It was time to shut it down, I realized, after I made a pleas for anyone to interact with the NPC and it was basically ignored.
But thanks to everyone for playing. It was great fun when it was going strong.
This is the end.
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Kiril shoves the door open, and behind him Krystid, Sandy, and Gwen crowd close to the doorway to look inside The room appears to have recently been a camp. There are two small canvas tents, one is partially collapsed. The ropes that hold the tents up are held down by iron spikes driven into the spaces between the flagstones of the floor. A few bed rolls are laid out, but it appears as if someone has upset them. There is a circle of stones near the center of the room and the remains of a fire, now cold, with a large iron pot sitting close to it. One of the tents rustles, and the tent flap opens and then shuts as if an invisible creature has exited the tent and the suddenly a dwarf appears in front of the tent. He is young, with dark brown hair, cut at his shoulders and a crisp well-groomed beard. He wears adventurer’s robes and is holding a short but sturdy staff. Before you can speak the dwarf shouts to the ceiling,
Kiril waits for Sandy to summon a small light, which she places on the end of her staff, and holding it high, gives the big man a smile, and waves him on. Marching at a slow, careful pace, the group, going two-by-two, heads back to the stairs, where near them there was a narrow, only ten-foot-wide, passageway that intersected the main passage at the bottom of the stairs. Here, Kiril pauses for a moment, and that is when Gwen steps up next to him. She spins around slowly, taking in her surroundings, and then announces.
The armor that is worn by the hobgoblins looks like it is well made, but probably does not provide as good of protection as the scale mail armor Brunar is wearing. The large chamber does not seem to reveal any other secrets, and is otherwise empty.
Brunar hoists one of the dead fellow up off the floor to get a better look at his armor, while Kiril goes about making sure the dead are really, well dead, and should stay that way. Brunar: The chain mail pieces of this armor appear old, very old, and are of dwarven make. The pieces of chain are stitched, rather well actually, to new boiled leather pieces of armor. The overall quality of the armor is high, compared to the tattered leather armor of the orcs which are also lying here dead
There has been a battle here yes, that one, obviously, but there has been another. This very large chamber, which you did not have time to fully explore before, has been the scene of a battle between two different kinds of monsters. Lying about you recognize the corpses of orcs and another kind of humanoid you are not familiar with, possibly There are three orc bodies, each is pierced with arrows, and has been stabbed by spear points. Some of the wounds did not bleed, leading you to think the orc's enemies where making sure downed orcs stayed dead. There are two other bodies, and these appear like goblins, only they are larger, tougher looking and have pale reddish skin. Intelligence Check, DC 10:
These may be Hobgoblins, a very rare type of humanoid not often seen above ground. Some say they are not all entirely evil, but are hostile to strangers if quick thinking isn't on your side Among the bodies are seven arrows, two war axes, and a single spear. The orcs are wearing heavy, studded leather armor, while the other creatures wear a combination of chain and leather armor which is unusual to your eyes.
The three heroes and their three travelling companions charge into the Palace of the Vampire Queen with renewed determination. They move quickly and as quietly as they can down the central corridor of the first level of the palace, then turn right at the last intersection, left into a narrow passage and then trough a few empty rooms until they come to the long flight of stairs that descends to the next level. Taking a moment to be sure they have brought enough torches, and in case those run out, a simple lantern with a few pints of oil to help them find their way out, they move down the stone steps in single file order. Once at the second level they stop to get their bearings, Sandy consults the map, and points out the passageway on their left has not been explored, and she does not have it map. Then Flint remembers the parchment discovered in a secret room on the first level with a peculiar map, and quickly matches it to the one Sandy is making. She smiles at the brave and talented halfling and begins annotating her map to reflect the things on the parchment. Heading straight to the east, the group stops at a set of huge doors on the left, Kiril shoves one of the ten-foot-wide stone doors open, and the party slides past the opening quickly, followed by Kiril when all are through. Heading north now, Brunar is feeling his dwarven stone sense coming on naturally, and the feeling of being underground almost feels like home. The party passes a twenty-foot-wide opening on the right, and then comes to a stop at the huge doors that led into a troll lair. It is now that the group readies their weapons, hoping their efforts from a few days ago were permanent, but cautious, knowing the lore of these tenacious monsters, they prepare for the worst as Kiril readies his shoulder. Looking back at the others he gives a nod of readiness, and the next move will open the door and give the party access to the troll lair.
