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Way Of The Wicked

Dramatis Personae

Kelvin Dannister: human male evoker
Tardaesha Dannister: human female anti-paladin
Katarina Dannister: aasimar female rogue
Dakota Dannister: human female inquisitor of Asmodeus
Dorian "Dapper" Dannister: human male priest of Asmodeus
Lemmy Killmister: dwarf male geo-kineticist

ACT ONE: Prison Break!
18 Desnus, 4716

In the kingdom of Talingarde, many crimes may send an individual to Branderscar Prison, but the sentence has but one meaning: you are wicked and irredeemable. Each of the prisoners received the same greeting when they arrived. They were held down by rough hands and branded upon the arm with a runic F. The mark signified 'forsaken,' and the painful scar was indelible proof that each of them had betrayed the great and eternal love of Iomedae and her chosen mortal vassals.

Condemned, they faced, at best, a life of shackles and servitude in the nearby salt mines. Others might await the 'gentle' ministrations of the inquisitors so that co-conspirators may be revealed and confessions extracted. Perhaps, some of them would be spared this ordeal. Perhaps instead they had come to Branderscar to face the final judgement. In three days, the executioner would arrive and the axe would fall, or the pyre would be lit. Through fire or steel, their crimes would be answered.

The prisoners had all been chained together in the same communal cell, dressed in nothing but filthy, tattered rags. Manhandled and mistreated, any finery they once possessed was either ruined or long lost. No special treatment had been given to any of them, male or female, commoner or noble. All of the forsaken were bound and imprisoned together. Their feet were secured by iron cuffs tethered by one long chain. Their arms secured to the wall above by manacles. A guard was posted right outside the cell day and night. Little thought was given to long-term accommodations. At Branderscar, justice came swift and sure...

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"Idiots!" Kelvin sneered. "I'm related to a bunch of idiots!"
"Now, now, dear brother," Tardaesha purred, "don't be that way. Dakota and I were just protesting your unjust and wrongful arrest."
"By fornicating on the altar in the high temple of Iomedae!!??" Kelvin snapped, incredulous.
"What better way to make our point?" Dakota giggled.
The twins never ceased to amaze and infuriate Kelvin.
"And you!" Kelvin speared Katarina with his gaze. "What in the Hells were you thinking!?"
Katarina shrugged in her shackles.
"I actually thought I might talk them out of it before they got caught," she said, "but I was too late. The priest had already seen them."
"So you thought slitting his throat was the answer!!??" Kelvin spat.
"No witnesses," Katarina shrugged again.
"Except for the fact of a corpse laying in the middle of the sanctuary!" Kelvin shrieked.
"Dory was supposed to take care of that," Kat smiled.
"I did take care of it," Dorian said morosely.
"By burning down the temple!!" Kelvin was apoplectic. "You couldn't think of anything more subtle!?"
"Not at the time," Dorian replied.
"I thought you said this was the crew that was gonna bust you out," Lemmy interrupted.
"Who's the runt?" Dorian asked, frowning at the dwarf.
"A friend," Kelvin said. "He was arrested for treason...a respectable crime. I thought he might be of use when the rest of you came to get me out of this place. It seems my confidence was misplaced."
"Oh, you're always such an uptight sour puss," Tardaesha smirked at her older brother. "Don't blame us because your 'human cargo' business finally got busted."

At that moment, a group of six guards, heavily armed and ready for trouble, came into the cell led by a fat, well-dressed sergeant of the watch. All of the prisoners recognized Sergeant Tomas Blackerly, for it was he who had held the brand that marked each of them. He had laughed as their skin burned. At that moment, however, he seemed a little dazed. Dakota, who, as an inquisitor, had some familiarity with magic, recognized that look: that of someone under the effect of an enchantment.
Blackerly pointed towards Dorian and said gruffly, "You there! That's the scum! Get'im unshackled. If any of you makes trouble, they'll earn a thrashing! Today's your lucky day, scum. You've got a visitor. How you ever warranted such a fine lady is beyond me. Seems she wants to say good-bye. Now step lively. We wouldn't want to keep her waiting."

Dorian was released from his bindings and marched out of the cell. He looked back over his shoulder at his siblings and shrugged. He certainly wasn't expecting any visitors.

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Dorian was escorted roughly to a meeting room down the hall from the cell block and shoved into a chair. There, waiting for him, was a hauntingly beautiful woman in an elegant black dress and soft silken veil. She looked as if she might be headed to a funeral. Her hair was so platinum as to almost be white, and her eyes were a vibrant, almost unearthly green. She had clearly been weeping.
"Oh dearest," proclaimed the woman. "I'm so relieved you're alive!"
She quickly turned to Tomas.
"Could we please have a moment alone, good sir? For pity's sake?"
Tomas went blank for a bit and then quickly agreed.
"Of course, my lady," he replied. "For you, 'tis no problem."
No sooner had Blackerly and the guards left, than the woman's demeanor immediately changed. She dropped all pretense of grief or concern, instantly all business.
"Have you forgotten me, dearest?" she asked with a smirk. "Call me Tiadora. We possess a mutual friend who would like to meet you and your fellow cell-mates. Unfortunately, our friend is unwilling to visit you in your present rather shabby accommodations, so it seems you must escape. Don't be so dour. Just because it's never been done before is no reason you can't be the first. If you manage that, cross the moors on the outskirts of town. On the old Moor Road you'll see a manor house with a single lantern burning in the second story. There our mutual friend waits. That is all I know. He did want me to give you this."
She took off her silken veil and wiped away a few fake tears with it before handing it to Dorian.
"Something to remember me by, dearest."
Even though Dorian did not have a divine focus for his prayers, he could still summon up a little magic, and subtly did so, focusing on the veil. It had a magical aura about it. Transmutation if he wasn't mistaken. He accepted it without a word.

