Hi, guys. To all my games: sorry I've been such a butt lately.
Basically, I was away from the internet for a while, but before and after that, I've been writing so much for work that PbP just felt like a chore. And I've come to realize that while I love my job, right now it's just not leaving me the time and creative energy I need forPbP, so, while I've sort of been sliding down that slope for a while, I figured I should actually tell all my games that I've gotta drop out.
Sorry to disappoint and potentially leave a bunch of people hanging at the end there, and I hope I was generally fun.
The urdefhan are eager to fire at anything that moves, including the breeze—since the Black Desert, in its cold underground cavern, is not known for its wind. Still, with his excellent eyes, he gets a good distant look at the war camp while staying unnoticed. There are a few ragged lean-tos set up from the rubble atop the pyramid, and perhaps two dozen heavily-armed urdefhans and half as many armored undead mobat mounts.
A line of catapults have been set up on a lower level of the ruined pyramid, but these appear to have been mostly abandoned.
Drisquar makes it relatively easily across the Black Desert--very few things, after all, can stop the wind.
The city of Shraen is an ancient ruin, built in the style of Old Osirion--small temples and obelisks form a civic center milling with zombies, chained Duergar, and the occasional Drow vampire or lich, perhaps a hundred or so working outside. Around this, high walls rising halfway to the cavern roof seal the city off, their gates barricaded with stone rubble. Skeleton-operated ballistae sit along the walls at regular intervals, poised and ready to shoot down any urdefhan mobats that might try to fly over the walls.
Beyond the walls sit ruined sand gardens and apartments. Perhaps half a mile out, in various directions, sit three shattered pyramids, each playing host to an encampment of Urdefhan veterans--while a few halfheartedly shoot arrows towards the city, none seem to notice the scouts flying overhead.
* * *
Purple worms are not skilled jumpers--several lunge upwards, attempting to prey on the flying caravan, but none come close to Illia- or the other flying party members. Of course, Drisquar and Meredian get to the city when you're only a fraction of the way there...
Okay! Computer fixed (it only took about two weeks but I had work to catch up on after).
The Black Desert is reasonably high-ceilinged as a cavern, and you've already heard that it's infested with purple worms. Do people want to fly near the cavern ceiling?
Update: computer has been broken for a week, power button is malfunctioning such that the computer shuts down after 30 seconds of use. I'll be offline for a few more days, unless I can continue to sneak in PbP time at work...
Hey guys, I'm going to be at an astrobiology conference until friday and can't bring my portable keyboard with me (laptop keyboard is functioning only intermittently, which is why I've been having trouble this past week). Will try to update things when I get back.
The party arrives, without much fanfare, on the edge of the Black Desert. Ahead of you stretches a massive cavern, pitch darkness save the glowing green specks of poisonous Blightburn crystals in the distant ceiling. Below your feet, a sea of black sand, the grains sharp and coarse. For anyone who's never visited the Vaults of Orv before, the sheer size of the empty blackness might have been hard to imagine just a moment ago.
The Black Desert is... big. Closest boundary to Shraen you can actually teleport into (their location/boundaries aren't actually a secret!) is gonna be about 300 miles away, though yeah Dris could wind walk everyone there quickly.
Okay, still trying to figure this out (and distracted! I'm traveling to a conference or vacation something else every other week from the beginning of march until the end of may).
Where is the party going next? I think it makes the most sense to keep everyone together in order to keep momentum.
Hmm. SoP has a TON of caster level boosters, but most are sphere-specific (such as staves). The best workaround I can think of is keeping your offensive effects to 1-2 spheres, or getting a sphere effect that hits spell resistance. Casting Traditions can be powerufl too, but it's more of a game-start thing.
"So, with all politeness," Nyrinda begins, "That does not actually answer any of my questions. Should I return home, and inform my sisters that we have an agreement, or is there more to discuss?"
"So," Nyrinda attempts to conclude things. "You have already provided clever advice. Let us say that House Shraen owes Escarra a small favor, but a favor nonetheless. If you can find a way to restore our trade in the coming weeks or months, we will allow the merchants of Escarra to collect a ten percent tariff on any such trade. And I will, of course, mention none of this within earshot of Nektoria's spies. Do we have an agreement?"