The party of six stalwart adventurers turns toward the mountain to the west, and with a renewed determination, sets off at a brisk pace along the trail that leads away from the Black Village toward the mountain path that winds upward to the entrance of the Palace of the Vampire Queen It is a bright, warm day. The sky above is clear of clouds, and by late afternoon the party reaches the mountain entrance. To the right of the entrance, there are still signs of the previous camp site which had been established many days before. The doors stand closed to the Palace, and the group makes ready to head right down to the second level, below the first level, where they encountered a fierce troll. Checking Sandy’s map, the party is sure they know the way.
After a brief exchange with the kobolds of the hovel, the three adventurers and their three female companions, climb up the stairs to the ruined remains of the tavern above. Standing in the daylight, they are reflective for a moment, well as reflective as some are wont to be anyway. Looking to the northwest they see the mountain rising up into the clouds, and remember the entrance to the palace of the vampire queen is there, beckoning them to return, a princess is still missing for all they know. To the north the elven caravan, just beyond the borders of the ruins of the Black Village and out of sight, is probably packing the wagons for the next leg of their journey. Below the burnt remains of this once quaint little dwarven village a mysterious dungeon, populated by elemental guardians holds some secret to the vampire curse that plagues this part of the country, while to the southeast, a half day’s walk across the farms and fields, lies Cipenney, a bustling little community where folks go about their days and nights hoping the monsters from the mountain never grow so bold as to visit them in their houses and workshops. Where to go, what to do? There are so many options available to the trio of stalwart friends.
After a good long rest, the three heroes, Kiril, Flint and Brunar, decide it is finally time to delve deep below the catacombs below the ruined church in the black village. They are almost immediately set upon by a somewhat harmless air elemental, who warns them that there are more of her “kin” to be found guarding the secrets of this strange dungeon the further in they might go, and so naturally they decide that returning to the Kobold warren is the right thing to do, in search of possible magic weapons to buy.
Chasing down the hovel master, Lorelei, they find her in the main hall, sitting at a table with Sandy, Gwendolyn, and Kristyd.
I will be updating games tomorrow. Sorry for the delay. Our daughter, who lives in Cambodia, suddenly arrived in the US to spend a couple of weeks with mom and dad and her brothers. It has been a bit hectic around the house.
Well, not particularly. Vampire's are not a problem for me or my cousins, but then again we have been bound to this place for an awful long time. She tilts her head, folds one arm against her see through middle and places her chin in her other hand. Heck, why not. I'm bored of this anyway. Go ahead and decipher the missing words if you can. I don't know what they are so I can't help you, and I don't know what they are used for. I'll go try to tell the others of my decision. I can't guarantee they'll feel the same way as me, and I don't need to waste my time trying to change their minds. See you again somewhere later on I suppose. After that she turns into a burst of wind and escapes through a crack above the small door.
She spins in the air, like a dangling marionette lofted by the strongest magical strings and then settles down to a complete stand still, blinks at Brunar, and then holds out her hands making hard to understand signals as if one of her hands is supposed to be you Well, she says slowly You go to where the fire is, and then, um, through it, I suppose. You can't miss it, seriously, this place isn't that complicated.
Kiril retrieves his weapon, and then the Air Elemental swirls over his head, messing his hair and causing a few bits of dust, dirt, and debris to rain down on him from above. She then settles into a place in the center of the diagram on the floor There are answers to your questions in this tomb of a once great lady the elemental says in commonBut, to learn the secret to the mysterious Vampire Queen you must defeat all of my relatives, and me. We guard the clues, and the clues are what you need to defeat us. Be careful, some of my relatives are not as kind as I am and will try to kill you before you can discover what you need to unlock our secrets. On the floor here are some important words, but I will not let you discover them until you are through the fire.
As the figure moves swiftly about the center of the room Kiril dashes in and swings to strike the thing with his weapon, trying to see if it is real or not. Kiril:
Roll your damage, normal damage – you feel as if your weapon does strike something physical, but it is not solid Ignoring Kiril, for the moment, the small dwarven female darts toward Flint, again and again, but then Brunar speaks up in dwarven. The figure stops, turns and addresses him in dwarven Dwarven: I am a guardian. Astromel of Entheria is my name. I am an elemental summoned from the plane of air. It is my task to disrupt anyone who tries to decode the hidden message on the floor. Opps, I mean it is my job to stop anyone from going into the dungeon further than this room. Study if you can, but I will not let you pass. You are not armed well enough to defeat me.
