road continues on from. The sunken plaza is dominated by a large stone platform, atop which stands a large wooden display case holding hundreds of skulls and severed heads. Displayed on it are hundreds of severed humanoid heads– some look to be dwarven as well as some mites and even a few derro heads. You can even see a couple bloody human ones.
DM Screen:
Amigail swings the falcata but finds the blade blocked by the creature's blood soaked chain shirt. Cassandra spears the skeleton through the head and watches as the skeleton falls to the ground in a heap. Summoning more of his druidic magic Kirzon creates a dark gray cloud in the swarm of bats and watches the electricity rip through the creatures completely destroying them all. Hearing Merleda's warning you look about preparing for whatever could come next. Innis and Merelda you can still feel the effects of the bats biting as your wounds continue to bleed. Bleed:
A Creature with this ability causes wounds that continue to bleed, inflicting additional Damage each round at the start of the affected creature's turn. This bleeding can be stopped by a successful DC 15 Heal skill check or through the application of any magical Healing
send him up if youd like Kirzon
One skeleton wears:
Another skeleton wears:
The skeleton answers Lililinda in a hollow voice, "Xaeen." From where Kirzon stands he notices that another hole in ceiling can be seen.
Innis watches as the last of the yeth hounds is ripped and crushed by the tandem of Kirzon's birds and summoned tentacles. In the background you can hear the voices of the busts cursing at all of you as the tentacles thrash about. Then finally their curses come to an abrupt end. Lililinda you see Cassandra reluctantly take the glaive her eyes revealing her urge to run. Somewhere Amigail and Merelda are still fleeing...
I think so you summoned them so they must have some rudimentary way to understand their summoner
The tracks are bootprints going along both paths Kirzon. It is hard to say the exact numbers but definitely more than a dozen headed along the path and it seems they were heading back in the direction you came from (i.e. direction of the stairs) Innis your probing yields the following results: Which way brings us closer to the True face of the Lord of the burning tower? The passage to the southeast comes up as weal. Which path leads directly to the temple of Maramaga? The passage to the southwest comes up as weal.
Welcome Mr. Bard I expect lots of quips and sing-a-longs from you. Hehe.
Good story works well. We will be doing xp for progression.
A rogue would definitely help if you head into Rappan Athuk!
I can work with that. I had passed over her earlier because of the evil alignment, but she certainly fits a Hexblade better than Bast does. I will go with Variant Human and get that posted up today. Just to be clear; the change to variant human is an additional language in place of the normal additional skill proficiency? The change I made was to remove the extra skill. Humans would ether way get common tongue + 1 other language. Feats in 5e are quite strong and have a lot more benefits than in PF imho.
@Kolfax Tsar is a wasteland but the Camp is still there so that would work. Endholme (the area that Barakus is based upon.) could work as well since that city and the region has a good mixture of all races that are in your backstory.
@Blue Symbiote Apologies I usually just refer to the current iteration of Dungeons & Dragons as 5e. So yes this is a 5e Dungeons & Dragons campaign. A tiefling with this concept would work. I would need to look into the deities but I'm sure there is one for your character.
@Valghaz Just a reminder no stat can start higher than 18 even after racial bonuses. Just how I picture a dwarf should be though at the front of the line.
@Tazo Hello Tazo you can definitely apply I am not banning anyone from my other game. Just to reiterate while Rappan Athuk is the hook that brings the party together it might not be the final destination. I leave that to the group to decide but I'm sure one way or another they'll find themselves there. I'm sure whatever you decide on will intrigue me.
@Helaman I am fine with you taking either feat provided you are human. Always happy to see another supporter of FGG. In terms of your concepts run with the one that you are going to enjoy the most. As a supporter of FGG I'm sure you are well aware that PC death happens often in the material they put out. So having more than one concept is good in my books.
@Scranford I'm sure you will make up for it when you let loose a rain of arrows on some unsuspecting baddie. Glad to see you working with what you got.
@Dreaming Warforged I like your second concept as well even before you referenced Dune. With the way Lost Lands has been scripted as a land with so many cultures I do not think that there is only one version of monk (i.e., Shaolin) so please run with the idea I'm interested to see where you take it.