Oh, also Atheos was once invited to another god's birthday party, and he showed up an hour late with a Sphere of Annihilation as his "date". When asked why, he replied "it's a dangerous object of great power beyond its intelligence, that only consumes what it touches without truly understanding, yet when it meddles in the affairs of mortals it is both destructive and unstoppable, just like the rest of you."
Nobody really seems to get along with Atheos except the extremely lawful or extremely chaotic gods.
I believe that's correct about what cohorts are getting, though they also get their standard WBL. Anaxian is the one who used his cohort the most and probably remembers what rules I used for that.
@Astral projection: Astral projection isn't a teleportation effect, and neither is shadow walk. Blightburn crystals (found in the black desert) block all spells with the teleportation subtype. Ergo, they can astral project and shadow walk—but a well-constructed wall on the shadow plane, which could be constructed by one plane shifter with a lyre of building (so long as they had the approval of the locals) can shut down shadow plane.
Astral projection is much harder to stop, which is why the vampire uses it. Previously, none of the illustrious and ancient drow had thought about astral projecting their "servants" as a blood source, but the mechanics check out. Sure, "willing" is a requirement, but when a bunch of liches and vampires hold a magic knife to your face and say "astral project with us our else," you go along with it.
@Shimsil: Yeah, that's fine.
@Amaven: Yeah, now's as good a time as any.
@Summoning: Yeah, you can get a custom summons list of all fiends—with the requirement of "you need a specific fiend of that type to be willing." I guess cohorts probably qualify as well, if they're otherwise left behind in the village. My rationale is that fiends normally summon others of their type because they serve the same cause, and those are demons/devils etc. they'd normally "command" if on their home planes.
Nyrinda thinks for a few second, and then whispers into her hand. "That is... a very good idea," she muses out loud a bit after. "We'd still face losses to Urserf's raids, but we'd have more time to find replacements."
Nope! The succubi don't need blood bags. Technically, succubi don't eat anything. Lavosha has one succubus oracle 1, and one succubus antipaladin 2, both with PC gear or something which would put them at like CR 9 and CR 10.
Nyrinda shakes her head. "The Blightburn of the Black Desert blocks all incursions through the Astral or Outer Planes. Astral Projection sends only a soul; proper teleportation cannot leave or enter the whole of the vault."
"Do not underestimate Urserf; he has eluded our assassination attempts many times, and he and his warriors make a terrifying force in open combat. Still, if you think you have some secret way to cut off the horde's head, it would be most welcome."
Feel free to create your own summoning list! If you do it by CR, let's make the adjustment (based on various modifications to CR by party circumstance):
-One friendly outsider of CR ≤ your level -2
-Two friendly outsiders of CR ≤ your level -5
-Three friendly outsiders of CR ≤ your level -8
HOWEVER: Note that that's "friendly outsider"—as in one you've met, and are on positive terms with. It doesn't have to be a daemon; you're not currently an agent of the horsemen, so you'd need to get permission to summon specific daemons (for instance, from murdering a bunch of good guys in the appropriate ritual way). It would be easiest to negotiate a treaty with Hell (offering something in exchange for a steady list of summons, though you could also summon the current ambassador), but you could also try to enter negotiations or get an embassy with Abandon.
* * *
The slayer thing is that a slayer's sneak attack is HD/3; so at 15th level, that's +5d6.
"We don't know," Nyrinda replies first to Anaxian. "The Plane of Shadow is...compact. Perhaps they simply built a wall of dirt a few hundred feet thick—that would be enough to prevent any shadow walker from sneaking past the camps."
And to Drisquar and Illia-, "We know of their numbers. It is not hard to skirmish the urdefhan camps; those fiendish creatures practically beg for the embrace of death. We kill a few, when it pleases us. But we used to trade with the Duergar in caves far above us for blood, and slaves, and spices, and they have no interest in crossing the siege lines without safe passage. Urserf is a talented war-leader, and while his forces are veterans of many urdefhan campaigns, for every one we kill, he brings in new recruits from further vaults to replace them, unwilling to split his spoils among a large hoard but quite willing to maintain a smaller one. And the urdefhan war-leader is crafty and strong enough to foil every assassin we've sent after him; it's quite possible he's under the protection of some unseen spell or aegis from the priests of Noktoria."