Her message delivered, she rose and the guards returned. Immediately, her demeanor once more changed and she was again a perfect picture of grief.
"No!" she wailed. "I can't bear to leave you!"
She gave Dorian a kiss on the cheek. It was ice-cold and felt somehow alien and inhuman. Tomas shook his head.
"I'm afraid it's time, miss."
She looked deep into Tomas' eyes and said, "Thank you for letting me say good-bye. There's no need to search my dearest. You are such a good friend for letting me see my dearest one more time."
"Such a good friend," Tomas repeated, his voice almost mechanical. Then the watch sergeant seemed to snap out of it and bowed politely.
"A pleasure, madam."
She left, unveiled. Her eyes met Dorian's one last time, and she briefly gave him a wicked smile.
'Three days,' her voice echoed in his head. 'Don't disappoint me, dearest.'
The visitation concluded, Dorian was taken back to his cell by a cadre of guards and shackled once more.

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"So?" Kelvin asked Dorian once the guards had left the cell block.
The young priest looked askance at the dwarf shackled at the end of the line before answering. When he did, he spoke in a strange, sibilant, hissing language.
"I'm going to use our 'family' tongue in the presence of strangers," he said.
"Are you sure the dwarf doesn't understand Shadowspeak?" Tardaesha asked. "He looks like a sneaky little bastard."
"He doesn't," Kelvin replied. "But just the same, Dory, keep your voice down."
"If you're going to refer to me by anything other than my given name," Dorian snapped, "then call me Dapper, not 'Dory.'"
Kelvin rolled his eyes. "Just get on with it."
"We apparently have an unknown benefactor," Dorian continued. "There was a woman who called herself Tiadora waiting for me. She said that her employer wants to meet us three days from now."
"That's going to be a little difficult in our current dilemma," Katarina said sarcastically. "And me without my lockpicks."
"I thought the same at first," Dorian smiled, "but she left us with a small gift."
He carefully worked his manacled hands until he'd pulled the veil free from where he'd been clutching it. It was made of fine silk, but upon closer inspection, several small patches of various shapes could be seen upon it. Two were shaped like daggers, one a lantern, another a coil of rope, one a sack, a set of lockpicks, a window, a flask, a stack of coins, and what was unmistakably the holy symbol of Asmodeus.
"Take it," Dorian said as he carefully passed it over to Katarina, who was bound next to him.
His sister did so.
"Now," Dorian instructed, "slowly peel off that patch that looks like your tools."
Katarina looked dubious, but she did what he said. No sooner had the patch come free than it transformed in her hand to an actual set of lockpicks. Kat looked at them, incredulous.
"Are these...real?" she asked.
"What do your hands and eyes tell you?" Dorian asked.
Kat passed the veil back to her brother, then her fingers went to work deftly with the picks. Within a matter of moments, she had both of her manacles loose. She grinned at her siblings as she freed her feet as well.
"Looks like we're in business, boys and girls!"

_______________________________________________________________________

Kat had all of the others, even Lemmy (against her better judgement, though Kelvin insisted), freed in no time. Then they set about examining the other patches on the veil. The twins, Tardaesha and Dakota each took one of the daggers, while Dorian took the symbol of Asmodeus, which transformed into a silver amulet that he placed around his neck. Kelvin peeled off the sack which, when he looked inside, he was delighted to find contained, not only fresh clothing for all of them, but also spell components. The other patches they left in place for the time being.

"Now what?" Dakota asked. "We get to kill everyone, right?? Especially that fat whoreson Blackerly?"
"Perhaps," Kelvin said, pensively, "but we need to have a plan. We are only sparsely armed, and we are easily outnumbered five-to-one by armored guards, not to mention the warden. Personally, I would first like to find out just who, or what, they are keeping in there."
He pointed down to the far end of the cell block where, unlike the other cells, which were all open-barred affairs, there was a single, stone-walled cell with a heavy iron door. Since their incarceration, the prisoners had only ever seen the guards peer in the cell through a slit in the door, and pass food through via a slot near the floor.
"Let's find out," Katarina said.
She fairly skipped down the hall to the iron door and peered inside.
"Whoa!" she exclaimed in a loud whisper.
"What?" Kelvin asked. "What do you see?"
"Come take a look for yourself," Kat beckoned.
Kelvin moved up next to her and looked through the slot. What he saw took him aback. The individual chained to the wall within was easily over eight-feet tall, and heavily muscled. His brow was sloped, and his jaw undershot, with two small tusks protruding past his lower lip.
"An ogre," Kelvin said, almost to himself. "This could prove very useful indeed."