@River of Sticks I think the patron best suited for you would be Mirkeer, Goddess of Shadow and Night. For reference she is found in Cult of the Sundered Kingdoms. What I also like about Mirkeer is that she is daughter of Hecate the Goddess of Magic. While Mirkeer is evil it does not necessarily mean you need to be but opens the door for lots of plot hooks. Mirkeer: Mirkeer is the daughter of Hecate and serves as her mother’s messenger and personal assassin. As beautiful as her mother and equally cruel, Mirkeer is the mistress of shadows and can control shadows with a thought. Venerated by assassins, evil rogues, and dark magicians, her cults are always secretive and well hidden.
One would never reveal in the Lost Lands that they worship her for fear of heresy.
Recruitment thread open. Hope to see you over there.
Recruitment Thread:
Lay of the Land:
The Lost Lands is a low to medium fantasy setting where adventurers such as yourselves look to carve out your own path and not follow in the folly left by past heroes. One such word of warning came just over three hundred years ago when the Army of Light gathered to destroy the Army of Orcus. They failed and disappeared into the depths of Rappan Athuk. These days the only mention of the Army of Light can be found in the dusty tomes that sit molding in rarely visited libraries. But the Lost Lands is more than Rappan Athuk. It is a world rebuilt on fallen empires many of which had treasures that were never found. The day to day life of the current political rulers would tell you that everything is in fine order, but common folk would tell you a different tale. They whisper of a kingdom on decline and of creatures that stalk the shadows and hunt once night has fallen. Where once doors were opened to greet weary travelers they now stand locked and windows shuddered for fear of what lies outside. The Lost Lands is your home. Whether you choose to be a hero (or anti-hero) or an unsuspecting traveler that gets caught up in the web of adventure, learn what you can of this land and do what is necessary to survive and thrive. For those who do not will could find their names carved on the tombstones that surround Rappan Athuk, the Dungeon of Graves. Campaign Expectations I have 2 players already signed up. (Classes yet to be finalized although one has indicated they are leaning towards a bard.) I am looking adding another 2-4 players (capping it at 6). Given this is pbp I do not mind going with this amount since there is still enough opportunity to allow for character development. For maps and other notes I will be using Google slides and Google sheets. I am also toying around with using Scabard (it’s a free campaign organizer tool that I stumbled upon so this depends on how easy the interface is) but for now you will need to be able to use Google slides and Google sheets. For combat I will roll all initiative (this speeds things up). During combat I am going to go by order of initiative. I will usually give you about half a day to make your action, but if I feel this is slowing the game down I will have your character delay and then bot if necessary. I am not a stickler on posting once a day (but please do check the thread and keep updated). We each go through our ups and downs and I am lenient. Posting once a day is still a good number to strive for. During combat my expectations are a little higher and I would expect you to post at a minimum once per day (please see above). In general I would rather quality over quantity. IF you disappear from the boards and there is no communication on your part please do not be offended if your character mysteriously disappears or dies in a less than dramatic fashion. If we agree upon your return a new character will have to be rerolled. Character Creation:
Here are my 5e creation guidelines. All characters begin at 1st level. You must be lvl 3 before you can multiclass. 1. Roll for Ability Scores. • Roll 4d6 drop the lowest number. For instance I roll 4d6 and get 4, 5, 2, 3. I would drop the ‘2’ since this is the lowest number leaving me with 4+5+3 = 12 • Repeat this 7 more times. • This will give you a pool of 8 numbers. Use 6 of these to fill in your ability scores. No stat (even after adding your racial bonus) can be higher than 18. Just so you are clear you will use 6 of these numbers to fill in your ability scores. So 2 will not be used at all. • All rolls must be generated in your post on the recruitment thread. 2. Choose Race: PHB only (No Dragonborn. No Drow) 2a. Dragonborn: I view The Lost Lands as a throwback campaign setting. Dragonborn currently do not have a place in the lore and at this time I am not going to write them in. 2b. Tieflings: They are typically viewed with true suspicion if not outright fear/hatred. Demons are real in this setting and creatures that appear infernal will likely be treated as such in many civilized locations. Bard’s Gate would likely be the only place you would find some peace but even then you’ll likely have a hard time socializing with many if they know your true nature. 2c. Subraces: These are allowed minus Drow as indicated above. 