As the three enter the room casually, with no pressing concerns, each takes a moment to look into something of interest only to themselves. As Flint kneels to examine the scratched out words on the floor, he can tell that it would not be difficult to puzzle out what was originally written there, and just as he takes out a stick and paper to write down his discovery, Kiril moves toward the small door on the right and tries to open it. The door swings open without too much effort, but a strong gust of wind follows through the door almost immediately. The gust swirls and spins, trying, almost deliberately, to make Flint lose his grip on the pencil and paper he is holding
Brunar shuffles back from the symbol on the floor as the swirling air grows stronger and stronger, and then a playful laughter is heard ”hehehe, where do you think you’re going? This is no place for studies. Hehehe, it’s time to play.” The swirling air begins to take on a physical appearance. It looks like a small female dwarven child surrounded by a swirl of dust and bits of spider webs. The air moves menacingly toward Flint.
Moving into the room, Kiril and Brunar approach the strange symbol in the center of the room, surrounded by the ancient dwarven writings. Once in the room they can see that there are large, double doors straight across from the bottom of the stairs, and to their right, behind them a single door. These doors appear to be made of oak, the wood is old, but still looks strong. and each door is reinforced with iron straps. There are handles on the doors but no apparent locks or key holes. Brunar: Yes, you are correct, it is a kind of funeral poem, spoken many years ago at somber occasions, but it has fallen out of favor over the years. This version has obviously been defaced by someone or something.
I wonder if it is time to send out PMs to see if these other fellows are still interested
So. here is funny, not funny haha, but funny weird - I use internet explorer but do not make it large, but i do use the right hand monitor when browsing and it is set to landscape format. I moved the browser page to the left hand monitor, which is set to portrait, expanded the page downward and the shadow bar (with all the paizo company info) dropped down below the posting window
The door yields with some resistance, as if it has not been opened for many long years. Beyond the door is a wide flight of stone steps going down at a gentle angle. The walls here are dry and made from fitted and shaped stones, mortared into place. The ceiling is tiled with small ceramic bricks and reinforced with wooden timbers spaced only a few feet apart. The smell of the air is bittersweet and has hints of sulfur. The steps descend some forty feet until you see ahead of you an illuminated chamber. You cannot tell how large the chamber is, but you can see the floor is either painted or possibly tiled in colorful pieces. The pattern resembles a summoning circle. From a safe place on the steps, well before you enter the chamber below, you wonder about the source of the soft white light that illuminates the room, but at the same time it gives you the ability to make out a few words on the floor, that circle the images. It is a poem, well known even to this day. It is said the poem comes from the Vayanguur islands and is part of an epic tale of a lost king on a quest for redemption. The words you can make out are in an old dwarven script, and even though it is old it is still familiar to each of you. The poem is, as you know, familiar, but some of the words have been scratched out. It reads,
Okay, so I don't know what the problem is, but when I try to post in the game thread I get this huge dark "Paizo" banner across the field where I am trying to type and I cannot see what I am typing or tell if it is even going in the box. Does anyone have any clue what I am doing wrong?
I will try to do a "set the scene" piece tomorrow and see if we can bring this back to life.
Are we stable now? Are you three willing to try to get this up and running again or are you thinking it has run its course?
The three heroes take a moment to examine the items and their combined knowledge leads them to believe they have discovered a wand of Magic Missiles, Two Potions of Invulnerability, and a ring Of Earth Elemental Command. Refreshed, and with some magic items bolstering their abilities, the three heroes stand in front of the locked door which leads to a mysterious dungeon below the crypt
Brunar: It is not a scroll, the writing is not magical. It is an intimate love letter, written in a rare form of Dwarven Runes - the letter describes a man's love for his wife, and the pain he is going through knowing he is facing a choice to allow her to continue to exist now that she is under some form of curse, or to destroy her by his own hands. It is a sad letter, but it ends with a message of hope - a reference to a cure for Vampirism, kept in a secret crypt somewhere in Barakovia, a country on the continent to the west, Alodoa
Flint hears the warning and with cat like reflexes, drops his head below the level of the sarcophagus. The gas, obviously meant to harm taller folk, drifts up in the still dank air of the catacomb and dissipates. When Kiril and Brunar peek around the column they are just in time to see Flint, now almost climbing into the sarcophagus, rummaging through the contents Flint: There is not a body in this grave, but instead a few items which might be helpful, once they are identified. A wand, two small vials made from a shiny, golden metallic material, and a ring lie on the top of a single heavy sheet of parchment. The parchment has a message written on it in a rare form of runic scrip that at first Flint isn’t sure he can read – will you study it?