"Open the door," Kelvin told his sister after a moment's consideration. "I have an idea."
Kat had no trouble with the door lock, and when the door opened, the ogre glanced up wearily.
"More little'uns," he sighed.
"Yes," Kelvin said, smiling pleasantly as he stepped inside, "but not the same as those who've been tormenting you. You see, we too have been victims of the cruelty of your jailers, and we would like to offer you an opportunity to take revenge upon them. Would you like that?"
"Grumblejack hurt," the ogre rumbled. "Grumblejack sick." He clutched at his belly.
Kelvin glanced back at Dorian, who'd joined them. The priest walked over to the ogre and looked closely at him.
"He has several non-life-threatening injuries," the priest said, "and it could be that he's been poisoned. I can't do anything about that, but I may have something for his wounds."
Dorian pulled out the veil again, and pulled off the patch that looked like a flask. When it transformed in his hand, he pulled the stopper and sniffed at it.
"As I thought," he nodded. "A healing elixir. Drink this." He offered it to the ogre.
Grumblejack complied. Immediately, several of his cuts began to close, and bruises faded. His eyes grew wise in amazement.
"Magic!" he exclaimed. "Little'uns knows magic!"
"Yes," Kelvin agreed. "We are very powerful, and we will use our magic to help you kill the guards. Will you help us?"
Grumblejack nodded, and Kat set about releasing his bonds. He stretched mightily, and then stepped carefully out of his cell, peering around cautiously. His eyes came to rest on Tardaesha.
"Hiya handsome," she winked.
"You pretty," Grumblejack grinned.
"You're not blind," the anti-paladin smiled coyly at him. "Tell you what. You head through that door down there and smash whomever you find on the other side, and I will be all yours."
Grumblejack actually began to drool. "Promise?"
"Cross my heart," Tardaesha said, making the motion across her ample bosom. "We'll be right behind you."

___________________________________________________________________

No sooner had Grumblejack set off down the hall at a trot, than Tardaesha turned and signaled to her twin. Dakota nodded back and blew her a kiss, then darted into the ogre's cell.
"Now," she whispered to Dorian in Shadowspeak. "The window!"
Dorian held the veil and pulled off the window-shaped patch, which he quickly pressed against the wall. Instantly, the fabric transformed into a transparent pane of glass looking out on the courtyard below that surrounded the prison's main hall. Dakota then removed the rope patch from the veil, and when it turned into a coil of hemp, she secured one end of it to the shackles on the wall before throwing open the window and tossing the rest outside.
"Let's go!" she called to the others.

At the other end of the cell block, Grumblejack, images of Tardaesha dancing through his head, threw open the heavy door, startling the two guards who stood on the other side.
" 'Ere now!" one of them shouted. "What're you doin' outta your cell?"
In answer, Grumblejack swung one mighty fist and drove the man into a wall. In a panic, the second guard raised a horn to his lips and sounded the alarm.

"Faster!" Katarina hissed, hurrying her siblings and the dwarf into the ogre's cell.
Once the last of them was in, she closed the door and jammed the lock. Kelvin stood by the window and looked down at the ground twenty-feet below.
"Wait," he cautioned.
His eyelids fluttered as he began mumbling an arcane recitation. From the grass below, a thick mist began to rise, until it billowed up almost to the height of the window.
Now!" Kelvin commanded.
One-by-one, the others gripped the rope and slid down into the fog.

Back in the guard room, the two jailers cautiously circled Grumblejack, taking turns darting in and then springing away. The ogre swung haymakers at them, but more often than not they managed to dodge aside or the blows deflected harmlessly off of their chain shirts. Grumblejack had no such protection, and the cuts and slashes from the swords of the guardsmen began to take their toll. He stepped towards one of his attackers, but stumbled, light-headed at the last moment. The guard lunged forward and drove the point of his sword straight through the ogre's throat. With a gurgle and a sigh, Grumblejack collapsed to the floor.

_____________________________________________________________________

Katarina was the last one out. She heard the shouts of the guards approaching the cell. She quickly untied the rope and tossed the loose end through the window. She then took one step back, and leaped forward, sailing out into open air. She somersaulted in mid-fall, landed lightly on her feet in a crouch, and allowed her momentum to carry her forward into a tuck and roll.
"Not bad, darlin'," Lemmy nodded, a leer on his rugged face. "Yer pretty....flexible."
In a flash, the end of one of Kat's picks was in her hand and at the dwarf's throat.
"Don't mistake me for my sisters, you little pervert," she hissed. "Keep your hands and your eyes to yourself if you value them."
She flicked her pick back into her belt and darted off into the mist.
"Saucy!" Lemmy grinned. "Just how I like'em!"