2d. Humans PC are allowed to use the variant traits for humans HOWEVER they get (i) Any 2 attributes +1; (ii)Common tongue + 1 other language; (iii) 1 Feat 3. Choose Class: PHB only for classes. I have not reviewed the UA Ranger but I would likely allow it. For archtypes (i.e.,paths/schools/ etc. which are chosen at level 3) from material outside of PHB (i.e., Sword Coast Adventurer’s Guide, Unearthed Arcana, etc.) these are subject to my decision. So let me know ahead of time if you would like something outside of the PHB. 4. Choose Background: Background found outside of PHB are allowed just let me review it first. Follow the steps for choosing a background but your character needs to have a personality trait, an ideal, a bond and a flaw. Whether you choose randomly or pick from the list given is your decision. **Please Note** I will be using a modified inspiration system (see House Rules below) which will be rewarded based on how true your character is to their personality traits, ideal, bond and flaw. 5. Choose Alignment: No Neutral Evil. No Chaotic Evil. Lawful Evil I will allow but there should be a good reason why you’d see this character staying with the same group for years. Regardless of what alignment you choose I am hopeful that your alignment will weigh in on the decisions that your character makes. Also to be transparent my view on alignment is that it is your moral compass. So there are greedy lawful good people (i.e., maybe they just might give a considerable amount of themselves to help strangers) and lawful evil people can think of others before themselves (i.e., their child or another loved one). 6. Choose Equipment: Equipment is determined by your Background and your Class. You will see a portion in each section of the PHB which describes what equipment your character begins with. One small addendum:. Once your character is created you will only have 1d10 silver pieces left in your pouch (or lower if you use up the gold that your background provides you with). You can roll to determine how much you have left at the start of the campaign. No one said being an adventurer was waking up on soft feather down beds and eating 5 star meals. 7. Backstory Give me your backstory/description in a short paragraph. It should include: a) What makes your character stand out in the crowd? b) What event led you to wanting to become an adventurer? c) What secret do you protect or hold?
House Rules – TBD:
I will be including some House Rules that I use in my face 2 face campaign as well as a Modified Inspiration System. I’ll post these once I’ve selected the players for the game. Narrative for the Campaign:
As the sun slowly filters into the tavern, the River Ale you wonder how much more longer you will have to stay in the village of Holscomb. Already you were doubting yourself for listening to the merchant from Carterscroft who you had traveled with from Drownboat Crossing. He had told you and several others to stay away from the town of Renderby which had some strange fascination with chickens. From Holscomb he said you could grab a boat and head upriver to Zelkor’s Ferry. Once there someone would likely be able to point you in the direction of that ‘place’. The ‘place’ he was referring to was Rappan Athuk and it seemed to him that there was an influx of ‘fortune hunters’ looking to get there these days. He wasn’t sure why any person in their right mind would risk their lives chasing rumours, but he was happy enough to have you along after you agreed to a fair price for passage to Holscomb.
When you arrived in Holscomb it was clear to see that the village was overcrowded for a place that consisted of a rickety dock, a few shops and several houses. Much of the overcrowding happened to be other merchants loaded with wagons ready to be sold in Eastwych or maybe as far as Eastgate. However, you also found other adventurers waiting to head upriver to head to Zelkor’s Ferry. It seemed they had also been spun the same tale as yourself about avoiding Renderby. That was three days ago and now looking at your current surroundings this was not how you pictured the life of an adventurer. The pungent smell of fermenting ale mixed with days old sweat was enough to cause you to wrinkle your face. The common room had become your home where you slept, ate and entertained yourself since the last keelboat, the Lucky Oak, had crammed on as many as it could on board and casted off for Zelkor’s Ferry. Feeling the pouch at your side you are reassured that it is still there, you wish the same could be said for the coins that once made this pouch a little heavier. Checking inside there was little hope you would have enough to pay for the next ferry heading upriver. You’d spoken with some others in the same situation as yourself. Maybe just maybe they could be convinced to set foot to Zelkor’s Ferry. All you’d need to do was follow the river east it would take you there. With a keen eye you watch as people strewn about the floor, chairs and tables begin to stand and stretch to welcome in the new day. The proprietor of the River Ale had already started cooking something. Hopefully it was those rabbits you’d seen him skinning the night before. Yes today was a new day and you were going to make the most of it.