"I am Nyrinda, Matriarch of House Shraen," the astrally-projected Drow vampire introduces herself. "No doubt you have already heard some form of my story, and request. But I will repeat it again, so as to avoid confusion. I represent the wealthy, ancient, and cultured city of Shraen, at the heart of the Black Desert, far deeper underground than any other center of Drow civilization. The natural geology of the Black Desert prevents teleportation, helping to keep our city secure—but it also makes trade difficult. Recently, an Urdefhan horde has laid siege to our city, and struck a bargain with extraplanar forces to block shadow travel."
"My sisters and I are confident we could survive this siege indefinitely. However, our way of life has already begun to suffer; without a way to import new corpses, servants, and luxuries, our fair city may eventually become something pitiable and wretched. We have heard that the agents of Escarra are... uniquely skilled at traveling quickly and unseen, and would pay handsomely to see our small trade with the cities of Sekamina re-established through stealth or war."
I uh... what? Who has a ship? They're nomadic barbarian cavalry who have laid siege to an underground city in the middle of a desert for the past decade.
Like Illia-'s crazy enough to call these guys pirates, sure, I just don't understand where that's coming from.
Wait, pirates? Urdefhan are daemonic cannibals who ride around on undead bats murdering things out of nihilism. That's a bit of a stretch to "pirates."
Heh. Mythic is... more a mechanic for heroes, typically (or, in this game, a balancing mechanic for the GM—there's some mythic obstacles/enemies I've had planned for the end of this game from the beginning, and a few of the cities you're now dealing with just happen to have mythic leaders).
I'm saving the heavily-mythic stuff for my next campaign (I've got the premise and beginning, but it should be a more railroady one, so if I wind up with more free time I might start it before this one ends).
If you guys had actually talked to Shaorhaz, he would've sent you on a quest to collect angel wings. Still got a bit more planar plot planned, but also still planning to end this campaign around level 20, at which point each of you guys should have become essentially a campaign end-boss.
1 & 2) Follow the same scaling (doubles for every two ability points, skill bonus is 100*skill^2. However, I'm going to say only one ability score and one skill can be over the normal cap.
3) I think "slay all enemies" probably works, since Illia-'s armor ("protect all allies") is similar, although that would keep him from, say, dealing nonlethal damage.
4) You can get multiple ones, just don't go too crazy with it.
Alright. I'll try to push forward then (it's ballroom comp season at the moment and I'm way in over my head planning conferences and larps for the next two months, but that should lead to unexpected bursts of free time)
Still here. I've kind of lost my drive to push forward in the absence of players being pushier.
That said, I'll also be pretty busy for the next month or two (and have been for the last month). I feel like I've been kind of a s*++ty GM, but I also feel like this game has naturally slowed down as a result of age, repeated absences on my part, and the fact that people got powerful enough to do endgame stuff (and make kingdom building a bit silly). I can work more on keeping the campaign going (we're about 2/3 of the way through what I had planned for this campaign), but I could also try to wind down the campaign, depending on how strongly players want to keep going.
Since it's a once-only check, libraries wouldn't let you take 20, just taking 10. However, using a library *would* let you add the city's lore bonus, currently at +7, provided you take the time to visit all of the city's libraries etc. and take some time searching for hints, etc.
Right, let's give some more background knowledge. For anyone who wants to know more about the conflict between Noktoria, Shraen, and the Urdefhan, here are your sliding knowledge ranges:
Knowledge (religion or local) DC 26:
Nemret Noktoria is, by all accounts, a large and sprawling city—following the Drow and Duergar capitals, perhaps the third largest in all of the Darklands. While you don't have much of an idea of their armies or leader's capabilities, their religious patronage over all of Golarion's ghouls means it's likely they could field a large army, given the time and inclination to recruit.
Knowledge (religion or local) DC 36:
Nemret Noktoria is, by all accounts, a large and sprawling city—following the Drow and Duergar capitals, perhaps the third largest in all of the Darklands. Their religious patronage over all of Golarion's ghouls means it's likely they could field a large army, given the time and inclination to recruit. But the real threat, should they actually declare war (something that might require significant provocation, given ghouls' tendency towards chaos and infighting) is their priesthood. Noktoria's leaders—the Priesthood of Kabiri—are powerful spellcasters, to a larger number and devotion than the leaders of most other underground nations. Kortash Khain, the city's high priest, is said to be the most powerful sorcerer in the southern half of Sekamina, and possibly even more talented than the greatest Drow of the northern half.