The prisoners had emerged on one side of the castle. Some thirty feet away were the battlements and the door to one of the guard towers. As quickly and quietly as possible, they ran, crouched low to the ground, and made for the tower. Unfortunately, the last dozen feet or so of their route took them beyond Kelvin's obscuring mist. Katrina had just reached the tower door, and was relieved to find it unlocked, when a beam of lantern light stabbed down from the wall above.
"Halt!" a voice called down to where Kelvin stood pinned by the light.
"Keep moving!" Katarina shouted at her brother.
Kelvin didn't hesitate. He ran in a serpentine pattern, anticipating arrows flying at him, until he reached the shelter of the tower. The others were already inside, and Kat slammed the door behind him. The interior of the tower was hollow and empty, with only a spiral staircase leading up to a rickety landing. Kat led the way up the stairs. At the landing, two doors stood, leading out to the battlements on either side. The stairs continued up to the roof, but Katarina chose the door opposite to the battlements where they'd seen the guards. They emerged atop the wall, where a strong wind howled and whipped at their thin garments.
"The rope!" Kat shouted. "Bring it! We're going over the wall!"
Dorian ran to her side, the rope coiled around one arm. He was in the process of handing it to his sister when he happened to glance over the far side of the battlements, and stopped short. Some sixty-feet below were masses of jagged rocks, lashed by the pounding surf of the ocean that surrounded the small peninsula upon which Branderscar prison sat. Somewhere in the distance, but getting closer, an alarm horn sounded.
"What now, genius?" Dorian asked.

Dramatis Personae:

Boris Ushki (goblin rogue): found as an infant during the late unpleasantness involving the Rise of the Runelords, Boris was taken in and raised by the Desnan priestess Koya Mvashti. He has served in her household as a cook ever since

Mazael Cravenlock (aasimar warpriest of Desna): working as a sometime caravan guard, he befriended Koya on his numerous trips through Sandpoint due to their shared religious beliefs

Haroldo Seigfreid (human bloodrager): the blacksheep outcast in a family of sorcerers due to his limited magical ability, he harbors a thus-far unrequited affection for Ameiko Kaijitsu

Yannus Vhiski (human cleric/evangelist of Shelyn): the younger brother of Sandru Vhiski, and adoptive son of Koya, he is recently returned from a military campaign at the World Wound, andi currently pondering his next step

Koman Locke (human slayer/vanguard): another adoptive son of Koya, he was found in with an Ulfen raiding party defeated by Sandpoint guardsmen.

Piotr Satarma (human void-touched sorcerer): son of a wealthy merchant who died at the hands of goblins, he is trying to rebuild his family business, and also courts the affections of Ameiko

Lucian (half-elf wood oracle): a young protege of the elven ranger Shalelu Adrosana, he seeks to prove himself worthy of his teacher's favor

Welcome back! I've been on a little hiatus, but the itch must once more be scratched. Our group is currently concluding our Coucil of Thieves campaign, and will be beginning Kingmaker in the next 3-4 weeks. In the mean time, I'm going to be posting background bios on the PC's as they become available. Enjoy!!
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The Brazi family has existed for generations in the city of New Stetven. Long ago Niko Brazi migrated from the River Kingdoms back when our family was little more than traveling brigands and bandits. He united his immediate family and extended relatives and moved to New Stetven to start a new life, one not only more profitable but more civilized. Over the years, my family was able to establish itself in many trades, but what we excelled at was the spy network. While we have not existed as long as our rivals House Surtova, we have been able to cut our own space into the country of Brevoy by serving House Lebeda and House Rogarvia.

I am Luka Brazi, second son of Antonio Brazi, the current head of the Family. Word has come down the line that the Sword Lords are looking to expand into the Stolen Lands, but aren’t willing to put forth their own direct resources towards that claim. That is where I come in. Father, deciding it best not to send his first son out, as he would soon be taking his place as head of the Family, decided it was best to send me. His intent is to establish a strong holding in the new found kingdom, one that might one day rival even House Surtova in its influence..and in my Family you do what father "requests".

So with that, I have set out into the Stolen Lands to break new ground and establish a foothold for my Family, or die trying.

THE EDGE OF ANARCHY

“I know what Gaedren has done to you. He has wronged me as well. I know where he dwells, yet cannot strike at him. Come to my home at 3 Lancet Street at sunset. Others like you will be there. Gaedren must face his fate, and justice must be done.”

A simple note, printed on the back of a Harrow card, yet it was the beginning of a series of events that would change the history of the city of Korvosa, and of Varisia itself. Six disparate souls found the cards in widely disparate locations: one while he rummaged through a trash bin in search of his latest meal; another hidden within her own Harrow deck; a third slipped into the straps of his shield; within the secret notes he studied in hopes of fulfilling his dream to become a mage; in his coin purse, which also served as the symbol of his god; and in the bottom of a hookah pipe, reminding him of a past he thought he’d escaped.