Interesting. I can see what you are saying. Conan seems to have more darker magic/sorcery summoning also I feel LOTR has more magical items and definitely more standard magical creatures.
Kirzon you can definitely see a lot more traffic has headed along the southeast road.
You travel for another half mile contemplating the message left to you by the dwarven ghost when you watch the road split ahead with the one road heading southeast and another more intact road heading southwest. No signposts or markers indicate which road leads where.
DM screen:
The dwarf turns to Merelda as she asks the first question paying little attention to the huddle that has formed to determine what to ask. "What is the quickest way to our goal? Nothing else truly matters in my opinion, so all else is secondary." "Follow the path through the ruins of what was once home to my kin and clan, Hrazhad-Kul. Continue along the road and you shall reach the the tenple of Maramaga... answering the question you see more of the dwarf begin to dissipate "A cure to Maramaga's sickness is what we seek most urgently." "Whatever sickness has been spread by the children of the Scythe Mother I cannot answer how to cure...but in the temple is where you will find her high priest he should possess the knowledge you seek..." "Secondly how might we find the True Face of the Lord of the Burning Tower. What marks the tower's path?" "His true face lies upon his head...he could never have known that his betrayal would curse him this way...We of Hrazhad-Kul were children to the Scythe Mother...she gave us the power to rid of us of our enemies...we followed the rule of the King and she ruled him. But The Lord of the Burning Tower would not have this...he made an infernal pact looking to rid of us the King and the Scythe Mother but in doing this he signed it with the blood of his kin, clansmen and his own life...The path to Hrazhad-Kul remains ever the same...heed my words or you too will stand vigil for an eternity never to escape these lands... If you seek salvation from the Scythe Mother then find the true face of the Burning Lord so that he might look upon it and find some freedom. The face holds powerrrr..." and with that the dwarf dissipates leaving no sign he was ever there.
@River of Sticks I think it should work. There is a Plane of Shadow which you can use as part of your backstory should wish tie in with the Hexblade lore.
Update: I will open up a new thread for recruitment on Friday.
@CrusaderWolf The material I would be running would be published Lost Lands adventures though it wouldn't be Sword of Air. It would ideally be a set of smaller adventurers woven into one campaign with some modifications to account for the backstories of characters. (i.e., if your character has a goal to find and defeat a specific foe) Where the campaign goes will be in large part decided by PCs but I want the PCs to feel that their actions will sometimes have a far greater consequence on the world that they might have expected.
@Dreaming Warforged While I do have all the material for The Blight I would treat that as entirely seperate campaign since there is a lot of material that I would need to read through to really understand Castorhage. To describe Lost Lands (as brief as possible) it is like a mixture of Conan the Barbarian meets Middle Earth. It is a low to medium level fantasy setting. Where Golarion, FR and Eberron feel like they have magic shops around every corner and powerful archmages and champions protecting the land (e.g., Elminster, The Harpers, Pathfinders). The Lost Lands does not share these elements. Empires have fallen to have new empires rise upon them and most champions have vanished largely in part due to Rappan Athuk. Magic, both divine and arcane, while accepted by the masses is not so commonplace that everyone owns a continual light source nor is anyone going to be burned at the stake. The land is much like our own medieval times in terms of transport, trade and business. Most people fall into three groups: farmers, tradesmen or general labourers. These people then fall under the rule of noble classes (Baron/Baroness, Duke/Duchess, etc.). As was the case in our medieval times, religion plays a important role for many in defining the character of a person. Hope this helps.
The name of the axe does not sound familiar to you Kirzon.
choose your questions wisely because he is fading fast...
apologies had my son's birthday this weekend so that took precedence I'll have up a recruitment post this week (Week of Feb 11) so that we can begin the week of March 4 I am anticipating. Also it appears that a number of you would like to take a shot at Rappan Athuk 5e style with that said I will build the story with this in mind that your PC is headed for whatever to try their luck at Rappan Athuk (as a party you can all decided if this is where you want to actually go in the long run). For those wondering what Rappan Athuk is I will explain in my recruitment post basically in game terms it is a super mega dungeon (i.e., Castle Greyhawk or Waterdeep's Undermountain) Please stay tuned...