Knowledge (religion or local) DC 46:
Nemret Noktoria is, by all accounts, a large and sprawling city—following the Drow and Duergar capitals, perhaps the third largest in all of the Darklands. Their religious patronage over all of Golarion's ghouls means it's likely they could field a large army, given the time and inclination to recruit. But the real threat, should they actually declare war (something that might require significant provocation, given ghouls' tendency towards chaos and infighting) is their priesthood. Noktoria's leaders—the Priesthood of Kabiri—are powerful spellcasters, to a larger number and devotion than the leaders of most other underground nations. Kortash Khain, the city's high priest, is said to be the most powerful spellcaster in all of Sekamina, a mystic theurge of legendary experience and wisdom. That said, Kortash Khain has not been known to leave his city in centuries, and neither he nor the other priests have bothered to directly join the war effort against Shraen, suggesting that the leaders of the city might be uninterested in joining a conflict against any but a truly threatening foe.
Knowledge (history or nobility) DC 31:
It is fantastically hard to learn anything of House Shraen, and you've likely never heard of the house or its leaders. Still, with a careful understanding of Drow politics and a bit of thought put into what you remember of the past millennia's bloodlines, it's possible to paint a bit of a picture—a Drow noble house, exiled from the capital for embracing arcane necromancy over the divine arts. From what you understand, Shraen was set up as a refuge for a few independent spellcasters, their servants and captured slaves, and has had no interest in expanding or exerting their influence since; had Escarra not fallen thousands of years ago, they may have instead settled here, but Nyrinda Shraen seems genuine in her satisfaction at being left alone and forgotten. Thus, it’s quite unlikely that the city of Shraen has any military strength, other than a few talented spellcasters and their traps.
Knowledge (history or nobility) DC 41:
It is fantastically hard to learn anything of House Shraen, though Nyrinda Shraen is a name you’ve heard of in brief passing, along with several of her sisters. Still, with a careful understanding of Drow politics and a bit of thought put into what you remember of the past millennia's bloodlines, it's possible to paint a bit of a picture—a Drow noble house, exiled from the capital for embracing arcane necromancy over the divine arts. From what you understand, Shraen was set up as a refuge for a few independent spellcasters, their servants and captured slaves, and has had no interest in expanding or exerting their influence since; had Escarra not fallen thousands of years ago, they may have instead settled here, but Nyrinda Shraen seems genuine in her satisfaction at being left alone and forgotten. Thus, it’s quite unlikely that the city of Shraen has any military strength; its leaders have a reputation for being truly talented necromancers, but on a level unlikely to be much higher than what you and the other leaders of Escarra are capable of.
Knowledge (nature or geography) DC 27:
Aside from any mention of House Shraen, you are somewhat familiar with the natural ecosystem of the Black Desert, where Shraen is located. While the cavern is known for its poisonous blightburn radiation, deadly to most living creatures as well as blocking all teleportation (leading most to avoid the vault as a “lifeless desert”), the cavern is said to be a major breeding ground for the Darklands’ more migratory colonies of Purple Worms. Naturally immune to blightburn, the worms are said to flourish alongside their vulnerable young in the black sand, providing yet another obstacle to any travel through the vault.
Knowledge (nature or geography) DC 37:
Aside from any mention of House Shraen, you are somewhat familiar with the natural ecosystem of the Black Desert, where Shraen is located. While the cavern is known for its poisonous blightburn radiation, deadly to most living creatures as well as blocking all teleportation (leading most to avoid the vault as a “lifeless desert”), the cavern is said to be a major breeding ground for the Darklands’ more migratory colonies of Purple Worms. Naturally immune to blightburn, the worms are said to flourish alongside their vulnerable young in the black sand, providing yet another obstacle to any travel through the vault. The most interesting rumors, however, revolve around a supposed colony of elves said to train and ride among the Purple Worms, rumors that, in context, suggest Shraen might have a certain added level of military strength (in the form of purple worm cavalry) that they do not typically reveal to outsiders.
Knowledge (planes or dungeoneering) DC 28:
You’ve heard a bit of War Champion Urserf. His actual force of Urdefhan is said to be small, but he himself is a veteran of many raids across the vaults of Orv, and the warring daemon-spawned Urdefhan still surviving under his command are likely to be highly trained and ruthless as well.