One-by-one they answered the call, unable to do otherwise. Their pasts demanded blood for blood. They gathered at the small fortune teller’s shop in the midtown district of Korvosa, their hostess not present as they began to file in. Two knew each other, for they had shared the same unhappy childhood at the hands of Gaedren Lamm, yet their lives had taken very different paths when they had finally won their freedom, and they simply stared at each other across the tiny sitting room, unsure of what to say. Likewise, the others had little to say, unsure of the motives of their fellow guests. They waited, and soon their hostess appeared, a handsome Varisian woman named Zellara. She made no introductions, but simply thanked her guests for coming and proceeded to tell them her tale. Gaedren Lamm had stolen her most valued possession from her: her mother’s Harrow deck. Her son went to Lamm to retrieve the deck, and was killed by the crime lord outright. Zellara found no help from law enforcement, and so relied on her own wits and skill with the Harrow. In time, she discovered one of Gaedren’s many hideouts, and discovered the names of others who harbored grudges against him as well. Thus her divinations had led her to call those before her, and to appeal to them for their aid in seeking vengeance against a common devil. There was no hesitation among those gathered in accepting her request. She thanked them, and before they left, she read the fortunes of each in the cards. All told a similar tale…a coming time of unrest and violence in the streets, and the role each of them would play as heroes to the city in its hour of greatest need.
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The old fishery that served as Gaedren Lamm’s current hideout had stood abandoned after its former owner was killed by a devilfish. Under Korvosan law, buildings abandoned under such circumstances automatically reverted to the city, to be held in escrow for two years. Even after this period, however, the local government was slow to handle such matters, and Gaedren often used this to his advantage, setting up shop in a previously abandoned shop for as long as possible before moving on to the next. Not only was the fishery a convenient headquarters, but it also served as a money-making scheme to supplement what was brought in by his pick-pocketing ‘Little Lambs.’ It was a place where desperate fishermen could sell of their less fetching catches, and where fishmongers could dump their old sun-tainted wares. Lamm’s workforce of enslaved orphans toiled among the guts and slime, creating a foul-smelling slurry that could be resold as bait, fertilizer, or the main ingredient for ‘fish dumplings,’ a local favorite among the poorer dock workers who couldn’t afford a fresh filet of fish.

Zellara’s enforcers made their way along the wharfs from her shop to the fishery, exchanging superficial courtesies along the way, but each harboring suspicions and misgivings about the motivations of his or her companions. By the time they arrived, it was well after sunset, and the building was closed up for the night. This did not deter them. Some of them had waited most of their lives for that moment, while others for a far shorter time, but they all had one thing in common: their desire to see Gaedren Lamm pay for his crimes was all-consuming. Without hesitation, the big warrior called Herc used his shield to batter in the front door. In the front room beyond, they surprised a very startled-looking, sour-faced man, dressed in out-of-date finery. He was speaking with a small boy, and slowly rising to its feet, a deep snarl in its throat, was a powerfully-built cur. Ratbone and Valeris instantly recognized the man: Yargin Balkro, Gaedren’s right-hand man and longest-lived accomplice. Both of them had suffered greatly at his hands during their time of indentured servitude, and those old memories left them in no mood to act with diplomacy. Growling low, Ratbone stalked forward in his mongrel form, his eyes not on the other dog, but on Yargin’s throat. He paused barely three steps into the room, however, as he recognized a familiar scent. Turning, he sniffed the air and for the first time, got a really good look at the boy. It was then that he realized it was not a boy that he was seeing, but instead it was a gnome disguised as a human child. This then was Hookshanks Gruller, Gaedren’s overseer and taskmaster, a cruel creature who took great delight in bullying those who were even smaller than himself. A fresh surge of anger coursed through Ratbone, and he lunged at Yargin, taking the man down in a flurry of snapping jaws and flashing teeth. When Yargin’s dog, Boo rushed for Ratbone’s flank, Herc stepped in, killing the mangy mongrel with one blow. Hookshanks began edging towards the door, begging the ‘grown-ups’ to save him. Before he could make the door, however, Ratbone was on him, much to the shock and horror of his companions, who thought the half-orc had gone insane with bloodlust, attacking a child like that. It was only after the gnome lay motionless on the floor and Ratbone, reverting to his normal form, showed them the nature of the disguise, that they understood and calmed themselves.

Despite Ratbone’s vicious attacks, Yargin and Hookshanks still drew breath, though Valeris was eager to remedy that situation. Mandrake, however, insisted that they be kept alive and taken to the proper authorities for justice. Reluctantly, the others agreed and the pair were bound and gagged and left in the room while the avengers moved deeper into the fishery. They encountered no one else until they came through a door onto a platform overlooking the fishery floor. There, over two-dozen grimy, wide-eyed children cowered among the catwalk supports as a burly half-orc railed at them and beat them with a heavy-wooden flail, ordering them to kill the trespassers, all while he giggled maniacally. Valeris and Ratbone recognized yet another of Gaedren’s cronies: Mr. Giggles, a border-line insane brute who helped Hookshanks squeeze every minute of work they could from the orphans. Terrified as they obviously were of the half-orc, the children did not move to obey his maddened commands, which only enraged him further. As he raised his flail to strike again, however, Valeris and Ratbone were upon him, and this time, they were more thorough in their tactics, and Mr. Giggles did not rise from the widening pool of blood that surrounded him. Afterwards, Mandrake told the children to flee, and they didn’t hesitate, running like rats from a sinking ship. Several of them paused, however, as they passed the tied up pair in the front room. Katarina, who had silently followed the children to make sure they made good their escape, was the only one to bear witness as they drew small knives from their tunics and quickly slit the throats of Yargin and Hookshanks.
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Moored to the pier behind the fishery, was the rotten hulk of an ancient barge called Kraken’s Folly. When the six companions found no trace of Gaedren within the fishery itself, they made their way to the boat. Within its dilapidated hulk, they found only a small colony of spiders the size of large cats. Once they had dealt with the vermin, however, Ratbone’s sharp eyes picked out a well-hidden door in the side of the hull. Upon opening it, they found a floating underpier beneath the main pier above. It lead to a lower level of the fishery that was not visible from street level. Within, they found a large, low-ceilinged, open area, with a sizeable hole in the floor overlooking the stinking river below. Standing on the far side of this room was Gaedren Lamm himself. He was a jaundiced, bent corpse of a man, his eyes yellowed and his skin speckled from age. His left leg carried a pronounced limp as he shuffled about, and he wore only a gray, cotton robe. When he saw the intruders, he merely sneered, for he recognized each one of them and knew why they had come. He taunted them each, cruelly and without mercy. He spoke of Ratbone and how he should have fed him to the sharks when he’d first found the half-breed. Valeris, his most promising pupil, was an ingrate in his eyes and deserved to have been left in a garbage bin. Herc, he told laughingly, was too late to save his charge. The boy, according to Lamm, had died just the day before. Mandrake and Katarina he chided for their choices of weak-willed family and lovers, so easily swayed by the offer of a little shiver. And speaking of shiver, he held a small vile out towards O’reginald, tempting the former addict with a bit of hair of the dog. Lastly, he spoke of Zellara, telling them he knew that she’d sent them, then remarking on her beauty and saying how he couldn’t bear to feed her to his ‘pet.’ He went on to say that she was in the next room if they wanted to see her, bringing looks of puzzlement and concern to their faces. No words were spoken as they fanned out around the hole in the floor, coming at Lamm from both flanks. Before they could reach him, however, a large crocodile lunged, roaring and snapping out of the river. This was Gobblegut, Gaedren’s pet, to whom he’d fed any number of his enemies and charges who’d displeased him. Still, such was the pent up rage and frustration of those assembled, that Valeris slew the croc single-handedly, while Ratbone tore out Gaedren’s throat himself.