Sorry for the additional delay, updating now - I hope you all still remember what was going on, haha
I have a non serious family thing going on right now - will be back by Wednesday or Thursday to get a game post up
When Brunar gets Flint’s attention, and directs him toward the sarcophagus, a back and forth on the risks associated with these sorts of dangers ensues and when it looks like Flint is determined to have a go at the lid of the coffin, Brunar and Kiril move behind a column.
A string snaps, flint hears it, and that is followed by the sound of a glass shattering within the coffin. Green smoke begins to billow out of the sarcophagus.
Again, message sent to Flint today
I have sent Private Messages to Flint and there has not been a response yet. If he does not return would the two of you like to continue and I can re introduce the three dwarven NPCs to support your exploration of the level below, or do you feel like it is time to call it. I may be able to pull another character from one of the games I ended into this one. I'll ask.
The party walks slowly, silently forward into the darkness. Ahead of them is another area of deeper darkness, another dead end or perhaps another portal to yet another bleak and unidentifiable passageway in this mysterious temple. There is nothing to do but press forward,. As the darkness presses in around them they feel the slip of dimensions and suddenly they emerge out of the darkness into a sunlight area. They are standing in a small shrine or temple of some kind. The walls to the left and right are open while across the floor opposite them is another dark area of shadows. Outside of this small building stone building is a countryside, warm air can be felt, the sun is bright overhead in the blue sky, fields of tall green grass spread out to either side, to the left are mountains in the distance to the right rolling hills and a horizon that seems to call from many miles away. The End?
While Flint takes a quick nap, Kiril reads from a small book he has been carrying with him, and makes an offhand comment about what he is reading to Brunar as the dwarf seems to move slowly and without purpose across the room taking a moment to look at each of the coffins placed here. As Brunar responds, something out of the ordinary catches his eye Brunar: As you move among the stone sarcophagi in the crypt you read many traditional dwarven names carved in older runes, not so old as to be forgotten, but old enough to be a bit difficult at times to be sure the soundings of the names are correct. You see Thonlonson, and then study for a moment and then decide it is actually Thanlensan – names that do not bring forth any stories of great heroes or noble sages. It seems that the village was mostly unremarkable in its day, and other than the repeated history of being attacked by the monsters from the mountain stronghold of the Palace of the Vampire Queen, there is not much to say about the place, or its people. Then something peculiar happens. A carving, on the lid of one of the sarcophagi is not like the others here, and it catches your eye. The name on the coffin is Gaherostoph Dasnecki, a name of no significance, but it is how the runes are carved that gets your attention. The name is carved on a slab of stone half an inch thick, and raised above the surface of the coffin, unlike the other rune names carved here which are in the lids of the sarcophagi. You study the plate for a while and when you are sure it is not trapped you try to see if it can be pried away, and with little effort you find you are right. Once the fake plate is moved the area under the plate is revealed to be carved with three runes. These three runes are immediately recognized by you as they are traditionally the marks placed upon a dangerous bridge, or a poisoned well. The runes say, Out and Away, a phrase that means danger, but the symbols are also the first sounds of the name Hourun Andror Awasovanik – a dwarven wizard who was once married to a woman who legend says became a vampire.
I'm a little busy today, but I want to get up a post with some clues about what lies beyond that door that Brunar might uncover - give me a bit, I'll be right back. Thanks for sticking with the game guys. I appreciate it.
The Party takes a Short Rest please see the Campaign Info Tab for the House rules on resting, if you don't remember My next post will be setting the three characters at the door, prepared to open it - during the rest, their is plenty of time to examine the door, and you can determine it is not trapped, and the only lock is opened by the key you possess Please take whatever action during the rest you need to prepare for what might be on the other side of that door. Ready?