Knowledge (planes or dungeoneering) DC 38:
You’ve quite a few tales of War Champion Urserf. His actual force of Urdefhan is said to be small, but this is likely by choice. The warring daemon-spawned Urdefhan still surviving under his command are likely to be highly trained and ruthless; Urserf himself is probably the most capable Urdefhan warlord currently alive, and is known for supplementing his soldiers with summoned daemons in battle. Not much is known about his siege on Shraen, but the Black Desert does border Urdefhan land, and it’s likely that the raiders simply want the challenge of a worthy foe and a large of pillaged wealth.
Ack! Sorry y'all. Didn't have the time this week to moderate player arguments, but now I do. Let's see what I can do re: game direction back onto track.
Heh, *who* are you proposing of sending to Nemret Nektoria as a spy? If you look at the "NPCs" tab in the city spreadsheet, you've got a few, plus whatever spies Drisquar's been recruiting (though I think these are mostly humanish).
EDIT: Except for Ambassador Pleistocrates, he doesn't actually work for you. I also do not recommend sending a shoggoth, aboleth, Hellknight, or gibbering mouther (and anyone from another city might need some "convincing"), but hey, this game has gotten wacky.
* * *
Also Drisquar, how's your brother's character coming along?
"Noktoria is proud, and hypocritical, and small-minded in their zeal. Its leaders see ghouldom as the pinnacle and undeath, perfecting themselves through prayer and study; and seeking to end or contain any undead who would call them ugly or uncreative. But we of House Shraen have a need for slaves, and Nemret Noktoria has never taken too kindly to our capture and control of their weaker-minded citizens."
"Still, that is not our issue. As you may not know, the city of Shraen is a fortress. The entire vault of the Black Desert teems with so much blightburn, making it impossible to teleport anywhere within a hundred miles of the city. Any army crossing the sands would be easy prey to our miles of tunnels, traps, and worm hunting grounds; and so the armies of Noktoria have ended silently, at the end of a long month's march, and we are left unobstructed and unassailable."
"But for the past ten years, we have been under siege. The Urdefhan chieftain Urserf has entrenched his armies around our city, and while they pose little threat, their forces are crafty and patience, disappearing into tunnels and bunkers to avoid the desert's worms and launching counterattacks across the city when we try to route their positions. For ten years, the Urdefhands have picked away at our slaves and cattle, and our resources for living comfortably are all but gone; and Urserf has struck some bargain with forces on the Plane of Shadow, which have gathered and converged around our fair vault to prevent shadow travel as well as astral."
"This city is a new player, one with unique resources—and we have no interest in treating with the petty drow of Zirnakaynin or the lumbering duergar. We seek a route to bring new slaves and food into our city for the next generation, and would pay for the assistance."
It should be noted that Vegepygmies are technically a disease, not a humanoid. They're the pathfinder version of that fungus that turns ants into zombies, only they're essentially intelligent fungus zombie people. So you probably want them not coming too close to your city, even though only their leaders are contagious.
The vampire makes a face of mixed amusement and disappointment. "If you have to explain everything, it stops being clever. And if I wanted a tour, I would have walked unnoticed among your herd of subjects. This city may be well-planned for a drow stronghold, but it is nothing to the pillars of Orv."
And then she looks as though to be considering something for a few seconds, before waving a cone of silence into existence and continuing. "Well, then. If you demand an explanation, my time is not in short supply; and I suppose you may find it more entertaining than any of the handful of Hellknights outside. I have heard the tales of Adrexa and Jiator, but Escarra full of the living is certainly a curiosity."
"Still. On to your pre-meeting interrogation. I am, perhaps, the greatest sorceress on this side of Lake Nirthran, alongside my sisters and their less cosmopolitan escape from death. My name is Nyrinda, I am the Matriarch of House Shraen, and I am here to learn just how your leaders will respond to my presence."
Did I forget to mention earlier that the visitor is a vampire? Oops. Yep, obvious fangs, black furs, pale skin, speaks with a thousand-year-old accent, etc.
"It's... rather sensitive matter. I represent myself, and perhaps my family as well, though we rarely follow the politics of the 'noble houses' you may be more familiar with. Still; the truly deep drow have heard stories of this city's rebirth. I wish to see it for myself, and learn who and what power your city represents."
I'll let the other players weigh in—but yeah, it is technically the fastest way to grow a kingdom, though vegepygmies are gross *and* contagious to the weak.