Strangely, Gaedren’s death brought no satisfaction, and his final taunt weighed heavily on the minds of the six. When they entered the small office off the main chamber, they discovered amid the filth and refuse a strongbox, and a small, wooden hatbox surrounded by a cloud of flies. Within the strongbox was an assortment of Gaedren’s more prized acquisitions. Most of these were minor trinkets of small value, but one was an exquisitely-crafted brooch depicting a pseudodragon and an imp coiled around each other. The dragon’s eye was an amethyst, while the imp’s was an emerald. It’s value was incalculable, yet even more shocking was the marking on its back…the personal insignia of Queen Ileosa herself!
A larger, and more horrifying shock, however, still lay within the hatbox. When Katarina cautiously lifted the lid, she gasped as she saw the severed head of Zellara nestled within. It was poorly preserved and decorated with unsightly makeup in a crude attempt to give its sagging flesh the semblance of life. Beneath the ragged stump of the neck, lay the fortune teller’s Harrow deck.
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The would-be heroes made their quickly back to Zellara’s shop, but when they arrived there, they found it abandoned, looking as if it had been so for weeks. No sign of food, wall hangings, rugs or Zellara herself could be found, and the furniture was smashed to pieces. No sooner had they entered, however, than Katarina felt a strange warmth emanating from her pocket. When she reached in and withdrew Zellara’s Harrow deck, she saw that it was glowing with a pale, silvery light. The glow grew until it formed the outline of a woman, Zellara, looking ghostly and translucent. She apologized for having deceived them, but explained that when she had gone after Gaedren, seeking revenge for her son’s death, she had only found her own doom there. Such was her desire for vengeance, however, that her spirit had lived on and contacted each of them. She thanked them for giving her peace, and explained that she now bequeathed her most prized possession, her deck, to them. She explained that, through it, she could continue to offer them her guidance and her wisdom. They had only to call.

When they emerged once more from Zellara’s shop, it became immediately apparent that something terrible had happened. Korvosa was in flames. Smoke rose on the horizon. The frantic clang of alarm bells sang out in harmony with a multifarious cacophony of screams, the clash of steel on steel, moans, and even the periodic detonation of arcane power. A wing of Sable Company griffon riders swooped overhead, angling toward Castle Korvosa at a breakneck pace. One of the badly wounded mounts rained blood down on the street around them before it succumbed and crashed headlong into a statue, taking its rider and itself to a bone-crunching demise. The others in the flight did not pause to check on their fallen ally. Amid the chaos, the voice of a Korvosan herald cut through the din: “The king is dead! Long live the queen!” only to be shouted down by the ragged cries of “Hang the queen!” and “The usurper whore must die!” Through an alleyway, they even spotted a contingent of hellknights clad in dark iron armor and horned helms pursuing a small gang of what appeared to be looters. The city had gone mad while the heroes had battled Gaedren in his lair.

These questions may already have been asked and answered, but I can't seem to find the info.

First, how many war ape brutes are with Ulu-Thurg?

Second, what is the Badge of Passage that Ulu-Thurg carries? The text references the appendix, but I can't find an entry for it there.

This may have already been answered, so you'll have to forgive me, but I note that in City of Broken Idols, the "Advanced Elite Wastrilith Demon" is listed as a CR 15. In the Fiend Folio, however, the plain old run-of-the-mill wastrilith is a CR 17! Can anyone explain the discrepancy to me?