Walking a little slower this time, the three heroes make their way back to the crypt. Scattered remains of burnt bone, pieces of armor, and a few had weapons are all that remain of the skeletons that were just recently defeated here. The party, now a little less focused on emergency actions, takes a moment to examine the stone steps in the ante chamber just before the main crypt. Here a wide set of stone steps climbs up, but a close examination quickly reveals that the once proud church that stood above this crypt has been thoroughly destroyed, the stairs choked with debris, burnt beams, pieces of plaster, fragments of stone, block the way to the surface. An ornate and old wooden door stands shut tight on the opposite wall from the entrance to the crypts through the ante chamber. The door has a large keyhole on the right side, and just a little further to the right, hammered into the wall, is an iron hook. This must be the hook where the key was kept. Sitting down on the tiled floor of the crypt the party takes a few moments to rest, and plan ahead.
Unsure of what might happen, Gwernach takes a few cautious steps into the darkness at the end of the passage. He is again confronted with a feeling of resistance, and a sense that the universe is closing in around him. For a moment he is unsure if he can even tell what direction he needs to go to get back out, but keeping his hand on the wall next to him the familiar feel of the stonework gives him a little comfort. He spins in place, switching hands on the wall, and marches back the way he came until his sight returns and he is confronted by the faces of his travelling companions.
Determined to find out what could be drawing the undead to the level below the dwarven crypt, Kiril asks Lorelei to show them this all important door, while Flint reminds the Hovel’s Guildmaster and Chief of the Forge that they intend to politely refuse the kobold’s hospitality, and will pay the fair price for food and lodging. Brunar seems to be ready to press on, but does seem to think the group should probably try to take a moment of rest, and discuss the plan for exploring the depths below the dwarven crypt.
Once again, all I can do is encourage the players of this game to try to talk to one another, ask each other questions, make statements about decisive actions, and engage the DM – it is stalled, and I know no one seems to like a dungeon that isn’t just kicking open doors and killing monsters and taking their loot. It’s your game
Yildiri takes a hard look into the deeper darkness and comes to the conclusion that she cannot tell if this way leads to another place, or if it is another dead end, like one they have already encounter. All that’s left to do is decide if they will take the risk of the passage the monster was fleeing from, or change directions and head after the fleeing monster.
down with bronchitis, but I hope to be back up and posting in a couple of days sorry for the delay
down with bronchitis, but I hope to be back up and posting in a couple of days Sorry for the delay
Yildiri suggests heading into the deeper darkness from where the monster seemed to be fleeing. Gwernach and Sasithorn, accustomed to various kinds of darkness, can tell that the passageway is like the others that have been encountered before. It either is a complete dead end allowing no passage or is a kind of portal that may result in the group becoming even more lost than they already are. Once Sasithorn and Gwernach reveal their hunch about the passageway, the party sands for another moment waiting to decide to take the chance or not
As the monster flees away from the party, Gwernach grumbles and Marvin speaks up, reassuring everyone they will keep a close eye on the rear to be sure the monster isn’t planning an ambush Then the group of four stand quietly for a moment while waiting to decide what to do next.
Brunar, Flint, and Kiril say goodbye to the kobold children and their teacher, and with the mysterious key in their possession head toward the main room of the Kobold Hovel, looking for Lorelei. They find the master of the hovel in the kitchen, just off the main hall, where she is directing a few other kobolds in clean up and restoration activities. Lorelei looks tired, but stands straight and tall, and when she sees the three of you approaching she rushes right up to Flint, throws her arms around his neck and kisses him on the cheek.
Onna shrugs at first, and then looks pensive as she scratches the back of her head, where her short reddish-brown hair grows thick, and then says I don’t know why you couldn’t keep the key with you if you intend to explore the level below the dwarven crypt, but I think you might want to speak to Lorelei before you go, and be sure, like, she isn’t aware of some seriously dangerous reasons not to go poking around down there. When she is escorted far enough back toward the central hovel area, where her classroom is located, she stops, and smiles at the three of you, and says, Thank you for saving all of us. That was something I will write about in our hovel records of seriously important events. I wish I could give you some sort of reward, but I don’t have much. If you stay in the hovel for a while, I could make you a spicy white potato pie, I’m famous for my recipe. Keep the key for now, but before you leave the hovel with it, be sure you talk to Lorelei.
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