Given all that has occurred these past nights it is no surprise how the party quickly approaches the lone dwarven figure with caution no matter how safe it might appear to be. With a guarded step you all inch forward completely surrounding the dwarf, for all your effort he does nothing and stares in the original direction you came from. When Kirzon calls upon the dwarf you watch as the green embers of his eyes fall upon the old dwarven lumberjack. He answers with a hoarse voice that fills the area with an emptiness you were not anticipating. His words seem to start and stop in places that cause you to move in closer to ensure you hear him clearly. "Long have my eyes not fallen upon another of my kind...
You watch as the form of the dwarven ghost begins to become harder to view as if he is fading away. You can already see where his feet were have dissipated. You are not sure how much longer he might stay here but it is likely he will be gone soon.
Even as many of you prepare for battle the dwarf stays his place and beckons you to come closer. From all indication he does not seem like he is challenging you albeit he definitely has seen better times.
That I can't be certain of Innis is the quartermaster of the party.
That's fine it sounds look a good idea but he will get a 20% miss chance. There needs to be enough impact to break the vial so he would need to be at a relative decent height to do so. 20% means the vial just does not break so it will be reusable if necessary.
Merelda senses no threats from Cinder as he flies about surveying the surrounding area. Indicating to Innis that there is noone else about Innis now changing her appearance to be that of Ferista moves towards the waiting figure. Moving forward the figure does not move even as you close the distance. Seventy paces away. Nothing. The figure stands there waiting. Fifty paces away. Still nothing. Forty paces away. Kirzon grips Innis' shoulder causing her to slow her pace. "That be a dwarf or I'll be tradin' my ax for a pair of shears and cut off me own beard!" Thirty paces away. The odd light that you thought came from the lantern the dwarf holds actually comes from both the dwarf and the lantern. Twenty paces away. A fully armoured dwarf stands before you or rather what is left of him. His armour barely remains on his sturdy frame and what does remain looks as if it has been bashed in or rended apart. The one piece of armour that does remain untouched is his helmet that covers the upper half of his face. What you can see of his face that is exposed is a gruesome sight as if something or someone crushed a significant portion of lower jaw. He raises the hand holding his ax beckoning you closer.
Putting as much distance between you and the alien creature you continue along the road as it heads slightly southeast. The area you are now in is fairly open albeit not very level as you travel over the many ridges and outcropping rocks that seem to dominate this part of the cavern. You have traveled for about half a mile when you a short yet broad shouldered figure ahead of you . He stands facing in your direction. You see he carries a lantern that glows oddly in one hand and an axe rests upon his shoulder. He makes no movement but there is little doubt that he does not see the light that is coming from your group.
Merelda shakes her head uncertain at what sort of creature that was but she doubts it was the Watcher Chevreshnekar. Not even wanting to turn her head to look back she continues marching with the others.
Innis presents the unholy symbol of Maramaga before the statue and all to bear witness. The force and confidence she speaks the words is enough to rally the group and prepare the worst that might come. A silence follows only to be interupted by the sound of something from behind the statue. As it comes into view you are certain this is the source of the voice in your head. The site of the creature is enough to cause you to turn your it's presence alone almost makes you take a step back. The repulsive creature reminds you of some sort of squid. It has four arms that end in cruel looking pincers and a maw that gapes in between two staring eyes. Worthy. Proceed.
GM will throw you all a bone. Forgive me if I am cryptic with this guy. Here are my hints: Others have passed before you but how? (Or look at it from this perspective) Why were others allowed to pass? Bonus hint
Discuss it here than you can write down your actions.
There is a pause and almost a humming in your mind Prove. Truth. Show. Loyalty. Worthy. Pass. Unworthy. Death. then there is silence.
Kirzon your detect magic yields no auras coming from the statue. Innis moves forward and as she does the voice erupts in everyone's head. Move. Death. Prove. Show. Worthy. Leave. Live.
The voice enters your heads again Seek. Where. Worthy. Pass. Unworthy. Death.
DM Screen:
In your minds you hear the alien voice again Prove. Self. Pass. Threaten. Death. Leave. Live.
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