So I started reading Into the Maw, which is a great adventure by the way, but I have a few questions. In area 16, it says that opening the door to the room alerts the two filth demon sentries in area 19. The only problem is there are no such sentries listed in area 19. Which brings up a second point: how are the doors to areas 16 and 17 supposed to be reached if they're 20' above the floor of area 19? I don't see stairs on the map. I suppose PC's could fly, but the description for area 16 specifically says any creature STANDING outside the door when it is opened takes acid damage. Should this be changed to any creature outside the door, or below it? Finally (so far), in area 20, the description speaks of a slippery staircase, but no such stair is illustrated on the map.

Can anyone tell me what the Cursed Wound ability of the Obah-blessed clay golems does? Is this unique to obah-blessed, or is this a clay golem ability?

I've read thru the adventure once, and one problem jumped out at me. Aren't Kulas' "pets" susceptible to his gaze attacks? Are they just supposed to stay thirty feet away, or are they constantly averting their gaze?

I've noticed in both Sea Wyvern's Wake and Here There Be Monsters, that the Scaling the Adventure sidebars are missing. Is this on purpose? If not, can some general advice be given?

Is it at all possible that we might be seeing some old friends from the original Bastion of Broken Souls AP, such as Nurn or the Cathazar? Both of these epic baddies were tight with Demogorgon, as I recall.

First of all, if any of my players are reading this...stop now!!!

Now, as I'm reading some of Kyuss' spells, I notice that he has Gate. At his level, he could Gate in a creature of 40 HD or less, so, what is to stop him from Gateing in an epic creature like an Infernal (which can in turn immediately summon 4 pit fiends or balors), or a Phane (which can summon a past-time duplicate of one of the PC's)? I mean, Kyuss by himself is powerful enough. Throw in another epic level creature, and it smells like TPK to me.

I am about to start running STAP, and I'm trying to come up with a mechanic to deal with low-level PC death. In other campaigns I've run, rarely do the PC's who start out the adventure finish it. Usually each player goes through two or three characters. I would like to find some way to keep players playing the same PC without having to spend lots of gold or experience level loss. One think I was thinking of was that if a PC died, they would be out of commission for that "game" day, and when they revived, they would lose enough xp to put them back at the beginning of their current level. The problem is, what if that's where they are already, or what if they are first level? Any thoughts?

Can anyone provide me with the high points of this template? I don't have access to the issue of Dungeon in which it was originally posted.

Can anyone tell me if there is a forum for buying/selling/trading minis?

I DM a long-running FR campaign in the Birmingham area. We are looking for one or two new players. Experience, maturity and reliability a must. Check out our groups adventures...

http://www.enworld.org/showthread.php?t=161499&page=1

Any word from the staff on the ETA for issues 134/135 supplements?

I would just like to say that I DM the biggest group of munchkin min/maxers you've ever come across, and it has truly amazed me throughout the Age of Worms adventure path how many times you, James Jacobs, and you, Eric Boyd, along with your fellow Legion of Doomers, have been roundly cursed at my gaming table by said twinks. Keep up the good work!

Just wanted to post a brief note of thanks to you guys for not only getting the 132 online supplement up, but 133 as well! Nice Surprise!

I thought I might start a thread to hear some amusing stories about PC's adventures in Alhaster. At our last gaming session, our group (after three sessions in Alhaster) finally obtained invites to the gala. The group had split up to do a few things around town, and two of them, an elan psion and a dwarf ranger/deep delver/tempest were relaxing at the Ogre's Hideout when they were approached by B'kruss. Words were exchanged, and ultimately the hobgoblin challenged the dwarf to a hog wrestling contest. B'kruss pinned the dire boar in 5 rounds, and then it was the dwarf's turn. The dwarf managed to grapple the boar in the first round, and then...the psion Ego Whipped the boar, dropping its charisma to zero. The boar then went comatose, curling into a fetal position. The dwarf continued to act as if the boar was giving him a rough time, jerking it this way and that, and holding his 'pin' for three rounds, ultimately beating B'kruss' time by one round.

Just wondering how other FR DM's are altering the Overgod to reflect aspects of the Dead Three. My thoughts were to give it a skull-like head for Bhaal, and skeletal hands for Myrkul. Not sure what to do about Bane and the six arms. Any thoughts?

Someone had to do it, so it might as well be me. I very much appreciate the back-to-back supplements that were recently released, but I was wondering if there might be a rough estimate as to the release dates for the next three. I'm running AoW in Forgotten Realms, and our group is just about to finish up Spire of Long Shadows. With Prince of Redhand, Library of Last Resort and Kings of the Rift, it seems there will be quite alot to change in the details for FR.

Thanks!

The group I'm DM'ing just encountered Kelvos and his minions, and it was at about the mid-point of the battle that I discovered two vital errors.

First, under Kelvos' speed, it lists fly 150 ft (perfect). What it fails to mention anywhere in his description is that only applies when he is in globe form. In fact, nowhere in the description is there anything about alternate form or the light ray ability, so anyone not intimately familiar with ghaele eladrins would assume Kelvos can simply fly. In orb form, he cannot use his clerical spells, only spell-like abilities.

Second, Kelvos has the spells Blashphemy and Unholy Blight. In the Monster Manual, it states that if a creature has the Good sub-type, even if the creature is evil, it suffers the full effects of alignment-based spells. So, why would Kelvos have two spells that would affect both himself and his archon minions?

My solution for the first problem was to substitue Air Walk for Restoration as one of 4th level spells. I would also suggest using his Death domain ability at 4th level rather than his Evil one, and choosing another 7th level spell in place of Blasphemy.

Just finished reading this adventure and noticed that the Scaleing sidebar is missing. For the editorial staff...any way to get this?

In Gathering of Winds, the shadow spider Flycatcher is supposed to use hit and run tacticts against the PC's in order to kidnap one of them. The problem is this: shadow walk does not allow you to simply appear next to someone. In reality, you appear several hundred feet away from where you are trying to go. Also, it only works in shadowy illumination, so if the party even has a torch, much less a more powerful light spell, Flycatcher can't shadow walk within twenty feet of them. Am I missing something here? This seems to make him a pretty ineffective adversary, and will reduce him to simply lumbering out to melee with the group when they find his lair.

Just a brief rant about some of the new magic items in DMGII, and how they have affected my AoW game so far. Specifically, I'm speaking of surge weapons, notably stunning surge. For those of you not familiar, these are weapon upgrades that can be purchased for 2000 gp each (NOT +1 weapon equivalent), and can be used as a swift action AFTER you hit, up to a number of times per day equal to CHA modifier. The paladin in our group has a +1 holy surge/electrical surge/stunning surge weapon...total cost...8000 gp. He can use each ability 5 times per day (CHA 20. With stunning surge, after he hits, his target must make a REFLEX(!) save with a DC 10+half level+ CHA mod...in this case...19.

Here's an example of how it has affected our game...Champion's Belt...Fighting Bozal Zahol. The priest got off exactly one offensive spell before the palading stuck him (anti-life shell had been dispelled). With his whopping +3 Ref save, he of course failed his save, stunned for four rounds...battle over.

Next example...Froghemoth. Paladin goes before Froghemoth...stab...+7 Ref save...fails...stunned for four rounds...combat over with major baddie never even striking a blow.

Opinions?

I'll pose the first question here...in the true tomb it states that when the Seal of Law is placed into the niche on pillar F, the pillar begins rising until it reaches a point ten feet below the ceiling, at which point anyone atop the pillar is lifted thru an illusory wall. Is this confusing to anyone else? Is the illusory wall there already, or does it not appear until the Seal is placed? Why does the pillar stop ten feet below this wall?

My group just started HoHR this past weekend, and it's pandemonium already! I went for option #3 in the Body Thief scenario, and enlisted on of the PC's ahead time, in this case, a Paladin of Helm.

During the bar encounter, things did not go according to plan: the party rogue was wont to go out carousing at night, and not return until morning. Well, on this night, shortly after he left, the second doppelganger walked back in disguised as the rogue and promptly stabbed the innkeeper. He then tried to run for it, but the PC's were too quick, and ultimately cornered him. He surrendered, at which point the city watch showed up and arrested him, thinking they were actually arresting the party rogue. During the night, the doppelganger was freed from jail by his cronies in the city watch.
The next morning, when the real rogue returned, the other PC's told him what had happened, then took him down to the jail house to show that he was set up. Imagine their surprise when they were told the prisoner escaped last night, and it was good of him to show up and turn himself in again. So...now the real rogue gets arrested. Well, this time the party "paladin" volunteers to stay in the jail house with the rogue until his name can be cleared. Lo and behold, another contingent of doppelganger guards shows up the next night for a "prisoner transfer." The rogue is blind-folded, and then the "paladin" voices his objections to the transefer, to no avail. Long story short, the rogue gets taken to Sodden Hold. The PC's are now there, having taken the key off of the original doppelganger, but they still have no idea of the traitor in their midst. Meanwhile, as far as the city watch is concerned, the rogue, an attempted murderer, has now escaped custody twice, and a massive man hunt is under way. Fun, fun!!

Is it just me, or are the wind warriors in the true tomb a TPK waiting to happen? What is to prevent them from just hovering over party members 20 feet, and blasting them with sonic attacks every round until they are dead? Most third level PC's will have no means of flying, and peppering them with arrows or Magic Missiles is chancy, considering they don't have to roll to hit, and can do 2d6 per round.

My solution was to treat their sonic attacks like breath weapons, ie, they could only be used every d4 rounds. Also, one of the PC's in our group is an aasimar, who took the feat celestial wings, and could thus fly (though he was the first to fall in the combat).

Just wondering...

This is mainly directed to Erik, but I would welcome any other input. I think the group that I DM may have stumbled upon an unexptected easter egg. In room 23, the one where Alastor is encountered, the floor is filled with "softball sized" iron balls. Iron balls...in a mining town dependent on iron ore. My group, which includes an engineer, figured this out. The room is 20 feet wide, by 50 feet long, and is filled to a depth of 15 feet with the balls (as indicated by the room's side view). Now, assuming approximately four of these balls could fit in 1 cubic foot, that would make a total of around 960,000 of them. We estimated each would way in the neighborhood of 10 pounds. In the PHB, it states that one pound is iron is worth 1 sp. So, that would make one of these balls worth 1 gp, or, in total, the whole horde is worth 960,000 gp. My group is wondering if this means a new group of mine managers has just entered the scene, dealing in pre-smelted iron balls. I'm sure this was not intended in the module, but it has left a very interesting door open.